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Summary

Three or four adjoining enclosures to the south-west of Cosdon Hill with seven associated hut circles

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010790: Agglomerate enclosure and ten stone hut circles 500m west of Cawsand Beacon

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX69SW13
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 444164
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX69SW/46
• Old SAM Ref: 24140

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/138, 5440 (Aerial Photograph). SDV238391.

Photograph taken on 11th April 1946.

Royal Air Force, 1947 - 1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2491, 4363-4 (Aerial Photograph). SDV346365.

Visible.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX69SW13, SX69SW13 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV271240.

Visited on 8th August 1950. A series of compound enclosures and hut circles of the usual Dartmoor type situated amongst the clitter on the western slope of Cawsand or Cosdon Hill. Enclosure 'X' consists of 4 "closes" walling in poor condition and difficult to trace composed of large fallen stones. Hut circle 'a' very vague approximately diameter 5.5 metres. Built onto enclosure wall. Walling of small stones approximately 0.1 metres high, no obvious entrance. Hut Circle 'b' similar to 'a'. Approximate eter 7.0 metres. Hut Circle 'c' remains very vague approximate diameter 4.5 metres. Outside enclosure Hut Circle 'd' diameter 4.5 metres wall of turf and heather-covered stones of height 0.3 metres. Probable entrance to south-west. Hut Circle 'e' diameter 4.5 metres. Wall of large turf-covered stones average height 0.4 metres. Entrance to south-south-west. Both Hut Circles 'd' and 'e' outside Enclosure 'X'.

Ordnance Survey, 1963-1996, 1963-1996 National Grid OS Metric (Cartographic). SDV350058.

(SX 63089149) Enclosed Hut Groups (NR) (Two enclosures and twenty-one hut-circles shown).

National Monuments Record, 1977, SX6391 (Aerial Photograph). SDV220986.

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

Two agglomerated and partitioned enclosures are visible, the northernmost being of four elements with six hut circles, five attached. The southern enclosure has three or four elements and nine hut circles, five of which are certainly attached to walls. In addition there are four unenclosed hut circles at SX 6300 9152 (one), SX 6307 9151 (one) and SX 6301 9144 (two).

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133313 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(17/01/1994) Agglomerate enclosure containing 10 hut circles. Enclosure includes three separate enclosed areas. The two smallest enclosures are earlier than the larger one which links them all together. The southern enclosure is irregular in shape and includes a 1.6m wide and 0.5m high rubble bank surrounding an area measuring 40m north-east by south-west and 32m north-west by south-east. A hut circle (subsheet 5) linked to this boundary bank is probably earlier than the enclosure and another (subsheet 6) attached to the outer face of the boundary is later than the enclosure. The ne enclosure is oval in shape, defined by a rubble wall and has interior dimensions of 54m east-west by 38m north-south. These two enclosures are linked together by a third, larger and later enclosure which measures 94m north-east by south-west and 67m north-west by south-east and is defined by a rubble bank which is lynchetted in places.
Hut circle (subsheet 1) attached to the inner face of this enclosure must be one of the most recent components of this settlement. A gap in the w wall of the large enclosure is probably an original entrance.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 201-3, Map 40, Figure 40.4 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Northern of the two 'Cosdon Hill West enclosures' with three adjoining enclosures and six hut circles of 2.5 metres to 5.0 metres diameter all located on a boundary.

Environment Agency WMS, 2022, Environment Agency LIDAR Composite DSM 2022 - 1m Last return (Cartographic). SDV365448.

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

Northern of two 'Settlements' shown on modern mapping to the west od Cosdon Hill.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1010790 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

This monument includes ten stone hut circles and an agglomerate enclosure lying on a north west facing slope of Cawsand Hill (also known as Cosdon Hill) overlooking the valley of the River Taw. The monument forms part of a discrete group of settlements lying on the lower slopes of Cawsand and White Hill. The agglomerate enclosure includes at least three separate enclosed areas. The two smaller enclosures are earlier than the larger one which links them all together. The southern enclosure is irregular in shape and includes a 1.6 metres wide and 0.5 metres high rubble bank surrounding an area measuring 40 metres north east to south west by 32 metres north west to south east. A stone hut circle linked to this boundary bank is probably earlier than the enclosure and another attached to the outer face of the boundary is later than the enclosure. The north eastern enclosure is oval in shape, is defined by a rubble wall and has interior dimensions of 54 metres east to west by 38 metres north to south. These two enclosures are linked together by a third, larger and later enclosure which measures 94 metres north east to south west by 67 metres north west to south east and is defined by a rubble bank which is lynchetted in places. A gap in the western wall of the large enclosure is probably an original entrance. Seven stone hut circles survive within the agglomerate enclosure and a further three lie a short distance to the south west. These huts are composed of stone and earth banks surrounding internal areas. Eight of the huts are circular in shape and the internal diameters of these buildings vary from 3 metres to 5.2 metres. Two of the huts are oval in shape and the internal dimensions of these are 5.5 metres long by 6 metres wide and 4 metres long by 5 metres wide. The heights of all the surrounding walls vary from 0.4 metres to 0.8 metres. The interiors of the huts vary in area from 7.06 to 33 square metres. Three of the huts have visible doorways, four huts are linked to the enclosure boundary walls and three are attached to the enclosure.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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