See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Triangular enclosure of 0.3 hectares with walls up to 3.0 metres wide by 1.0 metres highhhat the junction of two reaves to the north of White Tor containing over 20 hut circles

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1003184: Enclosures and hut circles N of White Tor
• SHINE: Earthwork remains of prehistoric reaves and settlements around White Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57NW2
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439726
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NW/51
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NW/51/4
• Old SAM County Ref: 544
• Old SAM Ref: 22201(P)
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division (Yes): SX57NW2
• Pastscape: 439726

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX57NW2, Visited 17/7/1950 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV227595.

Reaves forming an enclosure with hut circles. The enclosure walls are approximately 3.0 metres wide and are composed of partly turf covered stones. Hut circles in four groups, A - D.
A. Three small hut circles (average diameter 4.0 metres), no entrances visible. Composed of turf covered stones.
B. Two hut circles in poor condition. Diameter 5.0 metres.
C. Sixteen hut circles (correct as shown on the Ordnance Survey 6 inch mapping) are in poor condition (average diameter 5.0 metres), all composed of turf covered stones.
D, E, F, Three hut circles. No entrances visible. Walls composed of turf covered stones. Respective diameters 4.5 metres, 4.0 metres and 5.0 metres.

Ancient Monuments, 1964, Enclosures and hut circles north of White Tor, 8/9/1964 (Report - Survey). SDV227587.

Enclosures and hut circles north of White Tor. Village settlement of 20 hut circles and with associated enclosures. Hut circles range in diameter from 3.658 - 6.096 metres.

Royal Air Force, 1964, RAF/F65/58/6399, 0041-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDV255418.

National Monument Record, 1977, SX5478, 2/232-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV228382.

National Monument Record, 1977, SX5478, 2/232-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV228382.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1978, SX57NW2 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV227598.

(23/10/1978) On the north slope of White Tor, at approximately 435.0 metres OD at the junction of two reaves, is a sub-triangular enclosed settlement of 0.3 hectares. The settlement walling, up to 3.0 metres wide and 1.0 metres high, is similar to that of the reaves. No entrance into this clitter-covered enclosure can be seen though several huts, yards and lengths of walling are attached to it or the reaves. (see plan).
The configuration of the settlement enclosure suggests that it was laid out to conform with the reave system but the particularly substantial construction on the north side of the enclosure may indicate additional work.
The twenty seven Type 1 huts (twenty shown at 1:10 000 due to scale) vary in internal diameter from 2.5 metres to 5.5 metres with an average of 2.7 metres. They have levelled interiors and mainly south-eastern entrances. The condition of the huts is fair, with the walling, averaging 1.2 metres thick and 0.6 metres high. Two huts at SX 54387881 and SX 54307881 have small yards attached, the latter hut being 5.5 metres. in diameter internally and also positioned in a corner of the enclosure. At SX 54407883 a hut appears to have been built inside a larger hut, unless the outer feature is a large windbreak. Fields probably associated with the site lie directly to the north-west over the lower slope of White Tor. They are bounded by reaves and cover an area of 8.0 hectares. They appear regular in shape, averaging approximately 80.0 metres by 40.0 metres. It is interesting to note that all these settlement features occur to the west of the north/south reave. (SX 57 NW 14) confirming its use as a boundary between the 'in' and 'out' field.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD and at 1:1000.

Fleming, A., 1978, The Prehistoric Landscape of Dartmoor. Part 1: South Dartmoor, 97-123 (Article in Serial). SDV235265.

One of the parallel reaves leading west from the Great Western Reave runs from this settlement.

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

Recorded by Aerial Photograph Project (photographs from 1964, 1977). Map overlay shows enclosure with around eight huts inside, plus a few outside (scanned version is unclear).

Sainsbury, I. S., 1988, Survey of settlement north of White Tor (Report - Survey). SDV227592.

SX54347885 An enclosed settlement set on the gentle clitter-strewn northern slopes of White Tor, at about 440 metres OD. It has excellent panoramic views, westwards to Brent Tor, northwards across the Youldon Bank to Stramdon Hill and eastwards to the standing stone on Langstone Moor. From the southern side of the settlement the ground rises quite steeply over denser clitter-covered rough grassland to the summit of White Tor some 200 metres to the south.
It consists of a roughly diamond shaped enclosure set in the quadrant between the Great Western Reave in the south-east and a second reave in the south. Sub-divided across its north-east corner, it measures approximately 140 metres north-east by south-west by 73 metres transversely (0.65 hectares) and contains at least 17 hut circles. It has two smaller adjacent external enclosures, one in the east containing one hut and a second in the west which has five huts. The curvilinear north side which links the two reaves is constructed of turf-covered rubble and is 3.2 to 4.0 metres wide. Built along the slope it is 0.2 metres high on the uphill side and has a maximum height of 1.1 metres on the lower (northern) side. The southern part of the enclosure is of similar construction with a flattish spread of stones generally about 3.0 metres wide and 0.4 metres high, but up to 0.6 metres on the downhill side. Along the south-east, where it has also utilised and possibly somewhat emphasised the reave, it is 4.0 to 5.0 metres wide and from 0.3 metres to 0.9 metres high. Several of the larger stones and boulders are irregularly aligned suggesting a crude attempt to face the northern side. There is no trace of a definite entrance to the complex. The interior is strewn with clitter ranging from small stones to large boulders and earthfast rocks.
A curving bank at the north-east end sub-divides this enclosure into a smaller quadrant enclosure which measures around 40 metres north-west by south-east by 38 metres (0.11 hectares). It is of similar construction but of slighter proportions being 2.5 metres wide and from 0.2 metres to 0.6 metres high. Where it abuts the enclosure wall in the north it is 0.4 metres higher and appears to overlie the wall suggesting it was a later addition. A similar effect is visible in the south end of this curving wall where it appears to overlie the reave. No definable entrance break is visible in this small enclosure.
Seventeen hut circles survive in the main enclosure. They are well-defined and are of similar form and construction. Built of rubble with some large boulders and earthfast rocks incorporated in the structures they vary from 1.0 to 2.5 metres thick and are generally about 0.5 metres high. They have internal diameters ranging from 2.0 to 2.6 metres and seven are slightly larger being from 3.5 metres to 4.2 metres internally.
The small enclosure attached to the reave on the south-east side measures internally 16 metres north-east by south-west by 7.0 metres. Its rubble walling is 2.4 metres wide and from 0.2 metres to 0.6 metres high; no entrance gap is visible. It contains one hut circle which abuts the reave in the north.
The large enclosure attached to the west side of the settlement measures 50 metres north-east by south-west by 20 metres. Its rubble walling, now incomplete, is from 2.0 to 2.5 metres wide and from 0.2 to 0.5 metres high. It contains five hut circles which are all attached to the walls. An isolated hut lies between the reave and the southern part of this enclosure. These huts vary from 2.8 to 4.0 metres in internal diameter with walling up to 1.7 metres high. Within the enclosures there are a number of slightly levelled circular stones which may prove to be hut sites or working area. The visible evidence suggests that these enclosures post-date the reaves and the two small external enclosures have been added to the main enclosure (22/4/1988).

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., 4/2/1992 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Hut settlement comprising three enclosures, 28 hut circles and a length of reave. Enclosure forming part of enclosed hut settlement. Measures 110 metres east-west by 76 metres north-south. Defined by rubble wall up to 4.0 metres wide, 1.1 metres high. Stratigraphic relationship between this enclosure and others on the site is unclear. Eight free-standing hut circles lie within the enclosure, two attached to short lengths of field boundary, and a further eight attached to enclosure wall. The only seven coursed wall huts in the settlement lie in the south-western part of this enclosure. For hut circles and two smaller enclosures see related records for details.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 92-3, Map 31, Figure 31.8 (Monograph). SDV219155.

White Tor North settlement; a densely packed enclosure built at the junction of the Youlden to White Tor and the Cudlipptown Down upper reaves, which have been considerably reinforced as part of the boundary. Fifteen of the twenty-five huts are crammed together in the upper part of the main enclosure and others have been built within extensions against the outside of the boundary walls. The huts are small, all but four of them are less than 3.5 metres across.

Newman, P., 2004, Merrivale Range Baseline Condition Survey, 30/11/2004 (Report - Survey). SDV346874.

Merrivale Range Baseline Condition Survey visit. As described in 1988 (see related records for hut details and dimensions).

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

The enclosure and most of the hut circles are reasonably clear on the aerial photography. The spread of stone on the reaves and some of the huts however does make it hard to establish the positions accurately.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Merrivale Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation, 11/01/2018 (Report - Survey). SDV361635.

A settlement comprising 24 hut circles and a series of enclosures on the north slope of Whittor. The main enclosure occupies the space at the junction of two reaves. The walls of the huts and enclosures consist of stony, turf-covered banks.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7275 - Survey of the Langstone Moor stone circle and other prehistoric monuments nearby
• EDV7441 - Condition survey of the archaeological sites of Merrivale Training Area
• EDV7570 - Condition survey of Merrivale Range training area
• EDV8713 - Merrivale Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.