Hut Circles

jacksprat Nov 13, 2006 15:07:22

Bonjour all - just a quick one. I've started buying old O/S maps and other old maps of the UK, I bought one of N. Oxon and there's loads of old sites on there that don't show up now - holy wells, hillforts and such.

I also bought an old one of Dartmoor, as that's my next desitination hopefully. It's dated 1927 and cost 1shilling & sixpence! There are loads of Hutcircles marked. I didn't know what a hutcircle was until I researched today - is there any liklihood of any of these hutcircles remaining today? Is it worth me scouting for them or are they likely to have been farmed out of existence?

StoneLifter Nov 13, 2006 15:26:26

Replying to jacksprat

Pryor says 'don't call them huts' - yet that's what they're called. A dry-stone circular wall supported the eaves of a native home. Over the sticks was a thatch of heather, rushes, long grass or, perhaps, a more sturdy roof of turf. Only the stones are left now - much disturbed - and these are the hutcircles - aboriginal housing estates in the hills. There's reconstructed ones, on tourist routes, as well.

Rhiannon Nov 13, 2006 16:04:16

Replying to jacksprat

Well I know there are some at Merrivale as I saw one with my own eyes, and it was lovely and obvious (the stones were sort of trip-over-able height). I guess the further they are away from people who want to build walls and houses, the more likely they'll have survived (being made of small conveniently pick-up-able stones and that).

ryaner Nov 13, 2006 16:13:50

Replying to jacksprat

Check this out: http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/25308

I was on the opposite side of the ravine yesterday and could look down on the whole settlement.

Maybe it's not a good example as there may not be such 'well preserved' sites in England.

morfe Nov 13, 2006 16:25:41

Replying to jacksprat

"Is it worth me scouting for them or are they likely to have been farmed out of existence?"

I've seen many hut circles on Dartmoor. Most of higher land is just grazed, so much remains of the old field systems and hamlets.

It is one of the most humbling and mind-bending experiences to stand in the doorway of some Bronze Age dude's gaff.

Grimspound sticks in my memory as being a particularly fine example.

http://www.prehistoric.org.uk/devon/grimspound.html

Kammer Nov 13, 2006 16:30:34

Replying to jacksprat

Hut circles vary greatly. Don't be fooled by Stonelifter's promise of masonry. Lots of them look earthen:

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/32730

That's not to say that the stonework isn't buried underneath.

Also, there's a fine line between hut circles and hut platforms. The latter is where a shelf has been cut into a hillside on which to build a hut (often visible within the fortifications of hillforts).

K x

jacksprat Nov 13, 2006 18:09:20

Replying to jacksprat

Many thanks - I'll have a poke around when I get down there. It piqued my interest because I'd never seen hut circles marked before and there was dozens highlghted all over Dartmoor. It's a fascinating map - no A roads or motorways, loads of camps wells and circles that aren't marked anymore, Plymouth looked tiny compared to what's on the O/S today. Sad really.

dartmoorlander Nov 14, 2006 07:01:53

Replying to jacksprat

There are approximately 5,000 know examples of hut circles on Dartmoor. which range from barely visible walls to easily identifiable structures. The best examples, some of which are late nineteenth century restorations, are at Grimspound - see:

http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/round_house.htm

http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/grim_pound.htm

fitzcoraldo Nov 14, 2006 12:58:28

Replying to jacksprat

Not sure if this relates to Dartmoor but one thing to be aware of when look at hut circles in upland areas is the presence of sheilings. These were temporary huts that were used by the herders when taking the animals up to the higher pastures. They are not uncommon in some upland areas and could be mistaken for prehistoric structures.