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Summary

Dispersed group of eight prehistoric hut circles and fragments of an enclosure in the Erme Valley north of the Quickbeam Hill reave. This site is on the local list of Nationally Important Dartmoor sites.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002607: Hut circles in Erme Valley
• SHINE: Earthworks and stone walls of Bronze Age hut circle settlement and partial enclosure on Quickbeam Hill, circa 100 metres east of River Erme

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Non-designated Heritage Asset: Y
• National Monuments Record: SX66SW8
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442182
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/72
• Old SAM County Ref: 809

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX66SW8 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV156567.

(08/05/1950) Group of seven hut circles in the Erme Valley. (Four hut-circles published; B - SX 63856413,
C-SX63856411 D - SX 63826407 and G - SX 63766410) Hut Circles (NR) (1968 Ordnance Survey historic map).
Three further hut-circles at A - SX 63876417, E-SX63756414 and F - SX 63756411
(10/08/1977) Centred SX 63846411 This open settlement consists of 7 hut circles, a possible yard and a length of enclosure walling, and lies on a moderate, well drained, NW facing slope at 380m above OD.
'A' SX 63876415. A probable type 2 hut circle, internal diameter 7.0m, wall 1.6m wide and in poor condition; it is terraced and has a south facing entrance. A length of enclosure walling in very poor condition, consists of a single row of orthostats which joins on to the hut circle.
'B' SX 63846412, 'C' SX 63846410. These two type 2 hut circles, average internal diameter 7.4m have walls 1.7m wide and are in fair condition; they are terraced and have south facing entrances.
'D' SX 63816406 A terraced type 3 hut circle, internal diameter 9.0m, has coursed walls, 2.5m wide, of which 8 courses survive on the inner face to a height of 0.9m. It is in very good condition and has a south facing entrance.
'E' SX 63756414. There is no trace of a hut circle at this position.
'F' SX 63766411. This semi-circular arc of orthostatic walling, 1.5m wide, has a diameter about 8m, and is possibly an unfinished type 2 hut circle since there is no indication of terracing or infill between the orthostats.
'G' SX 63766409 A probable type 3 hut circle, internal diameter 8.8m, walls 1.6m wide and in poor condition is cut back into the hillside.
'H' SX 63806413. A sub-circular arc of turf covered small boulder walling, 1.5m wide is possibly the remains of a hut circle, though the estimated internal diameter of 10.5m is larger than normal.
'J' SX 63896415. A sub-rectangular yard, internally 6.0m by 2.5m has turf covered walling of small stones and a possible south facing entrance.
(Type 2 huts: SX 56 NE 71; Type 3, SX 67 SE 56)
1:10 000 Survey revised on MSD.

Ministry of Works, 1970, Hut circles in Erme Valley (Schedule Document). SDV346123.

Unenclosed group of six hut circles with diameters 5.62 to 6.12 meters. These huts consist of drystone walling to a maximum of three courses high and entrances on the south-eastern side.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX6363, 3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV156571.

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

Hankin, C. F., 1978, Hut circle settlement in Erme Valley (Worksheet). SDV156569.

A group of hut circles scattered over an area 120 by 120 meters, centred at a point approximately 230 meters east of the Erme on ground rising eastward. Vestiges of an enclosure at northernmost hut circle.

Robinson, R., 1982, Field Monument Warden Visit (Worksheet). SDV156570.

Department of Environment Field Monument Warden visit.

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

Eight hut circles visible and recorded with a linear feature at SX63886418.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 58, Map 54, Figure 54.17 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Group of eight well-preseved hut circles at Quickbeam Hill West lying 130 meters north of Quickbeam Hill reave. Part of an incomplete enclosure joins two of the hut circles (marked 1 and 2 on the plan). Some of the huts appear to have never been finished or may have been damaged or partly demolished.

Gerrard, S., 2004, List of Sites Remaining to be Considered for Designation on Dartmoor (Un-published). SDV345444.

This site was considered for designation as a Scheduled Ancient Monument during the Monument Protection Programme. The programme ended before the entire list of sites was successfully scheduled so this is included on a local list of Nationally Important Sites.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Seven of the most easterly hut circles and the enclosure are visible on the 2010 aerial photography. No sign of PRN 4328, which may not be a circle. PRN 4329 may be visible as traces; this is an incomplete circle.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

Newman, P., 2018, Erme Valley Survey data (GIS and Excel spreadsheet), Figure 16 (Cartographic). SDV361913.

Harford Moor Settlement shown on survey.

Newman, P., 2018, The Upper Erme Valley, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: An Archaeological Survey, Appendix 1, Figure 16 (Report - Survey). SDV362921.

An unenclosed prehistoric hut settlement of eight huts, and one small enclosure, on Erme Plains, 162 metres east of the River Erme on moderately sloping ground. Six of the huts are large, between 6 metres and 9.45 metres internal diameter. They were levelled into the slope and have robustly built, strong walls with masonry linings inside and out, embanked on the exterior. They survive up to 1.3 metres high. The stone linings are visible in several of the interiors and some external facings survive in places. Entrance openings are present on five of the huts on the south arc of the circle and one of these has remnants of a stone door lining. A seventh hut has been robbed of stone, with only a short arc of bare boulders surviving in situ. The eighth comprises a curious open-ended elliptical bank with internal dimensions of 7.1 metres by 2.8 metres. which could represent a disturbed hut circle, though this outline is not usual. The enclosure is a rough three-sided rectangular stony bank, which extends between this structure and a hut circle 14 metres to the west. The bank is now very denuded and spread though several stones of its fabric remain in situ along the western half. The eastern half of the enclosure is now barely visible.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UE-24 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(10/02/2019) Recorded by volunteer condition assessor. Condition assessed as very good. The site is on open grass land not crossed by any major paths. The grass is a fine quality attractive to livestock. Some patches of reed/grass have accumulated where water pools in the interior of the houses and in the exterior ‘drip gullies’ and moss is growing over the stones of the walls. It has remained largely unchanged for at least the last ten years.

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

Photographs taken in February 2019.

Historic England, 2020, National Heritage List for England, 1002607 (National Heritage List for England). SDV363414.

The monument includes an unenclosed stone hut circle settlement situated on the lower western slopes of Quickbeam Hill to the east of the River Erme. The settlement survives as up to eight stone hut circles with a single orthostatic and rubble built wall connecting two of the huts. The stone hut circles are substantially built from coursed stone and orthostats standing up to 0.9 metres high and vary in size internally from 7 metres to 9 metres in diameter. Two of the huts are apparently incomplete, surviving as partial arcs of walling and one of these has an interior dividing wall. Where entrances are visible they are south facing.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley

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