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Summary

A settlement of at least 21 huts with associated enclosure lies against the northern side of the Great Western reave on a north-west facing hillslope north-west of Roos Tor

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1007865: Unenclosed stone hut circle settlement, associated fields and a length of the Great Western Reave 500m south of Wedlake Farm

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57NW19
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439777
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NW/57
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NW/57/24
• Old SAM Ref: 20389
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX57NW19

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSURE (Constructed, Early Bronze Age to Post Medieval - 2200 BC (Between) to 1750 AD (Between))
• HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1980, SX57NW19 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV226175.

(17/07/1950) Enclosure with 11 hut circles; A - J. Enclosure is small and near circular in poor condition, with internal diameter 14.0m. Hut A: No entrance. B: Remains only. C: Double wall type, no entrance visible. D: Remains of three hut circles; E and F. Remains only. G: No entrance visible. H: No entrance visible. I: Small hut circle, probable entrance to south-west. K: No entrance visible. Internal diameters average 5.0m except for hut 'A' which has 10.0m diameter.
(18/11/1980) SX 53957695. Enclosure & Hut Circles (NR) (Ten hut circles shown on Ordnance Survey mapping, 1907).
On the lower north-west slope of Roos Tor around 386 m. OD are the remains of a linked settlement. The huts are in varying condition with some apparently stripped out to build others. The linking walls are in part overlaid by a reave (SX 57 NW 30) but others seem to join on to it, (see plan).
The twenty-one huts are mainly of Type 2 (SX 56 NE 71) with level interiors, and diameters varying from 2.4m. to 8.0m. The walling averages 1.2m. wide and 0.5m. high. The entrances are mostly facing into the yards formed by the linking walling.
The linking walls are of rubble construction with some double-faced orthostatic walling averaging 1.5m. wide and 0.6m. high. The walling becomes indistinct in the area of clitter within the settlement and many isolated fragments occur.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 and at 1:2500 for AO records.

Ralegh Radford, C. A., 1952 /1953, Prehistoric Settlements on Dartmoor and the Cornish Moors, 74 (Article in Serial). SDV337080.

Mention of the "isolated" large hut believed to be later in date.

Royal Air Force, 1964, RAF 58/6399, 0043-0044 (Aerial Photograph). SDV225229.

National Monument Record, 1977, SX5376, 4/256-258 (Aerial Photograph). SDV271138.

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

Agglomerated enclosure attached to east side of reave sx57nw/19. At least five elements, possibly more. Five hut circles attached to interior walls of the various elements. One hut circle freestanding within largest element. Two hut circles freestanding to north-east of enclosure at SX 53917702 and SX 53937701. Two hut circles attached to each other to the east of the enclosure at sSX 54027698.

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

(02/12/1987) Centred SX 5394 7699. A settlement of at least 21 huts with associated enclosure lies against the northern side of the Great Western reave on a north-west facing hillslope. The geology is course granite with abundant feldspar megacrysts and the hillside is covered with fairly dense spreads of clitter.
The overall layout of the settlement is by no means clear as in some places short lengths of rather fragmentary walling merge with bands of sub-surface clitter which protrude through the moorland turf and therefore tend to confuse interpretation. At least four small enclosures each with a number of linked huts are apparently attached to the reave; beyond this layout however the pattern becomes rather speculative. The surviving walling is evident either as rather crude lines of boulders and stones about 1.1m wide and 0.5m high or as stony scarps about 0.5m high with incorporated boulders. The walling on the upper side of the settlement is of double-faced boulder construction with stone infill.
The postulated extension (see Ordnance Survey, 1950) beyond the reave at SX 53907696 could be a natural feature. It lies in an 0.7m deep erosion gully which runs parallel to the reave and it may simply be a fortuitous arrangement of large boulders.
There is widespread evidence of stone pits and stone splitting sites throughout the settlement area and this may account for some of the damage to the walling. The huts are described on related records. They cannot be related to the descriptions given by the Ordnance Survey investigator in 1950 due to the absence of a lettered plan.
The huts are described as follows: (their entrances are noted only when they are clearly evident).
(The huts cannot be related to the descriptions given by the OS investigator in 1950 due to the absence of a lettered plan).
1) SX 5396 7691: 3m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.3m. The front has been built up and the wall, of a small boulder and stone construction is 0.9m wide and 0.4m high. It has been built against the reave.
2) SX 5396 7693: 3.3m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.4m. The front has been built up and the wall of boulder and stone construction with three in situ large upright slabs is on average 1.0m wide and 0.3m high. The entrance is in the NE side. It is linked to the reave and also to hut '3' by an angular wall of small boulder and stone construction.
3) SX 5398 7693: 3.3m internal diameter and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.3m. It lies at the angle of a wall of double-faced boulder construction which is 1.2m wide and up to 0.5m high.
4) SX 5400 7694: A possible hut stance now evident as a level area approximately 3.0m across and bounded by a low and very ragged line of boulders and stones. To the NE there is a turf-covered linear stony line approximately 1.3m wide and 0.3m high but this may prove to be a partially exposed clitter line and must be regarded as a doubtful wall.
5) SX 5402 7698: 4.0m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.5m the front has been built up and the wall of boulder and stone construction is spread to 1.7m wide and it is 0.3m high. It shares a similar position, isolated from the settlement, to that of feature No4 and it too has a narrow linear band of stones, also possibly of natural origin, on its NE side.
6) SX 5398 7698: 3.0m in internal diameter with a wall of boulder and stone construction 0.7m wide and 0.2m high. It partially overlies an 0.7m high stony lynchet bank which is part of an enclosure.
7) SX 5398 7697: 3.0m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.3m. Built up on the front side the wall of small boulder and stone construction is 1.2m wide and on average 0.4m high. It partially overlies a stony scarp.
8) SX 5397 7696: 4.9m by 4.2m internally and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.4m. The front has been built up and the wall of double-faced boulder construction is 1.2m wide and 0.5m high. It lies at the junction of five enclosure walls and there is a small semi-circular annex attached to the E side.
9) SX 5396 7695: 3.0m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.3m. The front has been built up and the rather ragged wall of small boulder and stone construction is 1.1m wide and 0.4m high. There is an entrance gap on the SW side. It is linked to an 0.5m high enclosure wall of boulder and stone construction.
10) SX 5394 7695: 4.0m by 3.3m internally and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.3m. The front has been built up and the wall of small boulder and stone construction with some in-situ facing boulders is 1.0m wide and 0.3m high.
11) SX 5396 7701: The largest and best preserved hut circle in this group. It is 6.3m in internal diameter and is levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.6m. The front scarp is 0.4m high and the wall of boulder and stone construction with some inner and outer facing slabs is 2.1m wide and up to 0.6m high. Notably part of the wall on the downhill side is coursed with moorland slabs and the entrance is in the north side. Two enclosure walls are linked to the south side. This could, as Ralegh-Radford has suggested, be a round hut of later origin.
12) SX 5394 7702: A possible hut site evident as a level stance approximately 2.0m in diameter and enclosed by a rather crude turf-covered boulder and stone line.
13) SX 5391 7698: 4.0m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.4m. The front scarp is 0.3m high and the wall of small boulder and stone construction is 0.9m wide and 0.4m high. A small square formed by 0.5m high upright slabs may mark the position of the entrance on the W side.
14) SX 5389 7698: 3.1m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.2m. The front has been built up and the wall constructed primarily of large boulders is 1.2m wide and 0.4m high. The disturbed interior is covered by a spread of stones. It is incorporated into the walling of an enclosure.
15) SX 5390 7698: A probable hut situated in the angle of two enclosure walls. It measures 2.0m by 1.7m internally and it has been levelled into the slope. Its wall of small boulder and stone construction is 0.6m wide and 0.3m high.
16) SX 5392 7702: 4.5m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope with an 0.5m high backscarp. The walling which has tumbled over the frontscarp is of small boulder and stone construction approximately 1.4m wide and 0.4m high. The entrance appears to have faced downhill.
17) SX 5388 7699 and 18) SX 5387 7699. Two contiguous hut circles built against the reave which at this point is a strong double faced wall of moorland boulders measuring 2.1m wide and about 0.5m high.
17) SX 5388 7699: 2.0m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.3m. The wall of small boulder and stone construction is 1.4m wide and 0.5m high. The entrance is in the NE side.
18) SX 5387 7699: 3.0m in internal diameter with a wall of small boulder and stone construction with inner facing boulders is approximately 1.2m wide and 0.5m high. It has what appears to be an 0.8m square niche cut into the side of the reave. The entrance is in the NE side.
19) SX 5387 7700: Approximately 2.3m in internal diameter with a wall of boulder and stone construction 0.7m wide and 0.3m high. It is built on the line of the enclosure wall.
20) SX 5388 7701: 4.2m by 3.2m internally and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.3m. The rather fragmentary wall of small boulder and stone construction is 1.0m wide and 0.3m high and is incorporated into the line of the enclosure wall.
21) SX 5387 7701: 4.2m by 3.7m internally and levelled into the slope to a depth of 0.3m. The front is built up and the rather ragged wall of small boulder and stone construction is spread to 1.7m wide and is 0.3m high; it appears to be built into the line of the reave. The entrance is probably on the N/E side.

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

(February 1992) Unenclosed settlement with 21 hut circles and a Medieval/post-Medieval structure. See related records.
Many of the huts forming the unenclosed settlements are linked by stone boundary walls. These form around 12 irregular fields/enclosures to which most of the huts are attached. In most cases the boundaries abut the huts. The irregular plan is probably the result of a cluster of huts being linked at a later date. Boundary walls in northern part of settlement survive as crude lines of boulders c 1.1m wide, 0.5m high, or as stony lunchets c 0.5m high with incorporated boulders. Boundaries in southern part include double-faced boulder walling with stone infill. May represent a complicated system of stock pens, though some fields may have been cultivated.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 86-87, Map 31, Figure 31.3 (Monograph). SDV219155.

South-western part of the extensive 'Roos Tor North -west' settlement with about 20 hut circles and several enclosures and sections of walling on the east side of the 'reave'.

Devon County Council, 1996, DAP/ABE, 12, 13 (Aerial Photograph). SDV225181.

Newman, P., 2003, The Langstone Moor Stone Circle, Peter Tavy, Devon and its Prehistoric Environs (Report - Survey). SDV255420.

(10/10/2003) Resurveyed at 1:2500 using GPS September 2003.

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

Remains of enclosures and field walls visible on aerial photograph. Map object based on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Remains of enclosures depicted on modern mapping. Map object based on this source.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1007865 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

This monument includes twenty-one stone hut circles, a short length of the Great Western Reave, one medieval or post-medieval shelter and at least twelve fields situated on a gentle north-west-facing slope overlooking the valley of the Colly Brook. Together these form a large part of the unenclosed stone hut circle settlement on the north-western slopes of Roos Tor. Nineteen of the stone hut circles are attached to boundary walls. Eighteen of the huts are circular in plan and the internal diameters of these huts vary from 2 etresm to 6.3 metres. Three huts are oval in plan and these measure between 4.9 metres and 2 metres long by 4.2 and 1.7 metres wide. The height of all the hut walls varies between 0.25 metres and 0.7 metres. Seven huts have visible doorways and two are attached to each other. The field system associated with the settlement includes around twelve irregular fields. In most cases the boundaries abut the huts, suggesting that the fields were added at some date after the settlement was established. The Great Western Reave has a total length of 10 kilometres and is the longest known Prehistoric land division boundary on Dartmoor. Within the area of the scheduling it runs downslope in a north-westerly direction and upslope to the south-east. It is composed of loose rubble, measures 3.5 metres wide and stands up to 0.8 metres high. The field boundaries associated with the settlement appear to abut the reave and are therefore more recent. All the stone hut circles lie to one side of the reave and this indicates that the reave was respected as a land division boundary during the life of this settlement.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7275 - Survey of the Langstone Moor stone circle and other prehistoric monuments nearby
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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