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Summary

Identified as a hut circle by the Ordnance Survey in 1977. Gerrard records this hut as having been excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1895 and suggests it could have pre-dated the enclosures (1993), but this identification may not be correct for this feature. Survey in 2005 questioned the identification of this feature and suggests it is related to later warrening activity in the area. The feature is a sub-rectangular structure measuring 4.5 metres east to west by 2.9 metres with unbroken walls 2.0 metres wide and 1.0 metre high. It is adjoined by a small poorly built enclosure roughly 8.5 metres in diameter.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019876: Prehistoric settlement, three round cairns and a post-medieval rabbit warren at Legis Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE69
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/4/29
• Old SAM Ref: 22289
• Pastscape: 438698

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• (Former Type) HUT CIRCLE (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC? to 701 BC (Between))
• STRUCTURE (Constructed, XV to Post Medieval - 1401 AD to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

Hut circle shown on early 20th century map.

Griffiths, W. E., 1951, Early settlement in Caernarvonshire, 63-6 (Article in Serial). SDV224028.

Fox, A., 1951, Early Settlement on Dartmoor and in North Wales, 167-8 (Article in Serial). SDV255788.

Ralegh Radford, C. A., 1953, Prehistoric Settlements on Dartmoor and the Cornish Moors, 80 (Article in Serial). SDV337080.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130822 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

22/02/1993 (SX 56896517) Hut circle terraced into the hillslope, and of the simple plan and rubble bank walling type. Interior is oval, measuring 5.3m by 3m , and is defined by a 1.7m wide wall standing up to 0.8m high. The doorway faces south-south-west and is partly blocked with loose rubble.
Excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1895 and this work recovered bowl fragments which have been identified by Ralegh Radford as being similar to Neolithic sherds found at Maiden Castle. Griffiths and Fox, however consider that a Bronze Age date for this material is possible. Earthwork evidence to support the early date is provided by a length of rubble boundary wall which leads from this hut and is partly sealed by the western boundary wall of enclosure B.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 111-114, Map 49, Figure 49.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Hut Circle '9' of 4.3 metres diameter seems to have been deliberately excluded from the enclosures within Settlement 'A' at Legis Tor. it is attached by wing walls to the exterior of the western enclosure. A 'few rounded stones' were the only finds in the late 19th century excavations.

Newman, P. + Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

(15/02/2005) SX 5689 6518 Feature interpreted as a hut by the Ordnance Survey (1977). This feature is a sub-rectangular structure measuring 4.5m east to west by 2.9m with unbroken walls 2.0m wide and 1.0m high. It is adjoined by a small poorly built enclosure roughly 8.5m in diameter. Although it is difficult to give date or function to these later features, it is thought they may relate to the warrening phase of activity on this site.

Probert, S. A. J., 2010, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of Ringmoor, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV360517.

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

Circle visible on aerial photograph.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Ringmoor Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Report - Survey). SDV361636.

Depicted on GIS survey layer.

Ordnance Survey, 2021, MasterMap 2021 (Cartographic). SDV364015.

Irregular shaped feature shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1019876 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

Within Scheduled area.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey

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