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Summary

The remains of a probable settlement enclosure set outside the East Dart River. The larger W part is on steep E slopes, 360m to 390m OD, of rough grassland and heather, with occasional boulders and scattered outcrops. The smaller part of the enclosure encompasses flat ground along the E side of the river at the base of steep gorse covered boulder strewn slopes.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021336: Coaxial fields and prehistoric settlements 180m north and 350m north west of Hartland Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SW28
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443953
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SW/53
• Old SAM Ref: 34495.01
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SW28

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Prowse, A. B., 1891, Index to Personal Names in Westcote's "View of Devonshire in 1620" and his Devonshire pedigrees, 310, Figure. (Article in Serial). SDV224034.

A 'D'-shaped enclosure on the eastern slope of Broad Down and the right bank of the River Dart. Its straight side, bounded by the river, is 128 metres long. It contains nine hut circles.

Royal Air Force, 1949, RAF/540/176, 5122-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224083.

Royal Air Force, 1951, RAF/540/483, 4046-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224087.

National Monument Record, 1979, SF1510, 411-413 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224088.

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

(10/12/1982) Prehistoric enclosure containing at least two hut circles, one of which has a small enclosure attached to it. This lies just below the Powder Mills Leat south-east of Broadun Ring. Its walls run right down to the River Dart.
The enclosure noted by Prowse lies within the much larger enclosure shown on survey drawing.

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

This appears to be a fragmentary enclosure bridging the river. No hut circles are visible on the 1951 RAF and 1979 NMR aerial photographs.

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

(15/08/1989) SX 63908011. The remains of a probable settlement enclosure set outside the East Dart River. (See plan at 1:1000). The larger W part is on steep E slopes, 360m to 390m OD, of rough grassland and heather, with occasional boulders and scattered outcrops. The smaller part of the enclosure encompasses flat ground along the E side of the river at the base of steep gorse covered boulder strewn slopes.
The enclosure measures 150m E-W by 120m, about 1.75ha, within a turf covered rubble wall, generally about 3m wide and 0.2m to 0.5m high. Around the W this is reduced to a stony scarp 3m wide and 1m high, probably encroached upon by the Powder Mills Leat; and across the eastern slopes or scarp 4m wide 1.5m high containing large stones and boulders.
The only evidence of a possible entrance is in the N wall of the western part where a 5m break (a) is accompanied by a slight outcrop in the wall to the W.
At SX 63907960 is a crude platform (b) about 7m N-S by 6.5m edged by a few intermittent stones mainly around the inner face of the W uphill side and slightly built up on the lower side. This is probably a hut platform. Some 4m downhill from it is a stony scarp 3.2m wide and 1.1m high st bast, which extends from the enclosure wall N for about 45m before merging into the natural slope. A similar, though shorter and less well defined, stony scarp, 1.5m wide and 1m high, parallels it 6m to the W of the hut.
No evidence of other huts was found. A crude platform (c) about 4.5m diameter, at the possible entrance in the N wall may have been interpreted as a hut by Prowse (1891).
At SX 63858013 are the ill-defined remains of a rectangular structure (d) 4.5m NW-SE by 3.2m internally, with a turf covered stony wall spread to about 1.2m wide and 0.2m high. No entrance can be seen. Its NW wall forms part of the perimeter of a similarly constructed enclosure (e), measuring 20m N-S by 11.5m. It is subtended upon the inner face of the main enclosure the wall of which seems to have been broached to afford access. The rectangular structure (d) appears to be a later, probable post medieval, addition which again may have been misinterpreted by Prowse.
From the NE corner of the main enclosure the wall (f) continues to the N for 100m where it joins one of the parallel reaves of the Stannon system (SX 68 SE 77) and another reave of which appears to have joined the southern end of the enclosure (g).

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 40, Map 27, Figure 27.3 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Lower Broadun D-shaped enclosure on the west side of the East Dart river and east of the Powder Mills leat. In 1891 the foundations of 9 hut were recognised within the enlcosure of which only two of 3.5 and 4.0 metres diameter can now be found, connected to the perimeter in the north-west corner. A pile of stones in the south-west corner may be the remains of another.

Cartographic Engineering, 2006, Dartmoor 2006 1:1250 Aerial Photography (digital) (Aerial Photograph). SDV345590.

Enclosure visible on aerial photograph.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1021336 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

(03/09/2004) Prehistoric enclosure of 150 metres by 120 metres with banks up to 3 metres wide, and up to 0.5 metres high, containing at least three stone hut circles, and forming the western edge of the coaxial fields. It lies just below the Powder Mills leat south-east of Broadun Ring. Its walls run right down to the River Dart.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Unknown, SX68SW28 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV224084.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8648 - Middle Merripit Farm, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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