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Summary

A number of irregular enclosures containing three hut circles, four probable hut circles, three cairns and a possible military structure on the western flank of Giant's Hill above Mill Corner. The enclosures are bounded by broad stony banks up to 2.0m wide and 0.6m high. There are no identifiable entrances to these features. The hut circles are very poorly preserved and have been mutilated by later activities and had surface stone dumped on their walls and interiors. Several features described as huts by previous authorities are now simply stony patches within the enclosures and one appears to be of fairly recent (?military) origin. Only one of the identifiable huts possesses an obvious entrance while most display traces of level interiors. The cairns are generally well preserved though none present any evidence to suggest the presence of cists or kerbs.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019081: Enclosed stone hut circle settlement and three round cairns on Giant's Hill

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE94
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438767
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/60
• Old SAM County Ref: 499
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24190
• Old SAM Ref: 10690

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSED HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs, 2494, 4128-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Photograph taken in March 1948.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX56NE94 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV150857.

(19/05/1950) Six enclosures (A-F) and hut circles with walls of turf and heather covered stones 2 metres wide by 0.3 to 0.4 metres high. Correct as shown on field sheet.
(23/06/1977) An enclosed settlement consisting of 3 separate enclosures and one hut situated on a moderate, well drained, west facing slope at 340 metres above OD.
A. SX 5948 6681. An enclosure 75 metres by 40 metres and 0.3 hectares in area bounded by a wall 1.5 metres thick formed of small boulders. It is in poor condition and probably of at least 2 phases having been extended to the south west. An earlier phase may be represented by walling within the upper part which also contains 5 Type 1 huts. Their average internal diameter is 3.5 metres with walls 1 metre thick and they also are in poor condition. Two huts are built into the line of the wall and 3 are built against it. The lower part contains a 'D' shaped hut in poor condition 4.5 metres by 3 metres built against the enclosure wall.
B. SX 5957 6679. This sub circular enclosure, diameter 45 metres and 0.1 hectares, has a wall in poor condition 2 metres wide, built of small boulders. It contains 2 Type 1 huts, average internal diameter 3.5 metres with walls 1 metres thick. One has the remains of a probable annex, the other a south facing entrance. A sub rectangular yard, 4 metres by 2 metres is built into the corner.
C. SX 59526676. The fragmentary walling of this oval enclosure 40 metres by 30 metres and 0.1hectares is about 1.5 metres wide and constructed of small boulders. A Type 1 hut circle, internal diameter 3 metres, wall 1.5 metres wide and in poor condition.
(Type site SX 56 SE 19) Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

National Monuments Record, 1979, SF 1457, 343-346 (Aerial Photograph). SDV140197.

Photograph taken on 1st March 1979.

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

Likely associated with oval enclosure to south. Area approx 0.75 hectares.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140366. (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(03/06/1995) Agglomerated enclosure including at least 5 distinct enclosed areas. The earliest, enclosure 'A', survives as a 28m by 20m oval area surrounded by a 2m wide and 0.75m high rubble bank. Four hut circles are attached to the inner face of this enclosure boundary bank on its e side. Enclosure ‘B’ was added to the s side of ‘A’ and this survives as an irregular shaped area measuring 31m by 24m, surrounded by a 3m wide rubble bank standing up to 1m high. An earlier hut circle is incorporated into the circuit of this enclosure. The third enclosure, ‘C', is attached to the w side of `b' and survives as a 2m wide and 0.5m high rubble bank defining an irregular shaped area measuring 20m by 16m. There are 2 hut circles associated with this enclosure. Enclosure ‘D' was added next and is attached to both enclosures ‘B' and ‘C’. This enclosure is sub rectangular, 32m by 26m, and is denoted by a 2m wide and 0.6m high rubble bank. A hut circle is attached to the inner face of this enclosure wall on its s circuit. The final enclosure, ‘E', lies s of ‘D' and although this is now only visible as a 1.4m wide and 0.3m high curving rubble bank, it is extremely likely that it was originally intended as a fifth element to this agglomerated enclosure.
This agglomerated enclosure is linked by a rubble wall to a smaller example lying 24m to the east and together these 2 groups of enclosures together with 16 hut circles form the visible archaeological remains of the enclosed stone hut circle settlement on Giant's Hill.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 130, Map 49, Figure 49.14 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Settlement at 'Giant's Hill' is a complex of seven small enclosures with an abundance of hut circles. Building foundations and boundary walls barely show above ground level but traces of at least fifteen huts can be identified of between 2.5 to 5.0 metres diameter including a row of four contiuous huts along the east side of the central pound.

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

Seven hut circles and three enclosures depicted and described by Robertson.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 281-5, 102.1000-1002. (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Village settlement on Giant's Hill. Enclosures and hut circles. Late Bronze Age/Iron Age. Bracken covered.

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

(19/03/2002) Centred SX 5952 6680. A number of irregular enclosures containing three hut circles, four probable hut circles, three cairns and a possible military structure on the west flank of Giant's Hill above Mill Corner.
The hut circles, by contrast to the enclosures, are very poorly preserved and have been mutilated by later activities and had surface stone dumped on their walls and interiors. Several features described as huts by previous authorities are now simply stony patches within the enclosures and one appears to be of fairly recent (?military) origin. Only one of the identifiable huts possesses an obvious entrance while most display traces of level interiors.
The cairns are generally well preserved though none present any evidence to suggest the presence of cists or kerbs.
The cist mentioned in the Scheduling description is recorded as SX 56 NE 302.(19/03/2002) Centred SX 5952 6680. A number of irregular enclosures containing three hut circles, four probable hut circles, three cairns and a possible military structure on the west flank of Giant's Hill above Mill Corner.
The hut circles, by contrast to the enclosures, are very poorly preserved and have been mutilated by later activities and had surface stone dumped on their walls and interiors. Several features described as huts by previous authorities are now simply stony patches within the enclosures and one appears to be of fairly recent (?military) origin. Only one of the identifiable huts possesses an obvious entrance while most display traces of level interiors.
The cairns are generally well preserved though none present any evidence to suggest the presence of cists or kerbs.
The cist mentioned in the Scheduling description is recorded as SX 56 NE 302.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Enclosures shown on survey.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England, 1019081 (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

This monument includes two agglomerated enclosures and 16 stone hut circles together forming an enclosed stone hut circle settlement, three round cairns, a cist and a tin prospecting pit lying on the west facing slope of Giant's Hill overlooking the valley of the River Plym. The stone hut circle settlement includes two agglomerated enclosures connected to each other by a rubble wall. The western agglomeration is the largest, includes at least five separate enclosed areas, covers 0.43 hectares and contains eight stone hut circles. The northernmost enclosure is earliest and survives as a 28 metre long by 20 metre wide oval area surrounded by a 2 metre wide and 0.75 metre high rubble bank. Four stone hut circles are attached to the inner face of this enclosure boundary on its eastern side. The second enclosure was added to the southern side of the first and survives as an irregular shaped area measuring 31 metres long by 24 metres wide surrounded by a 3 metre wide rubble bank standing up to 1 metre high. An earlier stone hut circle is incorporated into the southern circuit of this enclosure. The third enclosure is attached to the western side of the second and survives as a 2 metre wide and 0.5 metre high rubble bank defining an irregular shaped area measuring 20 metres long by 16 metres wide. There are two stone hut circles associated with this enclosure. The fourth enclosure is attached to both the second and third. This enclosure is sub-rectangular in shape, measures 32 metres long by 26 metres wide and is denoted by a 2 metre wide and 0.6 metre high rubble bank. A stone hut circle is attached to the inner face of this enclosure wall on its southern circuit. The final enclosure lies south of the fourth and although this is now only visible as a 1.4 metre wide and 0.3 metre high curving bank extending 20 metres southward, the remaining parts probably survive as a buried feature. All eight stone hut circles lying within this agglomerated enclosure include banks of stone and earth each surrounding a circular internal area which vary in diameter between 2m and 5.5m with the average being 3.61m. The height of the surrounding wall varies between 0.3m and 0.7m with the average being 0.58 metres. One of the huts has a visible doorway, six are attached and two are linked to enclosure walling. The second agglomerated enclosure lies to the east and is linked to the first by a 24 etre long rubble bank. This enclosure includes at least two elements, with the earliest one being the northern example. This survives as a 43 metre long by 42 metre wide sub-rectangular area surrounded by a 2m wide and 0.45m high rubble bank with occasional orthostats. Two stone hut circles are attached to the inner face of this enclosure boundary on its northern side, two others are linked to the boundary by a short length of rubble bank a fifth lies in the south western corner. The second enclosure is attached to the south western corner of the first and survives as an oval area 38 metres long by 29 metres wide denoted by a 1.3 metre wide and 0.5 metre high rubble bank also with occasional orthostats. The five stone hut circles within this agglomerated enclosure are similar in character to those lying elsewhere within the settlement. The internal diameters of these huts vary between 2 metres and 3 metres with the average being 2.3 metres. The height of the surrounding wall varies between 0.3 metres and 0.6 metres. In the area between the agglomerate enclosures there are a further three stone hut circles. All three are terraced into the hillslope and survive as stone and earth banks surrounding a circular internal area. The interior of the northern and southern huts measure 3m in diameter, whilst the central one is 3.5m. The surrounding walls vary in height between 0.3 metres and 0.7 metres. The three round cairns lie on the southern periphery of the stone hut circle settlement. The western mound measures 5 metres in diameter and stands up to 0.5 metres high. The northern mound lies 2.5 metres from the first, measures 5.3 metres in diameter and 0.8 metres high. The southern mound measures 7.5 metres long by 5.5 metres wide, stands up to 0.2 metres high and has in the past been excavated or robbed to reveal a cist. The cist is situated at the west-south-west end of the cairn, measures 1.4 metres long, 0.7 metres wide, 0.3 metres deep and is orientated north-east to south-west. Evidence of later interest in the ground underlying the settlement is provided by the survival of a tin prospecting pit. This survives as a sub-rectangular pit measuring 2.3 metres long by 1.2 metres wide and 0.4 metres deep with an associated crescent shaped bank standing up to 0.4 metres high lying immediately downslope.

Ordnance Survey, 2021, MasterMap 2021 (Cartographic). SDV364015.

'Settlement' shown on modern mapping.

Dick, A. M., unknown, Giant's Hill Settlement (Personal Comment). SDV150856.

Nb. This site was formerly recorded as a subsheet of Giant's Hill village settlement. The settlement was subdivided to accommodate rescheduling
Nb. Re-rescheduling has now reinstated this site as an agglomerated enclosure.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey

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