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Summary

Covering an area of 6 hectares on a south facing slope are two large enclosed settlements, one small one and twenty unenclosed huts.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1015429: Prehistoric stone hut circle settlement, a contemporary field system, post-medieval buildings and two lengths of leat 310m south east of Yealm Steps

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SW30
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442252
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/32
• Old SAM County Ref: 460
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24100
• Old SAM Ref: 10847

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Whitley, N., 1855, Settlement north of Ranny Brook (Plan - sketch). SDV137283.

Visited in September 1855. Plan shows 4 huts within the smaller enclosure, and 14 within the larger. Hunts described as having 'door jambs generally opening to the south: composed of granite slabs set on edge'.

Spence Bate, C., 1870-1871, On the Prehistoric Antiquities of Dartmoor, 498 (Article in Serial). SDV277110.

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

'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map within two adjoining enclosures. The western enclosure contains five hut circles and has two entrance on the south side. The eastern larger enclosure contains seventeen hut circles and an entrance on the south side.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 2288-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Visible.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX66SW30 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV146089.

(31/03/1950) A fine example of enclosure and hut circles. Extensive prehistoric settlement area. Two villages contiguous, the larger pound a development of the smaller. Pound walls and those of huts consist of stone and turf. At least 22 huts within the enclosure. To the north and south of the pounds are scatters of isolated huts generally much larger than the enclosed huts. On the south there are remains of fields or paddocks. Rough moorland.
(05/08/1977) Covering an area of 6 ha on a south facing slope at 350m OD are two large enclosed settlements, one small one and twenty unenclosed huts.
SX 61976358. A sub-oval enclosure 0.7 ha in area, with tumbled rubble walling now 3.0m wide and 0.6m high. There is a well defined orthostatic entrance on the southwest, and other gaps in the north and southeast. A simple gap in the east side leads into the second large enclosure which is clearly of later date. This, at SX 62036358, covers 1.2 ha and is of similar construction. It has a simple entrance in the south.
There are eight huts in the smaller enclosure (6 shown because of scale factor) and seventeen in the larger (15 shown). All appear to be of Type 1 with internal diameters from 2.5m to 8.0m but most usually 4.5m. The walling is 2.0m thick and up to 0.7m high. Two huts are built onto perimeter walling and two yards at SX 6205635 similarly adjoin it. One hut has been built into the junction of walling at SX 62016355. Four huts (at SX 62006359; SX 62076356; SX 62086358 and SX 62086361) have porches and three (SX 62046355, SX 61956360 and SX 62056358) have annexes. One hut at SX 62096363 has a 'courtyard'.
To the north of the enclosures are five free-standing huts all apparently of type 2 and to the south are sixteen of both Types 1 and 2. Around two huts at SX 61996341 and SX 62006341 are traces of a bank extending for 50.0m, (not surveyed at 1:10 000).
Two Type 1 huts occur in the almost complete small enclosure at SX 62076334 which has piled walling 1.1m wide and 0.5m high. In general all huts have levelled interiors and southern entrances and are in good condition. Measurements throughout accord with those previously given.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX6363 (Aerial Photograph). SDV156571.

National Monuments Record, 1979, NMR SF1457, 326-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDV172921.

Photograph taken on 1st March 1979.

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

Agglomerated and partitioned enclosure of at least three elements containing 26 hut circles, six attached.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133079 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(11/03/1993) This agglomerate enclosure containing 25 hut circles forms the central part of a large hut settlement, lying on a south-facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Yealm. Enclosure includes two sub-circular parts lying across the slope and covering an area of 1.9 hectares. The western enclosure is the earliest, measures 0.7 hectares and is defined by a 3m wide and 0.6m high rubble wall. A clearly defined entrance into this enclosure survives in the south-western circuit, but other gaps in the north and south-east may be of more recent origin. Eight hut circles are said to survive within this enclosure, although only five were recorded during the mpp field visit. A gap in the eastern circuit wall of this enclosure leads into the second, later and larger, enclosure. This enclosure measures 1.2 hectares and is defined by a 2.5m wide and 1m high rubble wall. Nineteen hut circles lie within this enclosure, one is attached to the s outer face and one lies either side of the boundary between the two enclosures.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 183-7, map 52, Figure 52.9 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Complete double enclosure to the north of Ranny Brook. Enclosure 'A' seems to have used material from earlier enclosures in its construction and much of it was rebuilt when Enclosure 'B' was added to the east. The walls are now spread to 5 metres across and still a metre high in places.

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

Enclosures and hut circles visible on aerial photograph.

Ordnance Survey, 2021, MasterMap 2021 (Cartographic). SDV364015.

'Settlement' shown on modern mapping with two adjoining enclosures and 21 hut circles.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1015429 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

This monument includes a large prehistoric stone hut circle settlement containing 25 stone hut circles. The agglomerate enclosure survives as two sub-circular parts lying across the slope and covers an area of 1.9 hectares. The western enclosure is the earliest. This covers 0.7 hectares and is defined by a 3 metres wide and 0.6 metres high rubble wall. A clearly defined entrance into this enclosure survives in the south-west circuit, but other gaps in the north and south east may be of more recent origin. At least five stone hut circles lie within this enclosure. A gap in the eastern circuit wall of the enclosure leads into the second, later and larger enclosure. This enclosure covers 1.2 hectares and is defined by a 2.5 metres wide and 1 metre high rubble wall. Nineteen stone hut circles lie within this enclosure, one is attached to the southern outer face and another lies either side of the boundary between the two enclosures. This last hut appears to underlie the enclosure boundary and this would suggest that some of the huts may have been constructed before the enclosure. The stone hut circles within the agglomerate enclosure survive as banks of stone and earth surrounding oval or circular internal areas. Twenty-three of the huts are circular in shape and their internal diameters vary between 2 metres and 6.6 metres. Two huts are oval, and their interiors measure 5.7 metres long by 3.7 metres wide and 4.5 metres long by 3.2 metres wide respectively. The height of all the surrounding walls varies between 0.2 metres and 0.9 metres. Seventeen of the huts have visible doorways, four are attached to the enclosure boundary, two include more than a single room, two possess annexes, one has a porch, one is attached to an internal boundary bank and two are cut by later leats. The stone hut circle attached to the southern outer face of the enclosure measures 5.3 metres in diameter and the surrounding wall is 3 metres wide and 0.7 metres high. This hut has seen limited damage as a result of a leat being cut through it during the post-medieval period.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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