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Summary

An ovoid enclosure of 0.2 hectares lies above the streamworking remains flanking the right bank of the River Plym some 200 metres south of the Drizzlecombe stone rows. The enclosure and hut circles (at SX 59227 66795 and SX 59228 66789) are generally as described by the Ordnance Survey (1977) though the hut circle adjacent to the west wall appears only to be a short length of contemporary walling that may have sub-divided the main enclosure. There is no trace of any levelling that may indicate the former position of a hut.
A small D-shaped platform at SX 59226 66815 measuring 3.6m east to west by 2.4m abuts the interior of the north wall and may represent the site of a further hut. There are no entrances visible in any of the huts or in the enclosure walls. The enclosure has been incorporated into a medieval or later field system resulting in several later banks adjoining the north and south walls of the site.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021058: Prehistoric enclosed settlement 950m north east of Ditsworthy Warren House

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE47
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438632
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/66/1
• Old SAM Ref: 33470

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Pound and Hut Circles' shown on early 20th century map.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs, RAF/CPE/UK/2495 4128,9,11 (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56NE47, SX56NE47 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV363533.

(27/06/1977) On a south-facing slope on the west side of the River Plym at 310.0 m OD is an oval enclosure, 60.0 m x 45.0 m, containing three hut circles; two are close together near the centre, the third is integral with the west wall.
The enclosure wall averages 1.0 m thick and is non-orthostatic. Two of the huts are Type 1, (Type site SX 56 SE 19), the third (the largest) is so ruined that its type cannot be determined.
The internal diameters are respectively 6.5 m, 4.0 m and 2.5 m; the walls of all three are 1.0 m in thickness. No entrances are visible. A small annexe, 5.0m by 2.0m, links the two central huts. The interior of the enclosure shows evidence of clearance and a lynchet has development on its upper side. The condition of the whole is poor. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 157328 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(28/03/2002. Prehistoric enclosure 150m south of the Giant's Basin. Enclosure measures 60 metres by 45 metres with a wall 2.4 metres wide by 0.7 metres high.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 127, Map 49, Figure 49.12 (Monograph). SDV137656.

'Mill Corner' a small oval pound on the right bank of the Plym. The site just escapes the tinners' excavations but later banks have caused some damage at either end. Near the centre are a pair of huts of 2.5 and 3.7 metres diameter and linked by a curved bank. There seems to have been another hut on the western perimeter and possibly a court against the uphill north side partly destroyed by the rebuilt wall.

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

Depicted.

Environment Agency WMS, 1998-2016, LiDAR DTM data JPEG image (1m resolution) (Cartographic). SDV360208.

Enclosure visible on Lidar data.

Fletcher, M. + Newman, P. + Probert, S., 1999, Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor areas in the Plym Valley, West Devon (Report - Survey). SDV346268.

(03/08/1999) Centred SX 5921 6679. An ovoid enclosure of 0.2 hectares lies above the streamworking remains flanking the right bank of the River Plym some 200m south of the Drizzlecombe stone rows.
The enclosure and hut circles (at SX 59227 66795 and SX 59228 66789) are generally as described by the Ordnance Survey (1977) though the hut circle adjacent to the west wall appears only to be a short length of contemporary walling that may have sub-divided the main enclosure. There is no trace of any levelling that may indicate the former position of a hut.
A small D-shaped platform at SX 59226 66815 measuring 3.6m east to west by 2.4m abuts the interior of the north wall and may represent the site of a further hut. There are no entrances visible in any of the huts or in the enclosure walls. The enclosure has been incorporated into a medieval or later field system resulting in several later banks adjoining the north and south walls of the site.

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

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

Enclosure shown on survey.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Outline of enclosure visible on aerial photograph.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England, 1021058 (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

The monument includes a Prehistoric enclosed settlement situated on a south facing slope on the lower slopes of Higher Hartor Tor overlooking the River Plym. The settlement lies close to the stone alignments at Drizzlecombe and survives as an oval enclosure containing four stone hut circles. The interior of the enclosure measures 60 metres long by 45 metres wide and it is denoted by a 2.4 metre wide earthwork bank standing up to 0.7 metres high. The stone hut circles within the settlement all survive as circular or oval banks surrounding an internal area which varies between 7.1 square metres and 28.3 square metres. The height of the surrounding rubble walls vary between 0.3 metres and 0.7 metres. One of the huts has a visible doorway and another has an annex.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UP-DZ 18 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 01/02/2020. Overall condition moderate. Photo x3 taken.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, UP-DZ 18 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photo 1: View of NW hut circle looking 120° showing grass/moss and bracken cover. Photo 2: View of SE hut circle looking 280° showing grass/moss and bracken cover. Photo 3: View of SW section of enclosure wall looking 350° showing grass/moss and bracken cover.

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

Enclosure shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 28/06/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

SX 59216678. An oval enclosure measuring 60 metres by 45 metres internally, and containing four stone hut circles. The enclosure is defined by an earthwork bank up to 0.7 metres high. The hut circles all survive as circular or oval banks. One has a visible doorway and another has an annexe. Scheduled Monument Notification, 08/09/2003.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4966 - Survey of Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor. The Eylesbarrow archaeological landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

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