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Summary

Settlement containing seven huts and associated enclosures. The diameters range from 4.2 to 9.5 metres. Four of the huts survive as double rings of massive upright slabs of up to 1.2 metres high. Associated with the huts are a few enclosures.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1016691: Coaxial field system and prehistoric settlements at Kestor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68NE138
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 901261
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68NE/73
• Old SAM County Ref: 261
• Old SAM County Ref: 28714

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Hut circles' shown on 19th century map

Fox, A., 1955, Huts at Kes Tor settlement, 87-102 (Article in Serial). SDV274383.

Group of five hut circles, part of settlement on north slopes of Castor. Group C.

National Monument Record, 1977, SX6686, 6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV274641.

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

Four hut circles visible and recorded from NMR aerial photograph.

Griffith, F. M., 1985, DAP/EM, 3a (Aerial Photograph). SDV274678.

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

(11/10/1991) Centred SX 66718690. A settlement containing seven hut circles and three other features on the NE slope of Chagford Common 200m S of Kestor Gate. The huts, numbered 1-7 in the accompanying tabulation, are all terraced into the slope and vary in diameter from 4.2m to 9.5m. the four largest huts, 1-4, consist of double rings of massive upright slabs up to 1.2m high. Entrances are visible in the SE margins of huts 2, 3 and 6.
The associated features comprise a rectangular structure at SX 66678691 measuring 8.9mNW-SE by 3.2m internally. This is situated in the corner of an enclosure contemporary with the huts. The two other features are a crude circle of stones 2.1m in diameter at SX 66688681 and an embanked rectangular area 3.5m to the SW measuring 2.2m NE-SW by 1.3m. These latter two may be the result of later robbing.
All the huts are slightly ovoid and the diameters are averages for each hut. All dimensions below are in meters.
This settlement is situated in 3.0ha of well-developed reave system. The immediate enclosures range in area from 0.03ha to 0.3ha.
These huts were previously recorded under SX 68 NE 14.
A further table of information on the settlement is held in the archive.

Griffith, F. M., 1989, DAP/LS, 15 (Aerial Photograph). SDV267566.

Griffith, F. M., 1989, DAP/LT, 7 (Aerial Photograph). SDV346554.

Devon County Council, 1989, DAP/PJ, 14, 15 (Aerial Photograph). SDV274652.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 149124-9 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 170-174, Map 36, Figure 36.1 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Group of hut circles '11' to '18' and associated small enclosures at 'Kes Tor settlement'.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1999, SMC Letter (Correspondence). SDV274391.

Consent granted, subject to conditions, for works concerning the archaeological research excavation of a hut circle to examine the impact of bracken on sensitive archaeological deposits (19/07/1999).

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1016691 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

Within Scheduled area.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6198 - Geophysical Survey on Shovel Down and Kes Tor
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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