MMO2374 - Possible late prehistoric hut circle enclosure on Lanacombe (Monument)

A possible hut circle and enclosure are visible as a very slight earthwork. Its location on a spur overlooking Hoccombe water and in an area of dense Bronze Age activity suggests it may be the remains of a prehistoric enclosed settlement.

A possible hut circle and enclosure are visible as a very slight earthwork on Lanacombe, south of Hoccombe Water, Exmoor. Centred at SS 7829 4293 the feature consists of an oval bank measuring 1.5 metres wide and enclosing an area measuring 35 metres across. There are indications of a break in the bank on the western side, possibly the remains of an entranceway. Within this oval enclosure, on its southwest edge, a circular bank measuring 0.8 metres wide and enclosing an area of approximately 5 metres in diameter can be seen. There is a break in this circular bank on the northeastern side which may represent an entrance. The feature strongly resembles the hut circle enclosures visible on South Common but is poorly preserved and invisible on photographs taken after 1952. Its location on a spur overlooking Hoccombe water and in an area of dense Bronze Age activity suggests it may be the remains of a prehistoric enclosed settlement, possibly dating to the Bronze Age or Iron Age. [1,2] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [3]