Stone row NW of Saddlesborough

Summary

A stone alignment with a terminal cairn on Shaugh Moor, 820m north east of Huxton Farm.

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. Stone alignments or stone rows consist of upright stones set in single file or in avenues of two or more parallel lines, up to several hundred metres in length. They are often physically linked to burial monuments, such as small cairns, cists and barrows, and are considered to have had an important ceremonial function. The Dartmoor alignments mostly date from the Late Neolithic period (c.2400-2000 BC). Some eighty examples, most of them on the outer Moor, provide over half the recorded national population. Due to their comparative rarity and longevity as a monument type, all surviving examples are considered nationally important.

Despite the loss of some stones as a result of robbing and the accumulation of peat deposits obscuring others from view, and significant robbing or early excavation of the terminal cairn mound, the stone alignment with a terminal cairn on Shaugh Moor, 820m north east of Huxton Farm, survives comparatively well. Other structures in the vicinity have been more badly damaged by road building, stone quarrying and general disturbance, the alignment by contrast, is largely complete and being surrounded in peat it will undoubtedly contain important environmental evidence relating to its surrounding landscape context as well as archaeological information concerning its construction, use, development and longevity. It has long had an important history as a land mark and in particular was respected by the later builders of the nearby coaxial field system.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 3 November 2015. The 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 stone alignment with a terminal cairn which has an encircling kerb situated on Shaugh Moor overlooking the Plym Valley. The single stone alignment consists of mainly small stones measuring up to a maximum 0.45m high, although the average height is 0.14m and these are spaced up to 1.5m apart. Some stones are fallen whilst others are buried by the accumulation of peat. The alignment is 179m long. At the south is a terminal cairn which survives as a partial kerb forming a ring which measures approximately 18m in diameter and includes six low orthostats. The central cairn is very low and measures 3.5m in diameter, a further small low cairn survives to the north west of similar size and surrounds a stone on the kerb.

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 429

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1994)

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 439236

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