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Summary

Two adjoining enclosures containing four hut circles and two other contemporary structures on the western flank of Lee Moor some 300m west of Little Trowelsworthy Tor. The enclosures measure 24m north-south by 34m and 63m north-south by 46m. Both are bounded by substantial stony banks up to 2.5m wide and 0.9m high.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019084: Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement and post-medieval warren structures on the western slope of Little and Great Trowlesworthy Tors
• SHINE: Earthworks and stone walls of partially enclosed Bronze Age hut circle settlements and post-medieval warren structures on the western slope of Little and Great Trowlesworthy Tors

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE12
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439139
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/85
• Old SAM County Ref: 280
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24233
• Old SAM Ref: 10812

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Whitley, N., 1855, Plan of Prehistoric Enclosure at Trowlesworthy Warren (Plan - sketch). SDV175112.

Enclosure appears to be shown on Whiteley's 19th century plan.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Two adjoining enclosures containing hut circles shown on 19th century map.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Enclosures (Remains of)' shown on early 20th century map woth eight hut circles.

Curwen, E. C., 1927, Prehistoric Agriculture in Britain, 282-6 (Article in Serial). SDV173835.

Ordnance Survey, 1975, OS/75/369, 145-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV254607.

Pound wall 4 feet 8 inches wide, one hut circle beside entrance.

Price, D. G., 1977, Settlement at Trowlesworthy Warren, 44, Figure 1 (Article in Serial). SDV150433.

Group of thirteen hut circles. Three of them are large prominent ones each measuring 9 metres in diameter. The well formed turf walls are 2.3 metres wide and 1 metre high. Each hut circle has an entrance to the south-east. A compound type enclosure with four internal hut circles 5-10 metres in diameter, and six circles 8-11 metres in diameter outside the pound. Possibly some small circles incorporated in the wall, which contains massive boulders.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56SE12 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV238115.

(20/06/1977) At SX 57456454 there are two conjoined enclosures situated on a south-west slope at 320 metres O.D. Both contain huts but are in poor condition.
The northern enclosure 37 metres by 25 metres has a single type 2 hut with walling 0.7 metres high and 1.2 metres thick which is incorporated in the south west side of this enclosure. An entrance in the east side leads to the southern enclosure 45 metres by 65 metres and ovate in plan. Large boulders are incorporated in the walling which is up to 2 metres thick and 1 metre high. There are two entrance gaps on the south and the south-west. There are two internal huts and one built into the walling on the west side. All are of type 2, (Type site: SX 56 NE 71), from 4 metres to 6.5 metres internal diameter and up to 1 metre high. The interiors are levelled and the entrances face south-west. There is a small D-shaped structure attached to the outer face of the west side of the enclosure possibly a hut. It has a greatest internal diameter of 4 metres with type 2 walling 1 metre wide and 0.5 metres high and an entrance gap on the south. (Not depicted on 1:10 000 survey).
Both enclosures are fairly clear of stones but show no evidence of lynchets or plots. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on P.F.D.

Balaam, N. D. + Smith, K. + Wainwright, G. J., 1982, The Shaugh Moor Project: Fourth Report - Environment, Context and Conclusion, 242-4, figure 22 (Article in Serial). SDV145845.

House incorporated into wall of small enclosure has outward facing entrance. Later, larger enclosure, bank diverts to respect this external doorway.

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

Agglomerated enclosure of two elements visible, containing twelve hut circles, all of them attached to walls.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140728, MPP 140723 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 8th April 1995 At SX57436455 and SX57456452. Agglomerated enclosure forming part of a partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement. At least two distinct enclosed areas are visible. Enclosure (a) is the earliest and survives as a 34 metre by 33 metres oval area surrounded by a 1 metre wide and 0.8 metre high partly faced rubble wall. The enclosure wall incorporates an earlier stone hut circle in its circuit. Enclosure (b) is attached to enclosure (a), is irregular in shape, measures 60 metres by 50 metres and is defined by a 2 metre wide partly faced rubble wall standing up to 1 metre high. Two stone hut circles lie within the enclosure and 3 are incorporated into the later enclosure wall.
(MPP 140723, Visited 8/4/1995) Six hut circles lie between two enclosures. They survive as banks of earth and stone surrounding a circular area. All are of the simple plan type and four have visible doorways.
Hut A (SX 5739 6455). 6.0 metres in diameter, defined by a 1.5 metre wide double orthostat wall standing up to 0.7 metres high. This is site No.102 362 in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
Hut B (SX 5739 6458). 5.9 metres in diameter and surrounded by a 1.5 metre wide double orthostat wall standing up to 0.9 metres high. A south-west facing gap in the hut wall may represent a doorway. This is site No.102 364 in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
Hut C (SX 5738 6459). 6.0 metres in diameter, defined by a 1.4 metre wide double orthostat wall standing up to 0.8 metres high. A 1.2 metre wide and 0.2 metres high rubble bank leads south-west from the we side of this building. This is site No.102 365 in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
Hut D (SX 5742 6458). 6.2 metres in diameter, is defined by a 1.6 metres wide double orthostat and rubble bank wall standing up to 0.7 metres high. A west-south-west facing gap in the hut wall may represent a doorway. A large earthfast boulder forms part of the east wall of this building. This is site No.102 363 in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
Hut E (SX 5740 6453). 5.3 metres in diameter, is surrounded by a 1.6 metre wide double orthostat wall standing up to 0.8 metres high. A south-south-west facing gap in the hut wall flanked with stone slabs along its east side represents a doorway. This is site No.102 361 in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
Hut F (SX 5741 6451). 4.1 metres in diameter and is defined by a 1.6 metre wide double orthostat and coursed wall standing up to 0.8 metres high. A south-facing gap in the hut wall flanked with stone slabs on both sides represents a doorway. This is site No.102 360 in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 156, Map 51, Figure 51.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Enclosure B at Trowlesworthy Tors is a double enclosure containing a medium sized building of 6 metres diameter opening to the exterior. This building is on the southern boundary of the northern enclosure. In the southern enclosure is a large hut circle of 5.6 metres diameter with four small buildings of 2.5 -3.5 metres diameter to the south. Six more free standing huts of 4.3 - 6.5 metres diameter separate Enclosure B from Enclosue C to the west.

Robertson, J. G., 1994, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV139549.

Depicted and described by Robertson.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 102 358a & 359a (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Two adjoining enclosures. The northern enclosure is 34 metres by 22 metres with a wall 1 metre wide by 0.8 metres high with one hut circle and an associated structure. The southern enclosure is 60 metres by 50 metres with a wall 2 metres wide by 1 metre high and four associated hut circles.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

Centred SX 57456454. Two adjoining enclosures containing four hut circles and two other contemporary structures some 300 metres west of Little Trowelsworthy Tor. The enclosures measure 24 metres north to south by 34 metres and 63 metres north to south by 46 metres. Both are bounded by substantial stony banks up to 2.5 metres wide and 0.9 metres high. The northern enclosure contains a single hut at SX 57436456. It measures 5.1 metres in internal diameter with walls 1.2 metre wide and 0.6 metres high. An entrance lies in the south side. The southern enclosure contains 3 hut circles.

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

Two adjoining enclosures shown on survey.

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

Outline of enclosures visible on aerial photograph.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPTR-17 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(08/09/2020) Condition assessed as good, although bracken is encroaching over the site and some of the huts in particular are becoming obscured.

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

Images of site taken in September 2020.

Ordnance Survey, 2019, MasterMap 2019 (Cartographic). SDV362729.

Two enclosures shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2019, National Heritage List for England, 1019084 (National Heritage List for England). SDV362730.

Agglomerated enclosure with hut circles west of Little Trowelsworthy Tor. Consists of two unequal parts. The larger southern part includes four hut circles; the smaller northern part contains two hut circles. Enclosure measures 85 metres by 55 metres and is defined by a bank of earth and stone up to 3 metres wide by 1.5 metres high and including some very large boulders.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7369 - Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon
• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

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