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Summary

The remains of an enclosure or pound with two hut circles. The enclosure measures 82 metres by 96 metres and has a severely robbed wall spread to 3.5 metres by 0.5 metres high.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021049: Brimpts Mine, three prehistoric settlements and associated reaves 550m north west of Outer Huccaby Ring

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67NE89
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 914928
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NE/51
• Old SAM Ref: 34461

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• (Alternate Type) POUND (Constructed, Early Bronze Age to Late Medieval - 2200 BC to 1539 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Constructed, Early Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 42 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 1308-1307 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Greeves, T., 1983, Laughter Hole enclosure (Worksheet). SDV231731.

Visited on 23rd November 1983. Oval prehistoric enclosure with maximum diameter circa 115 metres. One hut circle inside the south-east 'corner'. Within the enclosure a length of modern walling. This enclosure appears to have been joined with MDV6096 by a prehistoric wall now overlain by a modern one.

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

Enclosure incorporated into field system and containing one hut circle attached to internal wall. A bank passes through its centre. Visible on RAF 1946 aerial photograph.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit, I. S. Sainsbury (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(02/11/1988) SX 6611 7528. The remains of an enclosure and two possible hut circles situated at 335m OS on gentle N facing slopes of heather and rough grassland, overlooking the East Dart River.
The sub-square enclosure measures about 96m NW-SE, by 82m transversely, with a severely robbed wall of 0.5m maximum height, and about 4m maximum width. Traces of the rubble core, are exposed in the N at (a), where the wall is best preserved. It is 1.8m wide and 0.5m high on the downhill side, and 0.1m high on the uphill side. At (b) the wall has been very mutilated and spread by robbing, possibly to build the modern walling at (c). At (d) along the N, and at (e) around the S side, the enclosure wall is visible mainly as NE facing heather and turf covered stony scarps, 0.5m and 1m high respectively. On the E only fragmentary stones (f), some probably facers, remain. The modern field walls have followed the line of the ancient enclosure, curving from the N to the SE and probably incorporate its material. There is no definite evidence of an entrance though a step in the scarp at (g) and a break at (h) may be possible sites.
The central interior of the enclosure shows no evidence of occupation but attached to the outside (i) in the S, is a circular hollow about 10m in overall diameter. It is cut into the steeper slope here but not levelled internally. The backscarp is some 1.5m high. There isa break where it meets the entrance wall suggesting an entrance. Though no stones are evident this is probably the remains of a contemporary hut circle. At (j) 20m to the E is a slight sub-circular platform about 0.5m high and 5m diameter edged with a few earthfast stones around the internal N arc. Possibly the remains of another robbed hut.
The whole is evidently a prehistoric enclosure or 'pound', possibly a settlement, similar to several in the area (see SX 67 NE 11, 31, 38 etc.).
The walling at (c) is described by Hemery (1983) who mistakenly refers to it as the "foundation-wall of an unusual pound".

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 157107 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(10/05/2002) Enclosure forming part of a prehistoric settlement 680m south-east of Laughter Hole Farm. Measures 100m by 75m. Wall 3m wide, 0.8m high. Rubble bank with occasional edge set stone. 2 linked huts. Grass and gorse within enclosure. Bilberry, moss, grass and heather on the bank.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 55, 227, Map 28, Figure 28.1 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Laughter Hole settlement at SX661753 with an area of 0.7 hectares with two hut circles. The ancient pound wall has been reduced to a very low bank alongside the newtake but it was obviously substantial and is now spread to 3.5 metres wide and stands up to 0.5 metres high. Only two huts have been found within the pound.

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

Outline shown on survey.

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

Visible on aerial photograph.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1021049 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

The eastern prehistoric settlement survives as an oval enclosure containing two stone hut circles.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8634 - Brimpts Farm, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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