Stone row, cairn and enclosures near Hook Lane, Erme Valley

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1002493
Date first listed:: 12-Mar-1953

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1002493
Date first listed:: 12-Mar-1953

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Devon
District:: South Hams (District Authority)
Parish:: Harford
National Park:: DARTMOOR
National Grid Reference:: SX 64069 65280

Summary

Double stone alignment with cairn, two enclosures and stone hut circles forming part of a prehistoric settlement 270m north east of the confluence of the River Erme and Hook Lake.

Reasons for Designation

Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and, because of exceptional conditions of preservation; it is also one of the most complete examples of an upland relict landscape in the whole country. The great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provide direct evidence for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards. The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, major land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land use through time. The Double stone alignment with cairn, two enclosures and stone hut circles forming part of a prehistoric settlement 270m north east of the confluence of the River Erme and Hook Lake survive very well and together form a particularly informative insight into the transition between Neolithic and Bronze Age societies on the moor. The relationship between the stone alignment and settlement is especially important as it graphically illustrates chronological depth as well as providing useful information on the relative date of stone alignments. Within this monument it is clear that the stone alignment was built first. This is one of very few sites on the moor where clear evidence for this important chronological relationship is clearly visible.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 5 November 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a double stone alignment with cairn and two enclosures with stone hut circles forming part of a substantial prehistoric settlement on a south west facing slope overlooking Hook Lake and the valley of the River Erme. The stone alignment includes two parallel lines of upright stones standing 1.4m apart leading downslope for 227m from a round cairn. The alignment includes 80 upright stones and a further 12 fallen and buried stones. The average height of the stones is 0.36m and the lower end of the alignment is denoted by a pair of terminal stones. The alignment has been incorporated into the wall of the southern enclosure and an unenclosed stone hut circle, providing conclusive evidence that the alignment is earlier then the settlement. It is interesting to note that the Bronze Age enclosure builders had little for the alignment, but perhaps superstition prevented them from removing it all together. The cairn at the upper end of the alignment measures 9.2m in diameter, stands up to 0.8m high and is surrounded by a circle of stones standing up to 1.6m high. A number of edge set slab within the mound suggest the survival of further concentric stone rings. A cist recorded in 1871 is no longer visible and may survive as a buried feature.

The southern enclosure survives as an irregular shaped area surrounded by a large orthostatic wall measuring up to 3m wide. Internally there are a series of walls forming conjoined enclosed areas and at least two stone hut circles. Two further enclosures are attached to the outer face of the main enclosure one of which incorporates two stone hut circles. Two unenclosed stone hut circles survive in the area between the enclosures.

The northern enclosure is circular in shape and also contains a series of small enclosed areas and at least four stone hit circles. A further two stone hut circles are attached to the outer face of the enclosure by two lengths of walling.

Further archaeological remains survive within the vicinity of the monument, some are scheduled, but others are not currently protected and these are not included within the scheduling because they have not been formally assessed.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: DV 319
Legacy System:: RSM - OCN

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Volume Four – The South-East , (1993), 4 71-72 and 77-79
Other
PastScape Monument No: 441705, 441708, 441711, 441700 and 441714

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.