Grimspound
Grimspound Late Bronze Age Settlement
Late Bronze Age (1300–600 BCE)·Dartmoor Bronze Age (Trevisker)·🇬🇧 Devon, Dartmoor, United Kingdom
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About
About Grimspound
Late Bronze Age enclosed settlement (c. 1300–600 BCE) in a valley between Hamel Down and Hookney Tor, comprising a 150 m diameter stone wall enclosing 24 hut circles (2–5 m diameter) with paved floors, porches and central hearths. Excavated 1894 and revisited 2015–19 for Bayesian dating.
Why it mattersKey Dartmoor Bronze Age (Trevisker) site illustrating Late Bronze Age (1300–600 BCE) ancient-village traditions.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why valley floor not hilltop — microclimate choice
- 02Pound wall height reconstruction
Theories
- 01Winter settlement for transhumance
- 02Defensive stock enclosure
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1300 BCE enclosure, huts 1200–900 BCE
- Period
- Late Bronze Age (1300–600 BCE)
- Culture
- Dartmoor Bronze Age (Trevisker)
- Purpose
- Enclosed farming hamlet with pastoral economy
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 1300 BCE
Enclosure wall built
c. 1200–600 BCE
Hut circle occupation
1894
Dartmoor Exploration Committee excavation
2019
Dartmoor National Park conservation survey
On the ground
Structures & features
50.6133° N · 3.8374° W · 450 m · 3 mapped features
Gallery