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Summary

Settlement consisting of at least seven irregular enclosures containing the remains of at least twelve hut circles and a later longhouse, lying at the end of the short ridge between Spanish Lake and Hentor Brook.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1009573: Agglomerated enclosure with hut circles south-west of Ditsworthy Clam

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE71
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438704
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/53
• Old SAM County Ref: 492
• Old SAM Ref: 10693

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSED HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT (Constructed, Early Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 2200 BC to 42 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1190, 4259 (Aerial Photograph). SDV340833.

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2494, 3131-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDV147533.

Visible.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX56NE71 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV149056.

(31/05/1950) The walls are composed of partly turf covered stones, average width of walls 3.0m, height 0.8m. Eleven hut circles are visible with diameters varying between 3.7 - 7.5m.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56NE71 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV149054.

(21/06/1977) A settlement of six integrated enclosures, situated at the end of a ridge on a gentle well drained slope at 265m. OD.
A. SX 5794 6580. A sub-circular enclosure, internal diameters 110.0m by 96m and 0.8 hectares in area. It is in poor condition but is one of two possible primary enclosures. The walling comprises a double line of orthostats 1.2m apart with some infill. The interior, which has been cleared, contains a D-shaped yard or hut 3.5m by 2.0m, built against the south-west extremity of the enclosure wall and five huts. These have average internal diameters of 5.5m with walling 1.2m wide, and are in poor condition; two have entrances to the south and southeast, marked by jambs 0.7m apart. One hut is built on the line of the wall and another is built against the wall; all are terraced into the slope.
B. SX 5784 6579. An oval enclosure, with diameters of 43m by 35m and 0.7 hectares in extent, is also possibly primary and the walling is similar to enclosure (A). The clear interior contains two huts with average internal diameter of 5.5m and walling about 1.1m wide. Both are in poor condition; one has a south-east entrance and the other is filled with boulders, possibly; later clearance. The hut is partly overlaid by a supposed cairn (SX 56 NE 65, probably clearance) which also spreads across the adjacent wall of the enclosure.
C. SX 5798 6576. A rectilinear enclosure with rounded corners, 55.0m by 40m internally and of 0.2 hectares in area. The interior is clear. It has orthostatic walling 1.0m. wide and is built onto and post dates enclosure (A).
D. SX 5791 6575. A semi-oval enclosure, 33m by 35m and 0.1 hectares in area, which is similar in construction to enclosure (A) onto which it has been built. It has been partly destroyed by a Medieval or later building (SX 56 NE 131) and the interior contains a single hut. This has an internal diameter of 4.5m with walling about 1.3m thick, and a possible south facing entrance.
E. SX 5788 6576. An irregular rectilinear enclosure with maximum diameter of 108m by 70m, and 0.4 hectares in extent. It is similar in construction to (A) and probably pre-dates (B) but seems later than (D). It shares a common wall with (F) and a hut and yard built against this wall suggests that (E) is the earlier. The hut has an internal diameter of 7.2m with walling 1.2m thick; transverse slabs in the south-east part of the wall probably indicate the entrance. The adjoining yard measured 7.0m by 2.8m internally.
F. SX 5789 6584. An enclosure of about 120m by 50m and of 0.4 hectares with fragmentary orthostaic walling 1.2m wide. It appears to post date (A) (B) and probably (3: C?). The interior, cleared of stone, contains three huts with internal diameters between 4.9m and 5.3m. All are in poor condition and one has been partly destroyed by the construction of a leat.
There is no visual evidence of cultivation in the vicinity of the settlement but the area is relatively free of clitter. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD and at 1:5000.

National Monuments Record, 1983, NMR SF2134, 55, 56 (Aerial Photograph). SDV238551.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Ten element agglomerated enclosure, six free standing hut circles within enclosure. Ten hut circles attached to enclosure walls. Area approx 2 hectares. Enclosure is cut by Lee Moor China Clay Works Leat (SX56NE/382). Building (SX56NE/157) and associated features overlying centre of enclosure. Rectangular building (SX56NE/383) within northwest of enclosure. Possible rectangular building (SX56NE/384) within north of enclosure.

Pye, A., 1992, Archaeological Watching Brief on the ECC Lee Moor works leat corridor in the Upper Plym Valley, 7 (Report - Watching Brief). SDV165953.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West (Monograph). SDV137656.

Settlement depicted and described by Butler.

Robertson, J. G., 1994, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV139549.

Settlement depicted and described by Robertson.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

(04-04-2002) Centred SX 5792 6580. A settlement consisting of at least seven irregular enclosures containing the remains of 12 hut circles lies at the end of the short ridge between Spanish Lake and Hentor Brook. The enclosures vary in size from 0.1 hectares to 0.8 hectares and are bounded by a variety of walling types as described by the Ordnance Survey in 1977. The hut circles are all terraced into the slope.
Reoccupation of this settlement in the medieval or later periods has resulted in the rebuilding of several of the boundaries and the clearance of surface stone within the enclosures. Most of the hut circles have become repositories for this clearance material. A rectangular structure and a number of small contemporary enclosures have been inserted into the pre-existing plan. In addition one of the huts has been bisected by the clayworks leat which now isolates the northern enclosures from the rest of the site.
A vermin trap associated with Hentor Warren uses the south-west corner of the main enclosure.
The hut circles:
SX 5790 6585. A crude semi-circle of stones 3.1m across lie on the edge of a small platform immediately north of the clayworks leat.
SX 5788 6585. A hut circle measuring ?.1m north-south by 3.7m internally with walls 1.6m wide and 0.6m high. A blocked entrance lies in the south-east side.
SX 5785 6582. Measuring 5.3m in internal diameter this hut has walls 2.6m wide and up to 0.5m high.
SX 5784 6580. A hut circle infilled with clearance material. It measures 5.3m in diameter and traces of former internal facing are apparent.
SX 5783 6578. Measuring 5.8m north-south by 5.4m this hut possesses walls 1.0m wide and 0.7m high with traces of internal facing.
SX 5789 6580. 7.2m north-south by 6.5m internally with walls 1.3m wide and 0.75m high. A small rectangular annex (below) lies to the north-east.
SX 5789 6581. A rectangular structure measuring 4.8m north-south by 2.4m with spread stony walls 0.9m wide and 0.5m high.
SX 5792 6580. An infilled hut circle measuring 5.4m in diameter with walls 1.6m wide and 0.7m high.
SX 5792 6578. Measuring 5.2m in diameter this hut possesses walls 1.8m wide and 0.6m high with traces of external facing slabs.
SX 5794 6576. A hut circle measuring 4.6m north-south by 3.8m with walls 1.0m wide and 0.7m high.
SX 5798 6578. A small hut circle or clearance cairn abutting a boundary wall. It measures 2.3m north-south by 2.8m.
SX 5799 6578. A hut circle measuring 5.7m in diameter and largely obscured by clearance debris. Where visible the walls measure 1.2m wide and 0.5m high.
SX 5800 6580. Again obscured by debris, this hut measures around 6.8m in internal diameter.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey

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