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Summary

Two probable Bronze Age hut circles above Cowsic River measuring 6m by 3.2m and 4m by 2.5m. There are no visible signs of entrances. The evidence comprises low boulder walls enclosing areas of short grass.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1012570: Stone hut circle 640m south-west of Beardown Man forming part of a dispersed settlement on the eastern slope of Conies Down Tor
• SHINE: Earthwork and walling remains of an unenclosed Bronze Age hut circle settlement north-east of Conies Down Tor, comprising eight hut circles, a Bronze Age cairn and fragmentary enclosure and a post Medieval Tinner's cache
• SHINE: Earthwork and walling remains of an unenclosed Bronze Age hut circle settlement north-east of Conies Down Tor, comprising eight hut circles, a Bronze Age cairn and fragmentary enclosure and a post Medieval Tinner's cache

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57NE107
• National Monuments Record: SX57NE70
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1065421
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 965537
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NE/122/5
• Old SAM Ref: 22257

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., 21/4/1992 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Conjoined hut circle. Northern room measures 4.3 metres diameter internally with coursed wall 1.1 metres wide, 0.5 metres high. Southern room measures 6.2 metres diameter with similar wall. On west edge of unenclosed dispersed settlement.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(19/09/1994) Centred SX 59097928. Two adjoining ovoid areas of short grass, bounded by low boulder walls, are situated on a slight shelf which interrupts a steep east-facing slope above the right bank of the Cowsic River, 250 metres north-east of Conies Down Tor. The south-western most feature measures 6.0 metres (east-west) by 3.2 metres and has a gently sloping interior; there is no obvious entrance. Adjoining it on the north-east is the second feature which measures 4.0 metres (north-east by south-west) by approximately 2.5 metres; its interior slopes steeply. Again there is no obvious entrance but the enclosing wall, a single line of boulders 0.3 metres high, is absent on the north-west and west.
Interpretation of these features is difficult but it seems probable that both are the remnants of hut circles.
Several hut circles (SX 57 NE 103, 104, 105, 108, 109 and 110) and a cairn (SX 57 NE 106) lie within a 200 metres radius on the same slope.

Newman, P., 2004, Merrivale Range Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV346874.

(30/11/2004) Merrivale Range Baseline Condition Survey visit. The features are in a stable condition, protected by turf.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Merrivale Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Report - Survey). SDV361635.

Two probable hut circles on the west bank of the Cowsic River. The evidence comprises low boulder walls enclosing areas of short grass.

Ordnance Survey, 2018, MasterMap 2018 (Cartographic). SDV360652.

Pair of huts depicted on the modern mapping; location matches the 2018 survey data.

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

Scheduled. NB: polygon for this (and all of features in the group) are inaccurate; they lie around 40-50m north-north-west of actual feature locations. This has contributed to duplicate records in the NRHE; correctly linked to features here, based on the 2018 survey information (Richards, A. F., 24/08/2021).

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website (Website). SDV364039.

(02/03/1993) SX59067931 A stone hut circle was recorded at this location south west of Beardown Man overlooking the River Cowsic. The hut circle is probably Bronze Age in date (English Heritage Record Form).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7441 - Condition survey of the archaeological sites of Merrivale Training Area
• EDV7570 - Condition survey of Merrivale Range training area
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8713 - Merrivale Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey

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