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Summary

Boundaries of the field system on the east side of agglomerated settlement lying south-west of White Ridge within Great Stannon Newtake. The system includes at least five enclosed areas denoted by 1.2 metre wide and 0.3 metre high rubble walling. Two stone hut circles are linked to the enclosure walling and the remaining two huts are freestanding within the enclosed areas.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1018710: Three agglomerated enclosures, a round cairn and part of the Stannon block field system lying within Great Stannon Newtake

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SW7
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443922
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SW/29
• Old SAM Ref: 28683.1
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SW16

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD SYSTEM (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Curwen, E. C., 1927, Prehistoric Agriculture in Britain, 277,281-285 (Article in Serial). SDV173835.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, 3365-6, 4364-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224714.

An oval enclosure with a smaller sub-circular enclosure overlaying its southern edge. Hut circles not visible.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card, 1950, SX68SW7, SX68SW7, Scale Plan (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV244717.

Visited on 20th June 1950. Enclosures and hut circles. Hut A. Diameter 8.0 metres, height 0.3 metres. Fragmentary wall of single stones and turf, entrance not obvious.
Enclosure B. Measures 24 metres east-west, 21 metres north-south. Small containing remains of two small hut circles or courts situated on the south perimeter. Walling is fragmentary of large isolated stones. The whole is contained in remains of large enclosure the walling of which can only be traced with difficulty by isolated stones and lighter coloured grass.

National Monuments Record, 1977, SX6481/4, 257-263 (Aerial Photograph). SDV245149.

Photographs taken on 18th May 1977.

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

Enclosure with central hut circle and an element in the south containing two hut circles attached to internal wall. Visible on 1977 and 1947 aerial photographs.

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

Enclosures and hut circles.

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

(07/09/1995) Centred SX 64308161. This settlement and an irregularly shaped fragmentary field system is situated on the fairly steep SW-facing slopes of White Ridge between 441m and 463m O.D. The hillside, under rough grazing and covered by a deep peat layer with scattered clitter, is apparently sub-divided by a sophisticated reave system - the "Stannon block-system" (see SX 68 SW 108). The present pattern and extent of the numerous fields and enclosures is obviously incomplete; this suggests that a proportion of the field walls, ? and huts, remain buried. For this reason the relationship of this settlement to the reave system cannot be determined.
A well-defined cairn (SX 68 SW 8) lies on the downhill side.
The visible field walls range from boulder and rubble lines, with some upright slabs, on average 1.2m wide and 0.5m high to an 0.6m high lynchet with a low stone walling along its crest (SX 64268167).
Two hut circles each lie within a large, irregular 'field' whilst the probable site of a third lies within a small 'D'-shaped enclosure. (A fourth hut noted in this enclosure (OS ref.) was not identified).
The site continues to the NW as SX 68 SW 16.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 144229-31 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(24/10/1997) SX 6431 8164. Agglomerated enclosure forming part of an enclosed stone hut circle settlement in Great Stannon newtake. Agglomerated enclosure of at least five elements. The walling is of rubble bank construction measuring 1.2 metres wide and 0.3 metres high.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 160-161, Map 35, Figure 35.4 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Eastern part of 'White ridge South-west 2' settlement with a small oval enclosure surrounded by curving and some straight boundaries. Three hut circles are identified in this part of the settlement.

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

Boundaries shown on survey.

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

Features are partially visible on the aerial image, which is more accurate than the Royal Commission 1990 survey data in places.

Ordnance Survey, 2023, Mastermap 2023 (Cartographic). SDV365227.

'Enclosures & Hut Circles' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 101871 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

The monument, which falls into seven areas, includes three agglomerated enclosures containing stone hut circles, a round cairn and part of the Stannon block field system lying on White Ridge within Great Stannon Newtake. This second agglomerated enclosure lies south of the first and includes at least five enclosed areas denoted by 1.2 metres wide and 0.3 metres high rubble walling. Two stone hut circles are linked to the enclosure walling and the remaining two huts are freestanding within the enclosed areas.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8650 - Great Stannon Newtake, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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