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Summary

Open settlement of five hut circles. The four largest Type 2 huts, have an average internal diameter of 6.0m with an average thickness of walling of 1.6m. The smallest hut has a diameter of only 2.7m Four of the huts have an entrance on the south. All are in poor condition.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1012747: Unenclosed stone hut settlement on the east side of the Erme Valley, north Harford Moor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SW43
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442303
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/42
• Old SAM Ref: 10519

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

The four large 'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map.

Brooking-Rowe, J., 1894, 6th Report of the Committee on Devonshire Records, 26 (Article in Serial). SDV157021.

Baring Gould, S., 1900, A Book of Dartmoor, 48 (Monograph). SDV277387.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs, 1890.2284-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Photograph taken on the 10th December 1946.

National Monuments Record, 1969, NMR SX6463, 3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV165976.

Photograph taken on 12th April 1969.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX66SW43 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV163581.

(22/12/1977) On a southwest-facing slope at Harford Moor at 360.0 - 365.0m OD there is an open settlement of five hut circles. The four largest Type 2 huts, have an average internal diameter of 6.0m with an average thickness of walling of 1.6m. The smallest hut has a diameter of only 2.7m Four of the huts have an entrance on the south. All are in poor condition.
(Type 2 huts: SX 56 NE 71). Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

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

Site visited in May 1977 and April 1980. Above the east bank of the River Erme, where the ground begins to level out above the valley. An area of rough grass with some stone. The site is difficult to locate as it is on featureless ground and is hidden by bracken in the summer.

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

Five hut circles visible on aerial photograph and recorded.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 49, 51, Map 54, Figure 54.11
ap 54, Figure 54.11 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Three Barrows West 5 is a group of five huts sited around the curve of the hillside. They may not be related to the neighbouring groups but the unusual lack of any associated enclosure suggests some connection. All the huts are somewhat overgrown but appear well preserved, the only singular feature being an arc of slabs outside Hut 1 which may be the remains of a porch or annexe. Hut 2 is the smallest at 3 metres diameter and the others range from 5 metres to 8 metres with entrances to the south-south-east.

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

Features visible on aerial photograph.

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

Group of five hut circles shown on survey.

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

A group of five ruined hut circles on the moderate eastern slope of the River Erme, which forms part of a large, spread prehistoric settlement extending along the flank of Harford Moor. The largest circle has a diameter of approximately 10 metres while the smallest is 3.5 metres. The four larger huts all have visible entrance openings on the south-south-east arc of the circle, and several stones of the inner walling remain in situ. However, the walls have mostly degraded and spread to up to approximately 1.5 metres thick and 0.6 metres high.

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

Five hut circles shown as 'Settlement' on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2020, National Heritage List for England, 1012747 (National Heritage List for England). SDV363414.

This group of five unenclosed stone hut circles lies high on the east side of the Erme Valley at the northern end of Harford Moor. The huts are set into the slope and range in diameter from 4.5 metres to 10 metres with walls 1.5 to 2 metres thick and up to a metre in height.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley

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