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Summary

A large Bronze Age enclosed hut circle settlement and irregular aggregate field system with an associated length of contour reave and a round cairn. Also present are two post-Medieval tinner's caches. The hut circles are dispersed throughout the aggregate field system, which is now overlain by a post-Medieval field system associated with Roundy Farm. Located within a conifer plantation dating to the early 20th century, these huts were obscured in the earlier part of the century, but tree clearance took place in around 1980, revealing a well defined and fine example of an aggregated settlement. Around 42 associated huts.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1009084: Large stone hut circle settlement, an irregular aggregate field system, post-medieval farmstead and associated remains east of Raddick Lane

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE2
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440026
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/103
• Old SAM County Ref: 883
• Old SAM Ref: 22380
• Old SAM Ref: 22381

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

South West Heritage Trust, 1838-1848, Digitised Tithe Maps and Transcribed Apportionments (Cartographic). SDV359954.

Tithe Apportionment numbers 987, 989, 996, 997, 999.

Burnard, R., 1891, Dartmoor Pictorial Records, 68 (Article in Serial). SDV222204.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2149, 4440 (Aerial Photograph). SDV282746.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950-1958, SX57SE2 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV277294.

(09/06/1950) No sign of these huts could be found, area under afforestation.
(02/04/1958) These hut circles still exist and have been resurveyed onto the field document.

Worth, R. H., 1967, Worth's Dartmoor (Monograph). SDV337618.

A "fair sprinkling" of hut circles and fields recognisable as prehistoric pounds at Roundy Farm.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX57SE2 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV240141.

(19/08/1977) In the eastern part of Burrator Forest between Raddick Lane and Roundy Farm are 34 hut circles and several associated pounds. The huts are clustered in three or four main groups with two islolated huts near Raddick Lane. Some huts are almost completely bliterated and no more than a vague bank and circle of stones, while others are well preserved, perhaps indicating different periods of occupation in this relatively small area.
One hut, at SX 57767019, has obviously been rebuilt its walls standing to a height of 1.5m. The average diameter of the huts is 4.25m, the largest being 7.0m and the smallest 2.5m. The walls vary in thickness from 1.6m to 0.7m. Eight huts can be positively identified as Type 2 and nine as Type 1, the rest being too ruinous for their type to be determined. Ten have definite entrances, none on the south, one on the south west. Modern enclosure walls intrude upon the old pounds, the walls of which are mainly low and ruinous but for the most part clearly traceable. There has been no clearance except in the extreme north east, where there are some modern clearance heaps. Surveyed at 1:10000 on PFD.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1979, South West Water Authority Burrator Survey, no.15 (Report - non-specific). SDV278356.

An important group of approximately 35 prehistoric hut circles and enclosures, many of which are incorporated in 'modern' fields. Additional walls on the moor to the east. Land is in possession of South West Water Authority, and clearance of vegetation is due to be undertaken in around 1980.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 143 (Monograph). SDV249702.

Additional bibliography.

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

A complex of several agglomerate-type enclosures visible on 1947 aerial photograph, comprising upwards of twenty main elements and with thirteen visible hut circles, six of them attached to walls.

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

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, Map 46 (Monograph). SDV137656.

This major settlement lies almost entirely in the Roundy Farm newtakes. The later field walls were based on the Prehistoric boundaries which survive as substantial banks. Despite some stone clearance a considerable part of the settlement survives intact, forty-three huts in total dispersed within at least twelve enclosures. Afforestation of the area in the 1920s caused much damage; the trees within the huts have now been felled. Every enclosure contains between one and seven huts (2m - 8m) many have been paired or linked together, with up to three smaller buildings for each of the larger ones. The smallest enclosure at the north-east edge has a similar arrangement of radiating walls as Round Pound at Kes Tor.

Newman, P., 1994, Tinners and Tenants on South-West Dartmoor: a case study in landscape history, 218 (Article in Serial). SDV340414.

Environment Agency WMS, 1998-2016, LiDAR DSM data JPEG image (1m resolution) (Cartographic). SDV360209.

Newman, P., 2006, Cramber Tor Training Area Archaeological Field Investigation (Report - Survey). SDV233640.

(01/08/2006) Only a fragment of the site is within the training area.

Fletcher, M. J., 2007, Field investigators comments (Report - Survey). SDV277286.

(07/08/2007) This well defined and fine example of an aggregated settlement comprises at least two types of hut circles. The huts on the summit area has fairly substantial boulder stone walls often with well defined entrances linked to stone enclosure walls. The huts on the lower slope attached to the stone enclosure walls are smaller and are not so well constructed. The associated field system has been gradually developed and extended. The settlement is situated on an exposed hillside now covered by a mature plantation of coniferous trees. It is in a good state of preservation. Stones from plot clearances have been added to some of the walls and there is evidence of limited disturbance. The two tinners caches are not clearly visible. A potwater leat that supplied Roundy farmstead cuts through the settlement. Surveyed at 1:2500 scale.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project

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