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Summary

An approximately rectangular stone enclosure, with a curving northern wall containing three possible internal stone hut circles associated with an extensive settlement of huts and enclosures, south of Legis Tor. Surveyed in 2022.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019876: Prehistoric settlement, three round cairns and a post-medieval rabbit warren at Legis Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE70
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438701
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/72
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/72/3
• Old SAM County Ref: 591
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 22289
• Old SAM Ref: 10701
• Old SAM Ref: 22289
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX57NE70

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Northern half of eastern part of enclosure shown on 19th century map.

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2494, 3131-2, 11 (Aerial Photograph). SDV147533.

One agricultural enclosure, lynchets containing hut circles.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX56NE70 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV229222.

(31/05/1950) Enclosure walls of stone now scattered about. Four hut circles inside enclosure, whose walls are composed of small stones which make the walls only a few inches high. Average diameter of hut circles 8.0m, average width of enclosure wall 3.0m.

National Monuments Record, 1976, SX5765, 4/19 (Aerial Photograph). SDV155850.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56NE70 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV254294.

(23/05/1977) This settlement comprises a number of huts contained within 2 adjoining enclosures, plus 3 detached hut circles: it lies at the base of the steep valley side of the River Plym, at 270m above OD.
A. SX 5729 6527. A sub-rectangular enclosure, 80m by 60m covering 0.5 hectares, is walled by a double row of orthostats, 1.2m apart, with boulder infill; it is in poor condition. The upper wall is lynchetted and the lower wall built on the edge of the lower river cliff. The clitter strewn interior is divided by the remains of an orthostatic wall, post-dating the enclosure, built on the edge of the upper river cliff. The upper part contains two Type 2 hut circles (Type site SX 56 NE 71) average internal diameter 5.5m, walls 1.4m wide, terraced into the slope and two adjoining, sub rectangular yards, 7.5m by 5m and 5m by 3m, walling 1.2m wide, terraced against the enclosure wall. The lower part of the enclosure contains the remains of a possible Type 1 hut (Type site SX 56 SE 19) internal diameter 2.5m, wall 0.8m wide. There are two adjoining Type 2 huts, average internal diameter 5.5m, with very poor walling, terraced into the slope east-north-east of the enclosure.
B. SX 5722 6522. The remains of this enclosure, about 100m by 70m and 0.6 hectares, lie to the west of enclosure A. Only the upper wall, of similar construction to that of enclosure A is well defined, with a possible entrance, 2m wide, marked by slight inturns; the west and lower walls are marked by irregularly spaced orthostats. The clitter strewn interior is divided by the remains of a wall, built on the edge of the upper river cliff. The upper portion is further sub divided by linked lengths of walling, and contains three Type 2 hut circles and one other, average internal diameter 5.5m. The walling in very poor condition, terraced into the slope, and one hut is built on the line of the enclosure wall. A further Type 2 hut, internal diameter 7.5m is terraced on to the outside of the wall, and another, internal diameter 5.0m, just outside. The walling of both huts is very poor.
The ground both inside and outside the settlement, has not been cleared of clitter and there is no evidence of cultivation. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Balaam, N. D. + Smith, K. + Wainwright, G. J., 1982, The Shaugh Moor Project: Fourth Report - Environment, Context and Conclusion, 244, fig 20 (Article in Serial). SDV145845.

Hut in south-east corner unusual in being sited so close to river bank.

Robinson, R., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1983 (Un-published). SDV345762.

(07/08/1983) Department of Environment Field Monument Warden visit.

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

Agglomerated enclosure of two elements visible on the aerial photographs. Eastern element complete. Western element missing most of its western circuit. Two hut circles attached to interior walls of enclosure. One hut circle freestanding within presumed area of western element. Two hut circles at SX 5720 6532 presumably closely associated with enclosure, whole cut through by leat MDV25289. Area of eastern element 0.4 hectares.

Ancient Monuments, 1990, Schedule notes (Schedule Document). SDV235493.

Agglomerated enclosure consisting of two enclosures and an arm of banking extending to the north-west, which may have originally been a further enclosure on the western side of the other two. In the eastern enclosures there are at least four huts and a fifth attached to the bank externally. There are two more huts attached to the arm of banking, one associated with a small court at the existing north-western extremity of the bank, and a further three freestanding huts within the arc of the bank. The huts range in diameter from 5m to 10m and have walls between 0.75m and 1m in thickness and up to 0.5m in height. The banking of the enclosures is of earth and stone with some large boulders and is up to 2.5m in width and 1m in height. There is an entrance through the eastern bank of the northern enclosure. There are two pillow mounds within the complex.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130857 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(22/02/1993) Group of three prehistoric enclosures, six stone hut circles and a small D-shaped structure forming part of an extensive settlement.
The southern enclosure measures internally 60m east-west by 33m north-south and is defined by a rubble wall 2.5m wide and up to 0.9m high.
The northern enclosure is attached to the northern side of the first, measures 66m east-west by 45m north-south and is defined by rubble walling. An arm of banking extending to the north-west from the northern enclosure may represent the upper part of a third enclosure whose west and south walls were either never completed or survive as buried features.
Six stone hut circles composed of circular banks of stone and earth surrounding an internal area survive either within the enclosures or are attached to the walls. The huts and structure are described separately; see associated records.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 13086-8 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Photo by S. Gerrard in SMR. (22/2/1993) See sub sheets. Note MPP 22289(p) is a revision of SAM 10701.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 111-4, Map 49, Figure 49.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Settlement 'B' at Legis Tor consists of two elements the western extension has been left unfinished as its uphill northern boundary appears never to have continued past the courtyard of Hut Circle '13'. The eastern complete enclosure is bisected by a contour wall dividing the more level half from the steeper section towards the River Plym.

Environment Agency WMS, 1998-2016, LiDAR DSM data JPEG image (1m resolution) (Cartographic). SDV360209.

Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

(07/02/2005) Centred SX 5727 6528. The remains of two sub-divided enclosures and nine hut circles sit at the foot of the south flank of Legis Tor on the right bank of the River Plym.
Of the enclosures the eastern (centred SX 5730 6527) is complete and measures 75m north-south by 60m. It is bounded by well-defined boulder and slab walls around 1.4m wide and a maximum of 1.0m high. This enclosure is subdivided into two slightly unequal portions by an east-west transverse wall along the crest of the floodplain. The northern portion contains two hut circles (MDV12764-65).
The lower, southern, part of the enclosure possesses a single hut (MDV127367).
The western enclosure (centred SX 57246528) is incomplete, a single boulder wall arcing north-west from the north-western corner of the previous enclosure. Several low stony banks subdivide the interior. Four hut circles lie within or potentially within this feature (see related records).
This site possesses several features that would appear to be of later origin to the main enclosures and hut circles. These include the low banks that subdivide the western enclosure and several shorter banks and a small pound within the northern half of the eastern enclosure. It is also possible that the hut at SX 5732 6525 falls into this category. The presence of stone clearance debris in several of the huts points towards later (probably post-Medieval) activity on this site.

Probert, S. A. J., 2010, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of Ringmoor, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV360517.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015-2017, 2015-2017 Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV361462.

Visible on aerial photograph.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Ringmoor Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Report - Survey). SDV361636.

Depicted on the GIS survey layer.

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

Enclosure shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1019876 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

Within Scheduled area.

Newman, P., 2022, Ringmoor Down Premier Archaeological Landscape Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey, Table 1 (Report - Survey). SDV365490.

A stone enclosure of 0.4ha associated with an extensive settlement of huts and enclosures, south of Legis Tor. The enclosure has an approximately rectangular plan with a curving northern side. It contains three internal hut circles and one attached to the western exterior (127362). The perimeter walls were constructed from moorstone boulders in a variety of sizes, with an inner and outer face. Some stretches of these facings survive in situ but where collapsed the alignment of the ruined masonry is still very visible within the spread of the tumbled stone. The walls were between 1.3m and 1.5m thick and up to 0.95m high in places, the space between the faces probably packed with masonry and earth. In their ruined state the walls are now spread up to 4m. Several breaches exist within the walls though it is uncertain which if any represents the original entrance. The associated stone hut circles are tumbled and turf covered.
Three of the huts (127362; 127365; 127366) have internal diameters of approximately 5.6m with only fragments of walls still in situ. A smaller hut (127364) comprises only a ring of stones with a diameter of 3.4m. Two structures have been added to the wall interiors. These comprise a rectangular shelter type structure at the SE corner (3367) of 3.1m by 2.2m, and a 'D'-shape enclosure of 13.3m by 7.2m on the north arc of the wall. Both were built in a non-enduring style and are both very ruinous. An external curving section of enclosure wall extending from the NW corner represents expansion of this settlement though it may not have been completed. It extends 55m to the NW and meets a single hut circle (127361) with its own small attached semi-circular enclosure of 10m by 6m. The hut circle has walls surviving as tumble with sections of wall face in situ. Maximum internal diameter is 7.6m. Two further stony huts to the south could also have been contained within this additional enclosure, had it been completed: one has a diameter of 4.3m, the other (50648) is 5.7m. Both stone door posts survive on the south side of the larger hut. Surveyed at 1:1000 scale using GPS, April 2022.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8917 - Survey of the archaeological features on Ringmoor Down

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