More information : (SX 558635) Enclosure & Hut Circles (NR). (Three hut circles shown). Pound (NAT). (1)
A pound, said by Worth to have an unfinished trough, cut by stone masons in one of its granite walls (2) with hut circles (4). (2-4)
A large oval enclosure 53m from north-west to south-east and 43m from south-west to north-east on the north-facing slope with the interior characteristically cleared of all clitter save for large earth-fast boulders. There is no obvious entrance although some possible gaps may have been partially obscured by sheep-tracks. The wall construction is narrow, about 1.00m wide, consisting of monoliths and roughly coursed dry-walling. A characeristic feature is the occurence of slender upright monoliths in the wall which sometimes occur in pairs. Their purpose is obscure as no useful structural function can have been served other than that of marker stones. Similar monoliths occur in the wall of enclosure 15, (SX56SE42). A square trough in a rough block is let into the wall on its south side. On the north side of the enclosure is a hut 6.50m in diameter. The enclosure wall curves in towards the hut with which it forms a single entity. The hut is
well-preserved with a single entrance facing south-west and with the majority of the inner wall liners still standing.
An incomplete enclosure NW of the main enclosure. It comprises a ruinous arc of walling associated with three hut circles. The chord of this arc is 35.00m long from north-east to south-west and this probably represents the diameter of the original enclosure from which stone was removed to construct the complete and well-preserved main enclosure. The north-east hut is well preserved with an entrance facing south that is defined by two door jambs. The liners are
preserved around the inner wall face and its floor is strewn with small blocks. The hut has an internal diameter of 750m and was excavated by the Plymouth City Museum Archaeology Group under the direction of J Barber (b). Post holes were found beneath the hut wall representing either an earlier hut or timber-lacing for the wall. An arc of post-holes indicated a wind-break outside the hut entrance. The excavation produced charcoal, flint flakes and a scraper and pebbles.
The westernmost hut is 5.50m in diameter and is also attached to the enclosure wall with a south facing entrance. It is overgrown with bracken and the structral details are not clear. The south-western hut is 6.00m in internal diameter and is also attached to the enclosure
wall with a south-facing entrance. The liners of the inner wall face are fairly well preserved. (5)
The homestead enclosure is centred at SX 55956348 and is as described
by (4).
The single hut is of Type 1 (SX 56 SE 19)
The trough in the S wall of the enclosure appears to have been cut 'in situ'.
(See ground photograph).
Of the three huts, the eastern excavated example is of Type 2 (SX 56 NE 71) with walling 1.6m. wide and 0.6m. high.
The others are probably of Type 1, with rubble walls incorporating inner facing slabs, 1.4m. wide and 0.6m. high, but heavily overgrown.
Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. (See plan). (6)
Depicted by Butler (1994, Map 48). (7)
Centred SX55956349. An impressive and well preserved enclosure which incorporates one hut circle is located on a slight boulder-covered slope on the north-facing hillside of Saddlesborough at 268m above OD. To the north-west an `annex' comprises three hut circles each linked by a curvilinear boulder/stone wall. The enclosure has a double-faced wall with a boulder/stone core which on the downhill side is spread to 2.6m wide and is on average 0.6m high. There is a slight ditch on the external side of the wall on the uphill side which may be a drainage channel. Gaps in the walling on the south-east side each about 0.6m wide may be modern mutilations.
The position of the entrance is not clear but there are a number of narrow gaps in the wall noteably in the north-east quadrant. The hut circle at SX55966350 has clearly been utilised by the enclosure wall. It measures 9.0m in overall diameter and the boulder and stone faced walling is 1.2m wide and 0.5m high. The position of the entrance is not clear. The three hut circles to the north-west lie on a slight north-facing slope.
SX55936352. This hut measures 11.0m in diameter with a level interior 7.4m across. The walling comprises a boulder/stone core with internal and external facing slabs on average 0.6m high. The entrance marked by two orthostats is in the south-west quadrant.
SX55916351. This hut measures 8.2m in diameter with a level interior some 6.0m (north-south) by 5.3m. The wall comprises a ring of inner facing slabs, on average 0.5m high with an outer facing of low earthfast boulders retaining a stone/boulder core. It has been disturbed and the entrance was located either in the north-east or south-west.
SX55916353. This hut measures 8.1m (north-south) by 7.7m with a level interior 4.7m in diameter. The walling comprising a boulder/stone core with inner and outer facing slabs is 0.5m high. The entrance is probably on the north side. They are linked by a boulder/stone wall 0.5m high. There is much evidence of surface stone quarrying in the form of stone pits and both wedge and drill split rocks. At SX55956349, within the enclosure, is a clearance cairn, comprising a pile of boulders and stone, 1.5m across and 0.3m high. (8) |