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Summary

Settlement with a scattered group of unenclosed hut circles and associated linear banks with a cairn in Tavy Cleave to the south-west of Watern Oke and north of Standon Hill

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1007666: Stone hut circle settlement and enclosures 970m east of Ger Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440611
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SE/23
• Old SAM County Ref: 552
• Old SAM Ref: 22355
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX58SE11

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, 3378-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224714.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1979, SX58SE11, SX58SE11, Sketch of site. (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV236763.

(11/07/1950) Enclosure and ten hut circles (A-H). Fragmentary remains of an enclosure wall is composed of a few turf covered stones.
(21/08/1979) Centred at SX 55678311 is an open settlement with eleven huts situated on a north west slope at 425m OD and a further two on a shelf to the north west, overlooking the Tavy Cleave Valley.
Six huts are of hybrid type (A,B,C,D,J & L, see illustration) constructed partly of coursed walling and partly of rubble with inner facing slabs. The smallest (C) has an internal diameter of 2.9m with walling 1.0m thick and 0.4m high; the largest (L) has an internal diameter of 3.8m with walling 1.2m thick and 0.4m high. Four have discernible south east entrances and all the huts are in an area of dense clitter.
Two huts outside the clitter are of Type 2 (SX 56 NE 71 ) with double walling 1.7m thick. 'H' measures 3.8m internally and is 0.7m high with no visible entrance. 'K' has diameters of 3.3m by 3.7m with walling 1.6m wide and 0.3m high, and a southwest entrance.
The southernmost huts are of Type 3, with coursed walling 1.4m to 2.0m thick and 0.9m high. E (see plan) measures 7.7m internal diameter, F 7.3m, ad G 5.5m. The entrances of F and G are to the southwest.
On the shelf is M, a Type 2 hut with an internal diameter of 4.4m, walling 1.5m thick and 0.3m high and a south entrance. N is 2.3m square internally with a mixture of slab faced and coursed walling 0.8m wide and 0.4m high. From this hut a rubble retaining wall 0.6m high and 0.9m wide extends for 30.0m to the north and bounding the scree to the east.
Between 'M' and 'N' is a 'scooped' area 10.0m across at the bottom and backing to a depth of 1.1m into the hillslope. The base is quite level and, with smooth sides, is grass covered. It may be a natural feature, but shows no evidence to account for its formation.
There is no definable field system in the vicinity of the settlement and 'E' is the only hut with an enclosure, but there is a heavy build-up of peat over parts of the area which may conceal further boundaries.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

Ancient Monuments, 1964, Schedule notes (Schedule Document). SDV236765.

(12/08/1964) Hut circles east of Tavy Cleave. Group of 10+ huts in two groups of 4 and 6 respectively. One appears to have an "antechamber". The huts are sited on a rough hill slope with much large "clitter".

National Monument Record, 1979, SF1510, 244-6, 427-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224088.

Robinson, R., 1984, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1984 (Un-published). SDV343082.

(04/05/1984) Field Monument Warden visit.

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

Oval enclosure with in turned walls on south-west side which form a passage terminating in a hut circle. Further hut circles attached to western exterior of enclosure. Freestanding hut circle to north. Hut circle to south, attached to enclosure wall by length of walling. Group of three freestanding hut circles to west at SX55638307.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133051 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

19/04/1993 (GERRARD).

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 103, Map 32, Site 6 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Midway between Watern Oke and the north-west of Standon Hill is a small prehistoric village amidst a patch of clitter overlooking Tavy Cleave. The hut are dispersed with linear contour banks probably acting as an outer boundary to the settlement. Most of the huts are between 2 metres to 5.5 metres across and where visible the entrances open to the south. The largest hut of circa 7.5 metres diameter is surrounded by a roughly circular enclosure 35 metres across.

Probert, S. + Fletcher, M. + Newman, P., 1998, The Archaeology of the MOD Willsworthy Estate: An Archaeological Survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England NMR Reports for each monument Part 2 (Report - Survey). SDV360379.

(20/08/1998) An unenclosed settlement of at least sixteen hut circles with some associated linear walling lies on a NW-facing hillslope between 411m and 451m above OD. Centred at SX55698310 the site falls partly on a level shelf and partly on a clitter-strewn hillside; some of the huts are levelled into the slope and the entrances where visible are on the south side. A small cairn within the settlement at SX55768306 measures 5.3m in diameter and 1.0m high.
SX55638309 Hut measures 2.6m internally, with walls 0.9m wide, 0.3m high. Attached to substantial wall.
SX55608313 Hut measures 4.5m internally, with walls 0.7m wide, 0.4m high. Slight annex on northern side.
SX55668317 Hut measures 3.1m internally, with walls 1.0m wide, 0.4m high. Boulder/stone wall, located in clitter.
SX55698315 Hut measures 2.9m internally, with walls 2.0m wide, 0.4m high. Entrance on south. In clitter.
SX55688313 Hut measures 1.9m x 1.6m internally, with walls 1.3m wide, 0.3m high. Squarish hut.
SX55668311 Hut measures 3.4m internally, with walls 1.2m wide, 0.5m high. Entrance on south. Porch on southern side.
SX55698309 Hut measures 6.2m internally, with walls 2.0m wide, 1.0m high. Rebuilt walling on downhill side.
SX55698311 Hut measures 4.2m internally, with walls 2.5m wide, 0.9m high. Entrance on south. Disturbed area clitter.
SX55728307 Hut measures 6.2m internally, with walls 1.7m wide, 0.5m high. Entrance on south? Level shelf on hillside.
SX55738304 Hut measures 7.6m internally, with walls 1.8m wide, 1.0m high. Entrance on south. Rebuilt walling on downhill side Door jamb 1.0m high.
SX55738303 Hut measures 2.4m internally, with walls 0.6m wide, 0.4m high. Entrance on south. Adjoins the previous hut circle.
SX55758316 Hut measures 2.5m internally, with walls 1.1m wide, 0.4m high. In clitter
SX55778316 Hut measures 2.5m internally, with walls 1.2m wide, 0.5m high. S? In clitter
SX55798318 Hut measures 3.9m internally, with walls 1.0m wide, 0.4m high. Edge of clitter.
SX55768319 Hut measures 2.6m internally, with walls 2.0m wide, 0.6m high. In clitter
SX55768322 Hut measures 3.4m internally, with walls 1.4m wide, 0.5m high. Entrance on south. Edge of clitter, tumbled walls.
The area is clitter covered with close cropped grassland and rush vegetation.

Probert, S., 2001, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon. Integrated Land Management Plan Implementation: Archaeological Condition Baseline Survey Appendices 2-5 (Report - Survey). SDV357727.

(15/02/2001) These features remain as described in 1998.

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

Hut circles and boundaries shown on survey.

Ordnance Survey, 2023, Mastermap 2023 (Cartographic). SDV365227.

'Settlement' shown on modern mapping with ten scattered hut circles.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1007666 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

This monument includes fifteen stone hut circles, four lengths of boundary wall and two post-medieval shelters situated amongst clitter on a steep west-facing slope overlooking Tavy Cleave. The huts are composed of stone and earth banks each surrounding an internal area. Eleven of the huts are circular in plan, and their internal diameters vary between 3.4 metres and 8.5 metres. The remaining four huts are oval in shape and their interiors vary between 3 metres and 4.5 metres long by 2 metres to 3 metres wide. The height of all the surrounding walls varies between 0.4 metres and 0.9 metres. Eight of the huts possess visible doorways, one hut is a three roomed structure, another has a straight porch and three are attached or linked to enclosure boundaries. Four lengths of enclosure boundary are visible within the settlement. The full extent and character of three of these boundaries remains unclear, because they survive partly as buried features. The western length of boundary bank is aligned from north to south, measures 210 metres long, 2 metres wide, stands up to 0.5 metres high and is lyncheted on its western side. The southern boundary forms three sides of an enclosure with minimum dimensions of 110 metres north west to south east by 115 metres north east to south west. This boundary includes a lyncheted bank measuring 1.2 metres wide and 0.6 metres high. A short length of boundary leads south eastward from this enclosure. The interior of the third enclosure measures 30 metres in diameter and is defined by a 1.4 metres wide and 0.5 metres high rubble bank. The fourth length of boundary wall is sinuous in character and links two stone hut circles. Two post-medieval shelters lie within the earlier settlement. The largest one has a drystone wall measuring 1 metre wide and up to 1 metre high surrounding a 6.2 metres diameter internal area. This shelter was constructed using the rubble walls of an earlier stone hut circle as foundations. The interior of the second shelter measures 2.5 metres in diameter and is defined by a 1.2 metres wide drystone wall standing up to 0.4 metres high.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7368 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy (1998)
• EDV6663 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6664 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6665 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV8141 - Condition survey of the Willsworthy Training Area

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