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Summary

The remains of an enclosed settlement, known locally as Broadun Ring, containing possibly 12 hut circles. The enclosure measures 115m NNE-SSW by 70m transversely (enclosing about 0.7 hectares) inside a thick rubble wall now quite collapsed and spread from 4m-6m wide and up to 1.2m high in places. No definite entrance is visible though a lessening of rubble and a slight gap suggests one may have been in the NE. Internally there are several hut circles, 8 free standing and possibly 4 set against the enclosure wall. The compound was investigated in 1893 when ten of the huts were excavated.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021334: Prehistoric enclosed settlement known as Broadun Ring, 500m north west of Hartland Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SW9
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443924
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SW/7
• Old SAM County Ref: 336
• Old SAM Ref: 34493
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SW9

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, 310 (Article in Serial). SDV245176.

On the eastern slope of Broad Down on the right bank of the East Dart is an enclosure, semi-circular with nine hut circles just below the Powder Mill leat. Eleven hut circles have been excavated, four being clustered together. Hearths and 'cooking holes' found, some huts have a paved dais. Small finds included charcoal, pot-boilers and flint flakes.

Burnard, R., 1894, Exploration of the Hut Circles in Broadun Ring and Broadun, 189-190 (Article in Serial). SDV246116.

Rowe, S., 1896, A Perambulation of the Royal Forest of Dartmoor and the venville precincts, 174 (Monograph). SDV249697.

Wall, J. C., 1906, Ancient Earthworks, 607 (Article in Monograph). SDV341465.

Burnard, R., 1906, Early Man, 349 (Article in Monograph). SDV322231.

Royal Air Force, 1949, RAF/540/176, 5121-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224083.

Visible.

Ordnance Survey, 1950, SX68SW9 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV245174.

(19/06/1950) Six hut circles and enclosure. Hut A has walls of unusually large boulders, one of which on the western perimeter appears to be living rock. Entrance not obvious. Hut B has a wall of turf and large stones; entrance not obvious. Hut C has an entrance to the south south east. Hut D is very small with walls of turf and stone and a probable entrance to the south south east. Hut E is the remains of a hut or court with a wall of small turf covered stones and no obvious entrance. Hut F is the ruins of a hut or court with wall of turf covered stones and no obvious entrance. The enclosure remains are of the usual Dartmoor type the walling has been extensively robbed for newtake walls, one of which utilises the west wall of the enclosure for part of its length. Enclosure walling length W - X completely demolished. Length X - Y partially demolished, consisting of large stones. Length Y - Z of unusually large stones and of good condition. No obvious entrance to the enclosure.

Griffiths, W. E., 1951, Early settlement in Caernarvonshire, 64 (Article in Serial). SDV224028.

"Broadun Ring. 100 yds north of Broadun is another pound containing huts, at a height of 1400 ft above OD. It is surrounded by a dry-built wall of stones, 6-7 ft thick and up to 4 ft high. Eleven huts have been excavated, four being clustered close against one another. The huts are circular, and vary in diameter from 6 to 14 ft, with one exceptionally large hut of 22 ft diameter. As usual, hearths and 'cooking-holes' were found, and some huts at least had a paved dais. Small finds included charcoal, pot-boilers and flint flakes."

Royal Air Force, 1951, RAF/540/483, 4047-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224087.

National Monument Record, 1979, SF1510, 411-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224088.

Broadun Ring. Only 3 huts are visible on the 1951 aerial photograph, but fully visible on 1979 aerial.

Robinson, R., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits (Site Visit). SDV114314.

Visited on 11th October 1983.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1983, Middle Merripit Survey Drawing (Plan - measured). SDV321106.

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

The eastern wall of this enclosure is scattered over a wide distance, while the western wall is incorporated into a field boundary. Only 3 of the internal hut circles are visible on 1951 aerial photograph.

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

(28/09/1989) SX 63708017. The remains of an enclosed settlement, known locally as Broadun Ring, containing possibly 12 hut circles, lies as 425m OD on fairly steep slopes in an area of rough grass and scattered boulders. (See plan at 1:1000).
The enclosure measures 115m NNE-SSW by 70m transversely (about 0.7ha) inside a thick rubble wall now quite collapsed and spread from 4m-6m wide and up to 1.2m high in places. Several good outer facing stones are visible around the NW and SW where it has been more severely robbed to form a modern wall which overlies the western side. The inner face around the SE arc is roughly coursed. No definite entrance is visible though a lessening of rubble and a slight gap suggests one may have been in the NE at (a).
Internally there are several hut circles, 8 free standing and possibly 4 set against the enclosure wall. (See attached table for details). Nos 1-8 appear to be good huts whilst 9-12 may be huts but could be later constructions from wall rubble. Most were excavated or examined by Burnard (5), but he does not refer to 11 and 12. Huts 1-5 range in diameter from 2.5m to 6m within crudely constructed, now turf covered, walls of stone and large boulders, 1.3m to 1.7m wide and about 0.4m high. None have well defined entrances but four possible ones are in the SE to SSW.
A table of further information on the enclosure is held in the NRHE archive.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 38-9, Map 27, Figure 27.1 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Broadun Ring. Fifty metres above the East Dart the newtake wall alters course around the inside of the uphill edge of Broadun Ring, all but the largest blocks of the ancient wall providing material for the present one. Elsewhere the wall has collapsed and spread to 3.5 metres across except in the south-east corner where several courses of stone still in place show that originally it stood well over a metre high. A gap in the wall nearby may be the original gateway down to the river as there are no displaced stones on the downhill side. The numerous blocks scattered within show that there was no serious attempt by the inhabitants to clear the interior. The compound was investigated in 1893 when ten of the huts were excavated.

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

Enclosure shown on survey.

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

Visible on aerial photograph.

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

'Settlement' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1021334 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

The monument comprises a prehistoric enclosed settlement known as Broadun Ring situated on a south-east facing slope overlooking the valley of the East Dart River. The enclosure survives as an oval shaped area denoted by a boulder faced wall measuring up to 6 metres wide and standing up to 1.2 metres high. The interior of the enclosure measures 119 metres north to south by 79 metres east to west and contains at least 13 stone hut circles varying between 3.5 metres and 8.5 metres in internal diameter. A gap in the south-eastern length of the enclosure wall may represent an original entrance. Most of the huts within the enclosure have visible doorways and six are attached to the inner face of the enclosure. The largest hut within the settlement has a rectangular platform built within its interior. Some of the huts appear to have been refurbished, suggesting reuse perhaps in the historic period. Ten of the huts within the settlement were partially excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1893 and this work revealed hearthstones, charcoal, flints and pot boilers. A small number of pits within the enclosure represent the site of historic stone splitting activity. A drystone wall leading alongside the inner face of the western side of the enclosure bank stands up to 1.5 metres high and represents a post-medieval field boundary.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV676 - Excavation at Broadun Ring
• EDV8648 - Middle Merripit Farm, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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