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Summary

Two crude hut circles and fragments of a contemporary enclosure lie on the moderate south-western flank of Shell Top. Both huts have been terraced into the slope to provide level interiors and are enclosed by crude boulder walls. The associated sub-circular enclosure measures 31m north-south by 41m and is bounded by a turf and boulder bank up to 0.4m high. The north side of the enclosure is obscured by marsh and vegetation.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1015749: Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement, a round cairn and a boundary stone 760m WSW of Shell Top

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE224
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1360267
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/539
• Old SAM Ref: 28789

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140517 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Visited on 5th June 1996. A simple oval enclosure containing two hut circles forming part of an extensive partially enclosed hut settlement. The enclosure survives as a 44 metres by 34 metres area defined by a boulder wall measuring 1.0 metres wide and standing up to 0.8 metres high, except on the north-east side where no walling is visible. This enclosure may therefore never have been completed or has been partially robbed. The two hut circles within the enclosure are both of the simple plan type.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 161-2, Map 51, Figure 51.5 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Enclosure 'B' at 'Shell Top west enclosures' surrounds a pair of small hut circles of 2.5 metres diameter. Its boundary wall was never very substantial, a double row of vertical slabs which are now apparently buried around the northern part of the circuit.

Robertson, J. G., 1994, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV139549.

Two hut circles within an enclosure depicted and described by Robertson.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 136-7/102.504. (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

(23/05/2002) Centred SX59146370. Two crude hut circles and fragments of a contemporary enclosure lie on the moderate SW flank of Shell Top. Both huts have been terraced into the slope to provide level interiors and are enclosed by crude boulder walls. The associated sub-circular enclosure measures 31m N - S by 41m and is bounded by a turf and boulder bank up to 0.4m high. The N side of the enclosure is obscured by marsh and vegetation.
SX59156371. A hut circle 2.8m in internal diameter with a crude wall 0.3m high.
SX59146370. Measuring 2.4m in diameter with walls a maximum of 0.3m high, the interior of this hut is partially obscured by fallen boulders.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Southern part of enclosure shown on survey.

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

Visible on aerial photograph.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1015749 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

The enclosure survives as a 44 metres long by 34 metres wide area defined by a boulder wall measuring 1.0 metres wide and standing up to 0.8 metres high, except on the north east side where no walling is visible. This enclosure may therefore never have been completed or has been partially robbed. Two stone hut circles lie within this enclosure and both survive as a stone and earth bank each surrounding a circular or oval internal area.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.