See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Remains of hut circle of 3.5 metres diameter with walls 1.7 metres wide by 0.4 metres high forming part of unenclosed settlement to the north of Hemstone Rocks. Located in forest clearing on north side of trackway.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017985: Unenclosed stone hut circle settlement on Tom's Hill, 870m north west of Sandeman Bridge

Other References/Statuses

• MPP Archaeological Item Dataset: 144137
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SW/5/3
• Old SAM County Ref: 961
• Old SAM Ref: 28673
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SW25

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

One of four 'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1951, SX68SW25 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV245127.

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

Fernworthy Plantation. Toms Hill 6E. Very ruined hut circle 4.5 metres diameter. Unable to determine thickness of very low stone wall. Not investigated. Has been planted over.
February 1976. 8 posts ringing clearance zone. All agreements carried out.
Not included in 1955 Spooner and Dixon report.

Turner, J., 1978, Report of Work Carried Out by the Forestry Commission since January 1976 (Report - non-specific). SDV351816.

All agreements carried out. Vegetation good.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., 144137 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visit 28th August 1997. hut circle at SX64958401 forming part of unenclosed settlement. Diameter 3.5 metres, earthwork wall 1.7 metres wide, 0.4 metres high. Internal area 9.6 square metres. A south-south-west facing gap may represent the entrance.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 157, Map 35, Site 6 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Hut circle at 'Fernworthy West' settlement.

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

Visited on 2nd August 1995. Hut circle at SX64968402 of 4.6 metres diameter with walls 1.4 metres wide by 0.4 metres high.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 1996, Condition Survey of Identified Archaeology within Woodland Areas 1996 (Un-published). SDV351820.

Fernworthy. Toms Hill 1-4B, 6B. Site visit 27th September 1996. Five hut circles within a large clearing on north side of track. Sites well marked but the archaeological remains are difficult to identifty as they are covered by long grass. Gorse is also widespread throughout the clearance area.

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

Hut circle shown on survey.

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

Hut circle just visible in cleared area.

Fugro-BKS, 2013, Fernworthy Forest LiDAR survey (Cartographic). SDV351778.

Hut circle visible.

Newman, P., 2013, Fernworthy Forest Sites Survey (Un-published). SDV351708.

Newman, P., 2013, The Archaeology of Fernworthy Forest, Dartmoor, Devon, 37, Fig. 31 (Report - Survey). SDV351784.

This hut has the appearance of a circular earthwork or earth and stone mound with a hollowed centre and could possibly be a cairn. The overall diameter is 8.8 metres although the internal diameter is only 4.0 metres. A gap in the earthwork on the eastern side could be an entrance or possibly and unrecorded excavation trench.

Ordnance Survey, 2014, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV355681.

Hut circle marked.

English Heritage, 2014, National Heritage List for England, 1017985 (National Heritage List for England). SDV355683.

The monument includes six stone hut circles situated on a gentle east facing slope overlooking the valley of the South Teign River. The hut circles survive as banks each surrounding an internal circular area which varies from 8 to 28.26 square metres. The height of the surrounding walls vary between 0.3 metres and 0.6 metres. Two of the huts have visible doorways and the walls are of orthostatic or rubble bank construction.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1017985 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

Within Scheduled area.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6216 - Condition Surveys of Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land
• EDV6203 - Archaeological Survey of Fernworthy Forest
• EDV7389 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1996
• EDV7410 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1992
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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