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Summary

Well-preserved hut circle settlement to the west of White Tor. Roughly oval enclosure, with seven internal hut circles, all surviving well, despite proximity to present day field boundaries.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1007975: Enclosed stone hut circle settlement 600m WSW of White Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57NW11
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439753
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NW/35
• Old SAM County Ref: 863
• Old SAM Ref: 22210

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Baring Gould, S., 1899, Sixth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 148,152 (Article in Serial). SDV344950.

The exploration of Broadmoor Pound yielded poor results. There are seven hut circles in this enclosure, and the three examined revealed evidence of human occupation including the remains of fire flint chips and a piece of the rim of a pot decorated with a twisted thong pattern Other details: Map.

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

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

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX57NW11, SX57NW 11 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV228538.

On the western slope [of White Tor], just a little outside the eastern boundary of Broadmoor Farm, is a "pound", measuring a maximum 378 feet from north-north-east to south-south-west, and up to 248 feet east by north to west by south. The remains of the wall at its base vary from 4 - 8 feet; average height about three feet. It contains seven hut circles.
A. Hut Circle at 20/5378/6457. Double-walled type. Diameter 7.0 meters. Height 0.5 meters. Width of wall 1.5 meters. Composed of turf-covered granite stones and blocks. Circle butts against the enclosure wall. Condition fairly good. Entrance on south-south-west side.
B. Hut Circle at 20/5378/6657. Double-walled type. Diameter 5.5 meters, width of wall 1.25 meters, height 0.5 meters. Composed of fairly large granite blocks which are partly turf-covered. Condition fairly good. Butts against enclosure wall. There are several rocks and one large granite boulder tumbled into the centre of the circle. Entrance on south-south-west side.
C. Hut Circle at 20/5378/6555. Double-walled type. Diameter 6.5 meters; width of wall 1.5 meters, height 0.4 - 0.5 meters. Composed mainly of turf-covered granite stone. Condition good. Entrance on south side.
D. Hut Circle at 20/5378/6656. Double-walled type. Diameter 6.0 meters; width of wall 1.5 meters, height 0.5 - 0.8 meters. Composed of granite blocks some of which are turf-covered and there are several very large blocks built into the west, inner side of the walls. Condition good. Entrance on south-south-east side.
E. Hut Circle at 20/5378/6554. Double-walled type. Diameter 6.5 meters; width of wall 2.0 meters, height 0.5 meters. Composed of fairly large, turf-covered, granite blocks. Condition good. Entrance on south side.
F. Hut Circle at 20/5378/6758. Double-walled type. Diameter 7.0 meters; width of wall 1.5 meters, height 0.5 meters. Composed of turf-covered granite blocks. Condition fairly good. Entrance appears to be on west side.
G. Hut Circle at 20/5378/6748. Double-walled type. Diameter 6.0 meters; width of wall 1.5 meters, height 0.5 meters. Composed of turf-covered granite stones. Condition fairly good. Entrance appears to be on east side.
H. 'Pound' - This enclosure has a wall composed of large blocks of granite which in many cases stand to a height of 1.0 meters. There are also a great many smaller granite stones built into the wall which are mostly turf-covered. The width of the wall averages 3.0 meters. Condition of the whole is good although the wall is in a better state of preservation on the eastern side of the enclosure.

Royal Air Force, 1964, 6399, 0042-43 (Aerial Photograph). SDV228504.

Other details: F65.

National Monuments Record, 1977, NMR SX5378, 2/223 (Aerial Photograph). SDV228537.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX57NW11 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV228534.

(15/10/1980) An enclosed settlement of seven probable Type 2 huts (SX 56 NE 71) situated on a slight SW slope.
The huts have internal diameters ranging from 4.9m. to 5.9m. with walling 1.4m. wide, double-faced for the most part and constructed of large blocks and slabs from 0.4m. to 0.7m. high. (See ground photographs). Three huts have visible entrances, all to the south. The southern-most at SX 53667648, clearly preceeded the enclosure, the wall of which deviates around it.
The enclosure is of 0.68ha., with internal diameters of 106m. by 72m. the walling, 0.6m. to 1.0m. high has spread to an average width of 3.0m. with a visible core of double-facing and infill 2.6m. wide (see ground photograph).
There is a gap of 7.0m in the stonework at SX 53617654, on the W. side which may have incorporated the original entrance. A build up of soil against the inner faces of the S and W sides is probably a result of hillwash since there is no evidence of clearance within the enclosure. A quantity of stone is exposed but most is concealed by hummocks of turf.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD and at 1:2500 (see plan).

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

This enclosed hut group is situated on a fairly steep hillslope in an area of close-copped moorland turf and scattered clitter at SX53667853.
The enclosure walling is mostly double-faced by large moorland boulders with an infill of small stones and it is on average 1.7 meters wide and 0.6 meters in height. Short lengths of the wall however are formed by a turf-covered stony bank mostly on the south-west side. The gently sloping interior is generally stone free although it is now covered by numerous small, low anthills.
Six of the seven huts are free standing and they are of double-faced boulder wall construction ranging from 1.4 meters to 2.0 meters in width and 0.5 to 0.7 meters in height.
'A' SX53647857 3.6 meters in diameter, levelled into the slope with a 0.6 meter high backscarp and 0.4 meter high frontscarp. The tumbled entrance is on the downhill, south-west, side.
'B' SX53657857 4.1 meters in diameter, levelled into the slope with a 0.4 meter high backscarp and 0.3 meter high frontscarp. The tumbled entrance is on the downhill side.
'C' SX53667856 4.1 meters in diameter levelled into the slope with a 0.3 meter high backscarp and 0.4 meter high front scarp. The position of the entrance is not clear.
'D' SX53647855 4.8 meters in diameter levelled into the slope with a 0.4 meter high front and backscarps. The entrance is on the south side.
'E' SX53647854 4.6 meters in diameter, levelled into the slope with a 0.6 meter high frontscarp and 0.3 meters high backscarp. The position of the entrance is not clear.
'F' SX53667853 5.4 meters in diameter, levelled into the slope with a 0.6 meter high backscarp and 0.2 meter high frontscarp. The entrance may have been in the west side.
'G' SX53667848 5.1 meters in diameter with spread walling now evident as a turf-covered band of boulders and stones. The interior is filled with rubble and a band of stone sub-dividing the interior may indicate a later sub-division (? Modern). As previously stated it apparently pre-dates the enclosure wall which follows the line of its southern side. A band of stone extending from the south side is most probably debris from the hut.
The Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments in England Aerial Photograph Project 1/10,000 representation and report are both misleading and inaccurate. There is no inner partition and there are only seven huts.

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

Large oval enclosure on west slope of White Tor. Partitioned giving appearance of smaller oval enclosure attached to north-eastern internal wall. Three hut circles attached to internal partition wall. Two hut circles attached to each other and also to inner wall of main circuit. Two hut circles freestanding within enclosure. Two hut circles at southern apex of enclosure. One attached to interior, the other to the exterior wall of enclosure. Possibly enclosed plot or very small element of agglomeration.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 90, Map 31, Figure 31.6 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Exceptionally well-preserved pound with seven internal hut circles. The survival of this enclosure is especially surprising considering its close proximity to the present field boundaries. Large stones have been used in the construction, which would have made removal difficult. The enclosure wall is complete apart from a 10.0 meter section on the west and measures a consistent 1.8 meters in width, constructed of two rings of large stones, creating inner and outer faces to the wall, in-filled with smaller stones.
The wall appears to have been built after the huts, extending to include the two most northerly huts and butting onto the wall of the most southerly hut.
Three of the seven huts were excavated in 1898 or 1899 by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee with "poor results". All the huts measure between 4.7 and 6.2 meters in diameter and have entrances (where present) to the south or south-west. Aside from one hut, the other six are concentrated in the northern section of the enclosure.

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

Visible on aerial photograph.

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

Oval 'Enclosed Settlement' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1007975 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

The monument includes an enclosed stone hut circle settlement and a later shelter situated on a gentle south-west facing slope overlooking the valley of the Colly Brook. The interior of the enclosure measures 106 metres north to south by 72 metres east to west and is defined by a wall of double orthostats with a rubble infill. This wall measures 3 metres wide and stands up to 1 metre high with an entrance on its west side. The eastern and western lengths of this boundary wall are lynchetted. Six of the seven stone hut circles forming the settlement lie within the enclosure and the other is attached to, and partly overlain by, the boundary wall. The interiors of the hut circles measure between 3.6 metres and 5.4 metres in diameter and are defined by walls with an average width of 1.5 metres standing 0.6 metres high. The shelter survives as a small rectangular platform measuring 4 metres long by 3.5 metres wide and standing up to 0.3 etres high and is attached to the outer face of the enclosure wall. This structure clearly abuts the Prehistoric enclosure wall and therefore this building is of more recent date than the settlement. At least three of the stone hut circles were excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1899. Evidence of human occupation in the form of fire and flint chips was recovered from the huts and one contained a sherd of contemporary pottery.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8420 - Excavation of Broadmoor Pound

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