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Summary

The site comprises four hut circles situated within a poorly defined field system. All the huts are in poor condition with levelled interiors and southern entrances. The internal diameters vary from 4.0m to 8.0m with a mean of 6.0m with walling averaging 2.2m wide and 0.4m high. Some of the fields are irregular while the majority appear to be rectangular but thick bracken covers the area which prevents the full extent being ascertained. The field walling is similar to type 1 hut walling. It is approximately 1.0m wide and 0.3m high and covers an area of 0.5 hectares each.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1013106: Enclosure with hut circles to the north-east of Piles Copse

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SW47
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442315
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/16
• Old SAM County Ref: 814
• Old SAM Ref: 10529

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Eastern enclosure and 'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map.

Brooking-Rowe, J., 1894, 6th Report of the Committee on Devonshire Records, 86 (Article in Serial). SDV157021.

Baring Gould, S., 1900, A Book of Dartmoor, 86 (Monograph). SDV277387.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs, 53/52 (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2494, 3049-3050 (Aerial Photograph). SDV147533.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX66SW47 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV165928.

(12/04/1950) Enclosure and four hut circles. Enclosure (length 64m, width 45m), hut circle A diameter 7m, hut circle B diameter 10m. These antiquities are in poor condition.
(10/08/1977) The site comprises four hut circles situated within a poorly defined field system. The huts are on a west facing slope at 366.0m OD approximately.
All the huts are Type 1 and in poor condition with levelled interiors and southern entrances. The internal diameters vary from 4.0m to 8.0m with a mean of 6.0m with walling averaging 2.2m wide and 0.4m high. Some of the fields are irregular while the majority appear to be rectangular but thick bracken covers the area which prevents the full extent being ascertained. The field walling is similar to type 1 hut walling. It is approximately 1.0m wide and 0.3m high and covers an area of 0.5 hectares each.
(Type 1 huts: SX 56 SE 19). Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX6460, 2 (Aerial Photograph). SDV157244.

Photograph taken on 12th April 1969.

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

Site visited on 29th April 1977. Enclosure and hut circles about 230 metres north-east of Piles Corner. The area is thickly covered with scattered stones and the enclosure is barely distinguishable. Only the south wall of the enclosure remains, with just the ridge of the east and west walls showing. There is no indication of the walls ever having been as high as the width now seen, would not support a protective wall. Four or possibly five hut circles.

Robinson, R., 1982, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1982 (Un-published). SDV345608.

Site visited on 1st June 1982.

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

Four hut circles within a poorly defined field system. Huts in poor condition. Majority of fields rectangular with some irregular. Two enclosures are visible, one at SX64856240, the other at SX64786239. The westernmost enclosure contains one hut circle, the easternmost two or three hut circles. All hut circles are attached to walls.

Robinson, R., 1986, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1986 (Un-published). SDV345664.

Site visited on 19th December 1986.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 46-47, Map 54, Figure 54.7 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Piles Corner North prehistoric settlement consists of three overgrown enclosures consisting of low turf-covered bank 1.5 metres wide by 0.3 metres high. Six hut circles are associated with the settlement with two attached to the northern enclosure and four attached to the eastern enclosure.

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

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

An enclosed prehistoric hut settlement, comprising three enclosures and five hut circles on the moderate slope, 530 metres west of Three Barrows. The layout comprises a discrete single enclosure of 0.28 hectares with three hut circles attached to the wall interior. A similarly shaped enclosure of 0.32 hectares a few metres to the west has an additional 0.2 hectare enclosure attached to the northern end. It has a single large hut circle built into the junction of the walls and a smaller hut circle attached to the exterior of the extension. The enclosure walls all comprise low, spread, turf-covered stony banks, mostly less than 0.5 metres high. Both enclosures have openings of approximately 3.5 metres wide on the south side which may be interpreted as entrances, though perhaps more likely the route of modern footpaths. Faint evidence for an incomplete rectangular enclosure of 0.1 hectares is just visible above the turf to the east of the complex and should be considered an additional component of this settlement. The largest hut circle is within the western enclosure. It has the remnants of an inner wall lining, which has a diameter of 8.6 metres. Though embanked on the exterior, much of this bank, comprising smallish stones has slumped to a total spread of 15 metres. The interior contains much tumbled masonry. A smaller hut circle on the exterior of the extension has an internal diameter of 4 metres, and is spread to 6.5 metres The larger hut of the eastern enclosure also has remnants of an inner wall with an internal diameter averaging 8 metres. The western exterior of the hut is banked to over 1 metre high. A smaller, very ruinous hut with an internal diameter of approximately 3.3 metres is attached to the southern side of this hut. Twenty metres south-east a hut circle with an internal diameter of 3.6 metres surrounded by a very spread, turf covered outer bank is attached to the interior of the enclosure wall.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

Settlement shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2020, National Heritage List for England, 1013106 (National Heritage List for England). SDV363414.

This enclosure, on a steep west-facing slope overlooking the River Erme, is approximately 45 metres wide and 65 metres long, with a drystone wall 0.3 metres high and up to 2 metres thick and a probable entrance at the south-east. There are two hut circles joined to the inside of the east wall, one 5 metres in diameter with walls up to 2 metres thick and 0.3 metres high, the other 10 metres in diameter with walls up to 3 metres thick and 0.7 metres high. Immediately outside the enclosure wall on the west side there are two hut circles built on a slight terrace. They are 5 metres and 10 metres diameter with walls up to 3 metres thick and 0.3 metres to 0.5 metres high. The site is covered by dense bracken up to waist height.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley

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