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Summary

Prehistoric hut circle settlement on the south-west flank of Hingston Hill. Ten hut circles were recorded in the 1950s by the Ordnance Survey, later surveys recorded 13 (1979) and then 14 huts (2000). 2008 survey of the settlement which may have once been enclosed, showed it has been heavily disfigured by extensive tinworking earthworks. A number of the huts are well defined but others have been damaged or disturbed by the tin pits.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1009088: An enclosed stone hut circle settlement and later tin working earthworks, 540m south east of Down Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE15
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438541
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 884
• Old SAM Ref: 24080
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX56NE15

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

'Hut Circles' within an oval enclosure shown on 19th century map. The outlines of ten hut circles are shown.

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

Ten 'Hut Circles' shown within an enclosure on early 20th century map.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 4352-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Photograph taken on 10th December 1946.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX56NE15, SX56NE15 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV229707.

(Visited 17/11/1950) SX5639 685(?) Bronze age hut circles A-K recorded by Ordnance Survey. Correct as shown on historic mapping. Individual descriptions given, but no grid references, so it's not clear which huts are refered to.

Ordnance Survey, 1975, OS/75/369, 147-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV254607.

(28/09/1975) Some hut circles visible. The present field boundaries suggest that this was an enclosed hut group.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX56NE15 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV250101.

(28/03/1979) Within an enclosure centred at SX 58406900, on a south-west facing slope at approximately 340.0m OD are thirteen hut circles.
Their condition varies from very good to poor and most appear to be of double-walled Type 2 (type site SX 56 NE 71), though one or two of the smaller huts may have been of Type 1 (type site SX 56 SE 19). Their average internal diameter is 5.2m, the largest being 7.5m and the smallest 3.7m; the average height of their walls is 0.3m and the average thickness is 1.0m. Five of the huts have definite entrances, four on the south and one on the south-east; four others have possible entrances on the south. The wall of one of the huts has been partly rebuilt to a height of 1.2m. The most south-westerly hut of the group has been partly destroyed by digging or quarrying, and there would seem to have been several more huts within the enclosure now completely robbed of their stones. The enclosure wall itself is relatively modern but the manner in which it encompasses the huts suggests it is probably built on top of prehistoric walling. There is no evidence of clearance within the enclosure. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

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

Four hut circles visible on an aerial photograph within field. Two of which are connected by a piece of detached walling.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133220 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Visited 04/11/1993. Enclosed stone hut circle settlement 540 metres south-east of Down Tor.
Sketch plan included, see notes field.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 66, Map 47, Figure 47.3 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Hingston Hill Prehistoric settlement on the south-west flank of the hill. The wall surrounding an oval field closely follows the boundary of an ancient pound visible as a bank beneath it. It remains uncleared and fourteen hut circles ranging in size from 2.5 to 7.1 metres diameter are scattered across the interior. A number have been badly damaged by a line of tinners' pits across the upper part of the enclosure and deeper excavation and a leat lower down. There were probably at least three more enclosures downhill with their outline preserved in the shape of the present fields.

Whitbourn, A., 2001, An Archaeological Investigation into features comprising, and associated with, Ditsworthy Warren, 61, Appendix 1 (Report - Assessment). SDV360381.

Bronze Age settlement on Down Tor.

Fletcher, M. J., 2007-2008, Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project (Report - Survey). SDV359195.

(06/01/2008) This settlement has been heavily disfigured by extensive tinworking earthworks. A number of the huts are well defined but others have been damaged or disturbed by the tin pits.

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

Outline of enclosure clearly visible on aerial photograph.

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

Enclosing wall visible on aerial photograph.

Ordnance Survey, 2018, MasterMap 2018 (Cartographic). SDV360652.

'Settlement' shown on modern mapping as an oval enclosure containing 13 hut circles

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England, 1009088 (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

This monument includes an enclosure containing 14 stone hut circles, a number of tinworking earthworks and a length of leat situated on a south west facing slope between Down Tor and Combshead Tor overlooking the valley of the Narrator Brook. The enclosure boundary survives as a 2 metre wide rubble bank standing up to 0.8 metres high, surrounding an oval area measuring 122 metres north-east to south-west by 94 metres north-west to south=east. A post-medieval drystone wall measuring 0.7 metres wide and 1.4 metres high sits on top of the enclosure boundary around its entire circuit. The stone hut circles are composed of stone and earth banks each surrounding an internal area. All of the huts are circular in plan, and their internal diameters vary between 3 metres and 7 metres, with the average being 4.89 metres. The height of the surrounding walls varies between 0.4 metres and 1.5 metres, with the average being 0.81 metres. One hut includes two rooms, three huts are linked to each other by a low rubble bank and one possesses a visible doorway. The interior of the enclosure has seen two different types of tin mining during the historic period.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, WLK-DT23 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 07/2019 The whole farmstead is covered with bracken with the exception of the north east corner which is grass covered. There are a few hawthorn trees dotted about the site

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 24/05/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

An enclosure containing 14 stone hut circles, a number of tinworking earthworks and a length of leat, situated 540 metres south-east of Down Tor. The enclosure boundary survives as a 2 metre wide rubble bank, standing up to 0.8 metres high and surrounding an oval area measuring 122 metres by 94 metres. A post medieval drystone wall 0.7 metres wide and 1.4 metres high, runs on top of the original boundary. The hut circles are composed of stone and earthen banks with internal diameters varying between 3 and 7 metres, the average being 4.89 metres. The height of the surrounding walls varies between 0.4 and 1.5 metres, with an average of 0.81 metre. One hut has 2 rooms, three are linked by a low rubble bank and one possesses a visible doorway.
South of the enclosure lies an area containing a large number of small, irregularly-shaped fields. The boundaries of these survive largely as post medieval drystone walls, though they are believed to be fossilising an earlier field system, which is probably contemporary with the enclosure (citing English Heritage Scheduled Monument Review, 06/10/2000).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6034 - Monument Condition Survey in Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV6152 - Follow-up Works to Threatened Sites in the Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV6153 - Monument Baseline Condition Survey in the Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV7382 - Condition Survey of the Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project
• EDV8711 - Condition Survey of the Cramber Tor Training Area

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