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Summary

A large sub-circular enclosure of 120 metres by 113 metres containing at least nine hut circles, almost entirely surrounded by the mature conifers in Bellever Plantation. There are two hut circles associated with the enclosure outside the pound wall on the south-western side.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1018509: Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement known as Kraps Ring

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67NW30
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442593
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NW/26
• Old SAM County Ref: 455
• Old SAM Ref: 28686

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSED HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Prowse, A. B., 1891, The Ancient Metropolis of Dartmoor, 312 (Article in Serial). SDV245176.

An enclosure known as Kraps Ring, north of Lakehead Hill, bounded by a bank of stones, contains 15 or 16 hut circles on the south-west side. About 45 metres south-west of the enclosure are two hut circles, 9.0 metres and 8.0 metres in diameter respectively.

Baring Gould, S., 1895, Second Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 87 (Article in Serial). SDV271711.

A ruined enclosure with all but one of the circles dug for stones. The comparatively undisturbed circle had remains of a dais and a well preserved hearth. The cooking hole was in the hearth, full of peat and ashes. No wood charcoal was observed.

Royal Air Force, 1951, RAF/540/483, 3046-7, (24/4/1951) (Aerial Photograph). SDV262462.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1951/1979, SX67NW30 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV262461.

(09/11/1951) Pound and hut circles. Huts are in a very poor condition and are hard to locate.
(19/11/1979) "Kraps Ring", name confirmed lies above the conifer forest on the northern slope of Lakehead Hill. It is a sub-circular enclosure about 119 metres in diameter with marsh grass covering much of the interior.
The walling of the enclosure is of boulder and rubble construction measuring 1.4 metres to 2.9 metres in width and up to 0.7 metres in height. There are two simple entrance gaps, one in the north-east which is probably original, and one in the north-west, which may be modern.
Seven Type 1 huts are visible inside the enclosure and two outside. All are in poor condition, and their rubble walling, where measurable, is between 0.9 metres and 1.4 metres wide and up to 0.7 metres high. The internal diameters vary from 2.7 metres to 7.8 metres with the two largest huts being outside the "Ring". Only three huts have visible entrances, all to the north-east. Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD.

Royal Air Force, 1964, F63/58/6399, 028-029 (Aerial Photograph). SDV229824.

Turner, J. R., 1976, Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land. Fernworthy and Bellever (Report - non-specific). SDV351823.

Bellever Plantation Lakehead 5.A. An enclosure with seven hut circles. Recommendations of the 1976/7 Committee: hut circles to be cleared with the hand machine, possible entry for tractor to cut vegetation to be investigated.
1955 Spooner/Dixon Report (Lakehead-Bellever-Laughter Site number 12)

Dartmoor National Park Authority + Forestry Commission + Dartmoor Preservation Association, 1976, Conservation of Ancient Monuments. The Report of a Working Party, 4 (Report - non-specific). SDV248248.

Bellever Plantation Lakehead 5.A. An enclosure with seven hut circles. SX64437815.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, OS 72/066, 37-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV262465.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 484 (Monograph). SDV249702.

Enclosed village known as Kraps Ring. The collapsed pound wall must have once been massive as in some places the fallen material measures 10-12 feet across. There are hut circles outside the south-west sector of the pound, each measuring about 23 feet in diameter.

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

Substantial enclosure with seven definite and two possible hut circles visible within it, visible on Royal Air Force 1951 aerial photograph.

Robinson, R., 1986, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1986 (Un-published). SDV345664.

Site visit 10th October 1986.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., 144248, 1997 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Enclosure forming part of a partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement known as Kraps Ring.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 43-44, Map 27, Figure 27.6 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Kraps Ring of 120 metres by 113 metres on Lakehead Hill. A plan of 1891 showed 15 huts within the Ring and 11 are still identifiable. The much robbed massive enclosure wall is spread to 3.0 metres in places. The huts are 3.0 to 5.5 metres diameter and several were excavated in 1895 and found to have been 'dug over'. One hut of 4.8 metres diameter revealed a cooking hole and hearth but no artefacts. A large hut of 7.8 metres diameter lies to the south-west of the ring and the remains of another lies to the west.

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

(22/11/1993) Centred SX 64457815. "Kraps Ring", a large sub-circular enclosure containing nine hut circles, lies on the moderately sloping, lower northern flank of Lakehead Hill. Although currently preserved within a narrow strip of open moorland, the site is surrounded on all but the south side by mature conifer plantation which has been planted immediately adjacent to the outer periphery of the enclosure wall.
The circuit of the enclosure is almost intact with only one notably disturbed area on the north-west side. The walls consist of an earth bank of up to 5.5m wide, which incorporates much tumbled masonry and stands to a height of up to 0.8m in places. A narrow opening 2.5m wide on the north-east section of the enclosure could be an original entrance. The north-west entrance reported by authority 4 is likely to be modern disturbance. Within the enclosure there are the remains of nine hut circles.
Two further hut circles recorded by Butler on the south-east interior corner of the enclosure at SX 64477809 and SX 64497812 are of doubtful authenticity and more likely to be a spread of stones caused by the inward collapse of the enclosure wall.
There are two externally sited hut circles associated with the enclosure. (See related hut circle records).

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

Enclosure shown on survey.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Settlement is visible on the aerial photography.

Welch, B. + Welch, T., 2013, Plan of Krap's Ring (Plan - measured). SDV356501.

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

'Enclosed Settlement' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1018509 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

The partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement known as Kraps Ring survives comparatively well and together with other nearby broadly contemporary settlement sites and ceremonial monuments provides an important insight into the nature of Bronze Age occupation and exploitation in the centre of Dartmoor.
The monument includes a partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement lying on a moderate north facing slope of Lakehead Hill overlooking the valley of the East Dart River. The enclosure survives as an oval areas measuring 120m long by 113m wide defined by a rubble bank standing up to 5.5m wide and 0.8m high. Eleven stone hut circles survive within the enclosure and two others lie a short distance to the south. The stone hut circles within the settlement all survive with banks surrounding circular or oval internal areas which vary from 5.3 sq m to 50.2 sq m with the average being 16.7 sq m. The height of the surrounding walls vary between 0.3m and 0.82m, with the average being 0.52m. Four of the huts have visible doorways, one has an annex and the walls themselves vary in character, but the rubble bank and orthostatic construction techniques are both represented.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7388 - Archaeological condition survey in Bellever Woods
• EDV7406 - Archaeological condition survey in Bellever Woods
• EDV7431 - Woodland Survey (1989-90) at Bellever, Soussons and other woodland parcels
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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