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Summary

A small prehistoric enclosure with one external hut circle to the east of the River Erme at Erme Plains. The low, turf-covered stony bank of the perimeter is spread up to 2.5 metres but stands to less than 0.5 metres high. It has an approximately triangular outline with rounded corners covering an area of 0.14 hectares. A shallow, curving scarp which transects the enclosure, may represent the former position of a timber fence or a buried wall. A ruinous hut circle is attached to the southern corner. The walls consist of a spread, earth and stone bank, up to 0.6 metres high. No stone is visible due to the heavy covering of turf but the measurable internal diameter is approximately 5.5 metres. An opening in the hut wall on the southern side was the probable entrance, which intriguingly opens onto the moorland not the interior of the enclosure. The vegetation covering of molinia grass was very dense at the time of survey (May 2018) with parts of the site difficult to define.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SW4
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442168
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/8

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSURE (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 399 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs, 223 5128-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Photograph taken on 12th July 1946.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX6364, 2 (Aerial Photograph). SDV155390.

Photograph taken on 22nd April 1976.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX66SW4 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV153729.

(09/08/1977) An enclosed homestead situated on a gentle west facing slope at 1.3m 370m OD. The enclosure measures 55m east to west by 50m transversely (0.2 ha), with walling constructed of small stones 1.3m wide and 0.2m high, barely discernible in the tussocky grass. The single hut circle, probably of Type 1 (see SX 56 SE 19) and in ruinous condition, is integrated with the enclosure wall. It measures 6.5m in internal diameter with walling about 1.0m wide. There is no visible entrance.
Surveyed on 1:10 000 MSD.

Hankin, C. F., 1977-1980, Harford Parish Checklist (Worksheet). SDV149931.

Site visited on 7th March 1978. The site is difficult to locate, thick coarse grass covers the meagre remains of the low stone walls, and only the outline of the enclosure and hut circle can be seen. The enclosure has almost disappeared. The perimeter can just be traced as a line of low stones, but not the shape of the enclosure. The diameter/width is circa 50 metres. A single hut circle lies just within the south west corner of enclosure. Heather covered low walls but no visible features. Diameter 8.5 metres, but measured from outline only, since no stones can be seen.

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

Enclosure visible on aerail photgraph containing one hut circle.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 68, Map 55, Figure 55.2 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Northern of two prehistoric enclosures (B) at Hook Lake South has an interior dividing wall ending at an auxillary hut (3) half way along the south side.

Newman, P., 2018, Erme Valley Survey data (GIS and Excel spreadsheet) (Cartographic). SDV361913.

Irregular shaped enclosure shown on survey.

Newman, P., 2018, The Upper Erme Valley, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: An Archaeological Survey, Appendix 1, Figure 14 (Report - Survey). SDV362921.

A small prehistoric enclosure with one external hut circle to the east of the River Erme at Erme Plains. The low, turf-covered stony bank of the perimeter is spread up to 2.5 metres but stands to less than 0.5 metres high. It has an approximately triangular outline with rounded corners covering an area of 0.14 ectares. A shallow, curving scarp which transects the enclosure, may represent the former position of a timber fence or a buried wall. A ruinous hut circle is attached to the southern corner. The walls consist of a spread, earth and stone bank, up to 0.6 metres high. No stone is visible due to the heavy covering of turf but the measurable internal diameter is approximately 5.5 metres. An opening in the hut wall on the southern side was the probable entrance, which intriguingly opens onto the moorland not the interior of the enclosure. The vegetation covering of molinia grass was very dense at the time of survey (May 2018) with parts of the site difficult to define.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UE-19 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(13/03/2019) Recorded by volunteer condition assessor. Condition assessed as poor. This monument has almost entirely been subsumed by peat and molina. It is difficult to see and only a few small areas of the stony banks now remain uncovered. Tracing it out on the landscape involves recognising the hard lines of the banks have slightly raised vegetation and are firmer underfoot than the land either side.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photographs taken in March 2019.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley

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