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Summary

Bronze Age settlement of hut circles and enclosures. This large settlement probably started life as a small unenclosed group of houses to which enclosures and further houses were added over a period of time. There are at least 49 circular houses and these vary in diameter between 2m and 8.4m. Five houses are oval in shape and the largest of these measures 7m long and 6m wide. A possible ring cairn lies in the north-east part of the enclosed area. It survives as a 7m diameter, 1.7m wide circular bank with orthostats up to 0.5m high around the outside. This structure could also be a partly robbed kerbed round cairn or less likely a round house. A second cairn has also been identified.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1011170: Stone hut circle settlement, irregular aggregate field system, two long houses and a medieval and post-medieval field system 700m SSW of Black Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE55
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440189
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/41
• Old SAM County Ref: 934
• Old SAM Ref: 22288

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ormerod, G. W., 1864, On the Hut Circles on the Eastern Side of Dartmoor, 307 (Article in Serial). SDV304174.

Ormerod notes occurrence of hut circles near Stanlake.

Worth, R. H., 1943, The Prehistoric Pounds of Dartmoor, 294 (Article in Serial). SDV320337.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2149, 3439-40 (Aerial Photograph). SDV282746.

Visible on air phototgraphs.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX57SE55 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV271997.

(08/06/1950) Huts of turf-covered stones, huts K and L with south-west entrances, no other entrances visible. 19 huts altogether.

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 153-4 (Monograph). SDV231148.

Pound and hut circles within modern field boundaries on Stanlake Farm.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX57SE55 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV271994.

(20/06/1977) A complex group of enclosures and associated hut circles is situated on a south-east facing slope above the river Meavy at about 310 - 320m OD. The whole group covers an area of approximately 1.5 hectares and comprises six or seven small enclosures and 23 hut circles.
The huts are mostly very ruinous; six of them can be described as Type 1, about twelve as Type 2, one probably Type 3 and the rest indeterminate. The average internal diameter of the huts is 5.5m, the largest being 8.0m and the smallest 3.0m. The thickness of the walls varies from 2.0m to 1.0m. Seven of them have visible entrances, all on the south. The probable Type 3 hut has an annexe on the south side, a possible clearance heap in the centre, and coarse walling of 2.0m thickness.
Most of the huts are associated with enclosures of circular and irregular plan, from 3.0m to 8.0m across, incorporating orthostatic walling. Some have been utilized in part by Medieval and later walls. Surveyed at 1:10000 on PFD.

Ordnance Survey, 1982, Survey plan of Stanlake prehistoric settlement (Plan - measured). SDV272000.

Ordnance Survey survey drawing at a scale of 1:500 (reduced in size), probably 1982.

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

An agglomerated enclosure of at least ten major elements is visible containing 22 hut circles, 19 of which are attached to walls.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130751-80 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(14/5/1992) 31 hut circles, one pound, a post-medieval building and field systems of prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval periods. See related records.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 40-41, Map 45 Figure 45.4 (Monograph). SDV137656.

The remains of a large and important settlement occupy the north bank of Stanlake. The extant part of the settlement takes up much of the area of the central newtakes, the massive construction of the walls here, rebuilt along some of the sections to form the present enclosures is probably the reason for their survival. Some 38 hut circles are mostly strung around the edge of the enclosures ; they vary in size from 2.8m to 7.4m in diameter - large and small commonly make adjoining pairs and several of the former are provided with prominent crosswalls.

Gerrard, S., 1997, Stanlake Prehistoric Settlement (Article in Serial). SDV345536.

Bronze Age settlement of hut circles and enclosures. This large settlement probably started life as a small unenclosed group of houses to which enclosures and further houses were added over a period of time. There are at least 49 circular houses and these vary in diameter between 2m and 8.4m. Five houses are oval in shape and the largest of these measures 7m long and 6m wide. A possible ring cairn lies in the north-east part of the enclosed area. It survives as a 7m diameter, 1.7m wide circular bank with orthostats up to 0.5m high around the outside. This structure could also be a partly robbed kerbed round cairn or less likely a round house. A second cairn has also been identified.

Gerrard, S., 1999, Meavy Valley Archaeology. Interim Report for 1997, 6 (Article in Serial). SDV225919.

Fletcher, M. J., 2007-2008, Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project (Report - Survey). SDV359195.

(12/12/2007) This impressive settlement has been overlaid by linear walls and enclosures is very well preserved. The stony hillside on which is is situated is submerged under dense bracken for a greater part of the year. Surveyed at 1:2500

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7518 - Survey of the Stanlake Prehistoric Settlement
• EDV8195 - Field Investigation Survey of the Stanlake settlement
• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project

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