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Summary

A settlement of twenty three hut circles and hut stances are located on a south-facing slope in clitter covered by moorland between 300m OD and 325m OD; centred SX61286318. Four lie along the line of a reave, a number are semi-submerged in peat lie in dense reed cover and two lie apart from the main group. Most are levelled into the slope. A few ill-defined boulder lines within the clitter, the edges of small contemporary enclosures, notably along the southern edge of the settlement. Investigated and surveyed at 1:200 as part of the RCHME Hawns and Dendles project in 1997.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002524: Hut circles and fields on Dendles Waste
• SHINE: Remains of Bronze Age hut circles, medieval or later tin streamworking and leat Hut circles and fields on Dendles Waste
• SHINE: Remains of Bronze Age hut circles, medieval or later tin streamworking and leat Hut circles and fields on Dendles Waste

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SW33
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442261
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/98
• Old SAM County Ref: 440

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.

Group of 'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map.

Royal Air Force, 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2494, 3054-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDV147533.

Visible.

English Heritage, 1969-1989, English Heritage Records Office SAM Record, 1002524 (Un-published). SDV349864.

The monument includes an unenclosed stone hut circle settlement situated on a south facing slope forming the eastern side of the valley of the Broadall Lake. The settlement is defined to the north by the Penn Moor Reave which has been incorporated into the later moorland boundary wall. The monument survives as twenty three stone hut circles or hut platforms with some unconnected short lengths of boundary banks. Four of the stone hut circles are attached to the Penn Moor Reave, a number are submerged in peat and two lie a distance away from the main group. The walls of the huts are generally formed by single faced orthostats and measure approximately 0.7 metres wide and 0.5 metres high. The hut interiors range between 4.5 metres to 9 metres in diameter. Entrances to the hut circles generally face to the south-east, several of the doorways are apparently defined by upstanding stone door jambs, one hut has an entrance porch. The huts are mainly terraced into the hill slope and have level interiors. A further settlement survives to the west and is the subject of a separate scheduling.

National Monuments Record, 1977, NMR SX6163, 3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV166611.

Photograph taken on 14th April 1977.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX66SW33 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV167067.

(17/08/1977) An open settlement of twelve hut circles on a south facing slope at 330.0m OD. The internal diameters of the huts vary from 4.5m to 9.0m with a mean of 6.3m. The walling of the huts is formed by single large boulders averaging 0.7m wide and 0.5m high. The entrances are mainly south-eastern and the interiors levelled. A modern wall abuts four of the huts and it is possible that this wall overlies and obscures a continuation of Penn Moor Reave (SX 66 SW 68). The hut at SX 61316316 has an entrance porch. There is no evidence of fields or plots.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 180, Map 52, Figure 52.6 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Broadall Lake East hut circle settlement containing 15 huts circles of 5-9 metres diameter. Four of the huts are built against the Penn Beacon reave to the north.

Cornwood Parishoners, 1997, Hawns and Dendles - The 'In Between', 14 (Monograph). SDV360414.

Bronze Age settlement containing at least 19 hut circles with associated walling with the outer boundary built on to a long Prehistoric reave.

Fletcher, M. + Newman, P. + Probert, S., 1998, Hawns and Dendles: An Archaeological Survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 4-9, Figures 3, Appendix 1 (Report - Survey). SDV346246.

A settlement of twenty three hut circles and hut stances are located on a south-facing slope in clitter covered by moorland betwen 300m OD and 325m OD; centred SX61286318. Four lie along the line of a reave, a number are semi-submerged in peat or obscured in dense reed cover. Two lie at a distance from the main group. Most are levelled into the slope. Internal diameters range from 4 metres to 8.6 metres and construction ranges from small boulders and rubble to large orthostatic slabs and posts. All the huts are slightly oval and terraced into the south facing slope. The vestigial walls and clearings adjacent to some of the huts have created a pattern of sub-circular pounds or plots.
A few ill-defined boulder lines within the clitter mark the edges of small irregular enclosures. A full report on these huts is included in the RCHME Hawns and Dendles project. Collections number 1088517.

Ordnance Survey, 2017, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359962.

'Settlement' shown on modern mapping with 12 hut circles.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4965 - Hawns and Dendles, Cornwood: An Archaeological survey by the Royal Commission

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