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Summary

Hut circle 1; one of 24 hut circles set within a walled Bronze Age enclosure at Grimspound. This circle is terraced into the hill slope and measures 4.9 meters by 4.2 meters. Located within the guardianship area managed by Dartmoor National Park Authority.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1014667: Grimspound, a partially enclosed prehistoric settlement with field system and two post-medieval caches between Hookney Tor and Hameldown Tor

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX78SW/49/4
• Old SAM County Ref: 142
• Old SAM Ref: 22212

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Baring Gould, S., 1894, 1st Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee: The Exploration of Grimspound (Article in Serial). SDV304196.

Hut 1. This hut circle had been disturbed by secondary occupation and the original entrance to the south-south-west blocked and another north-north-east entrance made. A flat hearthstone was found in centre with a pit or cooking hole nearby. Wood charcoal and ashes found in it. Fragments of charcoal strewn over floor. Other details: 101-121.

Baring Gould, S., 1895, Second Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 82-3 (Article in Serial). SDV271711.

Ordnance Survey, 1953, SX78SW11 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV304167.

Pattison, P., 1991, A Survey of Grimspound, Manaton Parish, Devon (Report - Survey). SDV304224.

Surveyed by the Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments in England in 1991. Hut 1 is slightly ovoid in shape measuring 4.2-4.9 meters in diameter; the wall is approximately 1.0 meter wide and 0.6 meters high, constructed of coursed blocks and slabs of granite. There is a single edge-set slab immediately north-west of the entrance. The coursed construction of the wall of this hut contrasts with the edge-method used in most of the huts at Grimspound, possibly suggesting some reconstruction may have taken place. A recently added pile of small stones lies on north wall of the hut. The "footstone" referred to in 1894 report is still visible although there is no trace of the hearthstone. There is no evidence to suggest the presence of another entrance. Two shallow hollows, 0.2 meters deep, near the centre of hut are recent disturbances. Other details: 6.

Gerrard, S., 1995, 140322 (Site Visit). SDV321021.

Hut circle terraced into the hillslope, with a simple plan; single orthostat and coursed walling type. The interior of the hut is oval, 4.9 meters by 4.2 meters and is defined by a 1.0 meter wide wall standing up to 0.6 meters high. A 0.9 meter wide east-north-east facing gap in the surrounding wall may represent a doorway. Excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1894. This work revealed a central hearthstone, cooking hole, coal cinders and wood charcoal. The excavators considered that this hut had been re-occupied, with an alteration in floor plan, and the current entrance was not regarded as an original feature.

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

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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