Grimspound: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Grimspound is a late Bronze Age settlement, in an excellent state of preservation, situated on Dartmoor, Devon, in the United Kingdom. The name was first recorded by the Reverend Richard Polwhele in 1797 - it was probably derived from the Anglo Saxon god of war, Grim.

Grimspound is located on a saddle between Hameldown and Hookney Tor, at over 1,500 feet above sea level. It features 24 stone hut circles within an area of over 6,000 square metres (four acres). Many of these feature L-shaped entrance passages.

The site is enclosed by a stone wall, interrupted by a large, paved entrance facing south, uphill towards Hameldown. The wall would have been substantial - in some places its ruins are more than 15 feet in thickness. However, the site is of limited value from a defensive point of view, so the assumption is that this was used to keep livestock in, and predators out.