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Summary

Northern enclosure in prehistoric settlement south of Erme Pound containing three hut circles and several courts.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002493: Stone row, cairn and enclosures near Hook Lane, Erme Valley

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66NW47
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 441700
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/50
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/51/4
• Old SAM County Ref: 319

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSURE (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Spence Bate, C., 1870-1871, On the Prehistoric Antiquities of Dartmoor, 502 (Article in Serial). SDV277110.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 397 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Worth, R. H., 1919, 38th barrow report, 79 (Article in Serial). SDV153925.

Worth, R. H., 1943, The Prehistoric Pounds of Dartmoor, 288 (Article in Serial). SDV320337.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 288 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX66NW47 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV363655.

(05/05/1950) A fine example of an enclosure. The walling consists of very large stones reaching a height of one metre; it contains three hut-circles and a number of 'courts' situated mainly on its north and western sides. No obvious entrance.

National Monuments Record, 1976, SX6465 (Aerial Photograph). SDV151191.

Photograph taken on 22nd April 1976.

Hankin, C. F., 1977-1980, Harford Parish Checklist (Worksheet). SDV149931.

Site visited on 21st July 1976 and 17th August 1978. A large circular enclosure, length north to south circa 130 metres, width east to west circa 120 metres. Crossing gives the circumference as 426 yards (390 metres). The walling is complete, but disorderly particularly in the north wall. "a block 9ft long" in the north wall, mentioned by Crossing, is probably the largest stone in the walls. There is evidence of a 'court' at the south wall, close to a hut circle. The hut circle consists of single standing stones but is very incomplete, diameter circa 6.5 metres. The site of two more hut circles can be traced close to the south wall, but not much evidence of either of them remains. The whole site is in rather poor condition, and does not come up to the description of it given by Crossing.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1978, SX66NW47 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV153920.

(12/01/1978) On a south-west facing slope above the River Erme at about 400 metres OD is an enclosure covering an area of approximately 1.0 hectare and measuring 130 metres by 100 metres overall. The walling consists of very large stone 2.6 metres wide and reaching a height of one metre. It contains three hut circles and a number of 'courts' situated mainly on its north and western side. Three courts measure 0 metres by 10 metres, 9 metres by 9 metres and 20 metres by 18 metres with low and fragmentary walling. The enclosure has no obvious entrance.
A hut circle is situated inside the enclosure at SX 6405 6534. Its internal diameter is 5.0 metres and it has an entrance on the south-east side. It is in a ruinous condition it may be of Type 2.
There are no traces of the two huts previously published at SX 6410 6535. There is no position evidence of clearance inside or outside the enclosure. (Type 2 huts: SX 56 NE 71). Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Robinson, R., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits (Site Visit). SDV114314.

Site visited on 19th January 1983.

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

Ovoid enclosure containing four hut circles visible, with six small internal walled plots around its perimeter. One of the hut circles is incorporated into one of these walled plots. Another, freestanding, hut circle, has a wall or bank attached to it. Area 1 hectare.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 72, Map 55, Figure 55.5 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Circular enclosure of 122 metres diameter with the possible remains of six hut circles and a pattern of courts against the north, west and south boundaries. A 'cairn' is located just outside the boundary to the south-east at the northern end of the 'stone rows' and a further 'hut' circle is located to the south of the cairn.

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

Enclosure shown on survey.

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

A sub-circular enclosure of 1.2 hectares on the eastern slope of the River Erme which is the northern of two enclosures between Hook Lake and Erme Pound. The walls are very strong and well built from large boulders standing to over 1 metre high in places and although spread to 4 metres many sections of the original facings of the wall survive on both the interior and exterior. On the northern arc of the enclosure an 8 metres section of the wall appears to be absent or buried. Fifteen metres west of the breach a smaller opening appears to have been deliberately blocked by resting a 2.8 metre slab across it. Several pens have been constructed against the interior wall surviving as turf and stone banks of a much slighter construction than the main wall. Earlier depictions show more of these but at the time of the 2018 survey much of the interior was obscured by the dense growth of rushes. Two hut circles survive on the interior including one which survives as a much disturbed semi-circle of boulders. The other (see MDV5145) is in slighty better condition though covered by rushes.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley
• EDV8115 - Measured survey of the Hook Lake Stone alignments

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