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Summary

A well-preserved oval enclosure which has incorporated sections of the Tunhill outcrop within its circuit. It contains one large hut circle (MDV43228). Excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1896. Surveyed in May 2015.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1003286: Hut circle at Tunhill Rocks
• SHINE: Earthworks and walling remains of a Bronze Age coaxial field system around Pil Tor with remains of reaves, enclosures, hut circle settlements including Foales Arrishes, continuing south onto Blackslade Down

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX77NW35
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 445121
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77NW/22
• Old SAM County Ref: 353

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Griffith, F. M., 16/12/1988, DAP/JZ, 1-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV241570.

Baring Gould, S., 1897, Fourth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 148-150 plate 1,2 (Article in Serial). SDV337081.

Ralegh Radford, C. A., 1952 /1953, Prehistoric Settlements on Dartmoor and the Cornish Moors, 63-64,80-81 (Article in Serial). SDV337080.

Two hut circles visible with internal diameters 3.0 metres and 7.0 metres. The larger hut, when excavated, produced remains of one third of a pot.

Fox, A., 1958, Twenty-Fourth Report on the Archaeology and Early History of Devon, 216-218 (Article in Serial). SDV341823.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1960, SX77NW35 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV308345.

Hut Circle [O.E.] Single hut circle within a larger enclosure shown at SX 7319 7579.
(12/05/1960) Tunhill Rocks has a small pound on the SE side of the tor, the rocks of which are incorporated in the circuit. The remains are very much ruined and the southern side cut off by a wall of the modern enclosure. There is an entrance through the modern wall into the pound. There are two hut circles, one 10' and the other 23" in diameter. The larger hut, excavated in 1896, (TDA, 1897, Vol 29, pg 148-150) produced a beaker shaped vessel of coarse black ware.
Dated as Early Bronze Age (Ralegh Radford, 1952, pg 63-4, 80-1).
The Tunhill Rocks pot is debated by A. M Apsimon, making an analogy with Yes Tor and St. Eval pottery (probably of Middle Bronze Age date, 1250-1000 B.C.).He suggests that the Tunhill pot is of a slightly later sequence than the Yes Tor sherds. (A. Fox, 1958, PG 216-18).
An antiquity model survey at SX 73187579 has been made. There are now no discernible entrances to the huts, and the modern break in the southern corner of the pound still retains stones at ground level.
(09/06/1960) In Plymouth City Museum are two sherds of pottery from Tunhill Rocks.

National Monument Record, 1977, SX7375, 4 (Aerial Photograph). SDV308312.

Beeson, M. M. R. + Masterman, M. C. H., 1979, An Archaeological Survey of Enclosed Land in Widecombe-In-The-Moor Parish, Vol V, 1050 (Report - Survey). SDV337078.

Silvester, R. J., 1979, The Relationship of First Millennium Settlement to the Upland Areas of the South West, 180 (Article in Serial). SDV177352.

The south-west portion of the enclosure has been straightened to fit the later field walls. Condition fair, in deep bracken. Trevisker-style pottery remains found on site of prehistoric settlement at Tunhill Rocks, Widecombe.

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

A single hut circle is visible within a sub-circular enclosure on the south-east side of Tunhill Rocks. The enclosure is attached, in turn, to a sub-rectangular field or enclosure forming part of a parallel reave system on the south-east.

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

(08/09/1992) SX 72197579. A settlement at Tunhill Rocks, of probable BA origin forms a part of a prehistoric and later field system at 390m OD in moorland. It comprises a roughly `D' shaped enclosure set against two granite outcrops and contains one, possibly two, huts and three small crude stony mounds.
The enclosure lies at the terminus of linear reave and occupies one corner of a field which is skirted by a track. The diagnostic features which would indicate the relationships of these features to each other have been largely effaced on the surface either by well-used paths or damaged by animals.
The enclosure which measures 25.0m (N-S) by 20.0m appears to be formed from short lengths of walling than one wall of continuous build. This walling, partly double and partly single-faced with boulder and stone fill, is on average 1.5m wide and 0.5m high although much has tumbled. The western side may simply be an extension of the reave which approaches from the S although there is a notable change of direction at the junction with the SE side of the enclosure this suggests that it pre-dates the reave. The SE side, a well-defined curvilinear wall, is clearly off-set from the line of the E side which terminates against an outcropping rock. The N side links the two rock outcrops. The position of the entrance is no longer obvious. The conclusion which can be drawn from the evidence is that either the enclosure was built in sections or that it has been remodelled; the later sems the more likely explanation. Silvester suggests that the SE portion of the enclosure has been straightened to fit the later field walls and Butler observes that the rectangular field was added to the SE side of the enclosure.
Two structures survive within the enclosure and both were excavated by Ralegh Radford. The hut circle in the S part has an internal diameter of c.6.7m. It has walling which survives as double-faced in places being 0.5m high internally and 0.3m high externally. The position of the entrance identified in the S side by Radford is no longer obvious but there are now gaps in the NW and S sides.
The structure in the N part is now a horse-shoe shaped measuring approximately 2.9m by 2.2m with a boulder-stone wall c.0.3m high, open on the SW side. It is probably too small to be a hut but it could have served as a store.
Three stony mounds not previously noted, are almost certainly piles of excavation spoil. They measure 3.6m by 2.5m; 2.2m across and c.3.1m across respectively and each is about 0.4m high.
The field on the SE of the enclosure is similar in both shape and form to the fields at Foales Arrishes (SS 77 NW 34). It corners are angular but there are no identifiable walls extending from them. Butler observes that this field is built against the reave. A linear, angular earthen bank in the S part of this field may be associated with the ridge and furrow in the N part. This ridge and furrow which lies E-W is on average 2.3m wide and 0.2m to 0.3m high. A track which cuts through the reave to the S of the field may be of medieval origin. It possibly follows a course from the field in a NNE direction on a line indicated by a crude stony bank which is 0.6m wide and 0.4m high. A field to the S of this track which is also constructed against the reave has similar walling and contains similar ridge and furrow to that in the N field although the ridges lie N-S.
The site represents a use and reuse of the landscape at certain periods in both the prehistoric and medieval periods.

Fletcher, M. J., 1991, Blackslade Down features (Worksheet). SDV303118.

Generally well preserved. Walling on west side tumbled, but elsewhere well defined, 1.6 metre wide by 0.5 metres high. Well worn paths run through two gaps in the wall. Relationship with field system MDV43230 to the south-east is unclear.

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

Circular feature shown on aerial photograph. Map object based on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 2015, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV357601.

Enclosure and one hut circle depicted on the modern mapping.

English Heritage, 2015, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV357602.

A single hut in a roughly circular stone walled enclosure (Detail from Schedule, estimated 1950).

Newman, P., 2015, Rippon Tor Premier Archaeological Landscape, Dartmoor National Park, Devon, 17-18, 48, fig 14-16 (Report - Survey). SDV359145.

A well-preserved oval enclosure which has incorporated sections of the Tunhill outcrop within its circuit. It contains one large hut circle (MDV43228). Excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1896. Surveyed at 1:500 scale May 2015.
Condition is stable. Evidence of antiquarian intervention.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, RT57 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 15/08/2019. Although covered in bracken in most places, the enclosure banks are are in good visible condition and well defined - see the photo taken. Stable condition

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, RT57 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Visited 15/08/2019. Photo looking south west towards the north east. The enclosure bank showing a lovely stretch of double orthostat construction

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6836 - Rippon Tor Premier Archaeological Landscape survey
• EDV8580 - Excavation of huts east of Tunhill Rocks
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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