Two concentric stone circles on Langstone Moor

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 circles, or circular arrangements of upright stones, were set into the ground and acted as ceremonial and funerary monuments during the later Neolithic and Bronze Age periods (c.2400-700 BC). On Dartmoor they are often found in association with stone alignments and burial monuments such as cairns and cists. The circles may be single or enclose further circles; they may occur as isolated examples or in groups. The 26 examples on Dartmoor form one of the most dense concentrations of monuments of this type in the country. Due to their relative rarity (with a national population of only some 200 examples) and longevity as a monument type, all stone circles are considered to be nationally important.

Despite evidence for stone robbing, restoration and twentieth century military damage, the concentric stone circles on Langstone Moor retain important archaeological information. The interior of the monument is believed to contain deposits sealed by a peat layer, which would provide information relating to the use of the site. This monument forms part of a larger ritual complex, which extends over a wide area and may have associations with the stone hut circle settlement situated a short distance to the south.

Details

This monument includes two concentric stone circles situated prominently on a hill crest overlooking the valley of the river Walkham. The diameter of the inner circle is 20.4m and includes 16 stones of which only seven remain standing. The stones average 1m high and 0.5m square. A single stone standing 3m to the south-west of the circle is the sole survivor of a second outer ring. The interior of the circle is level. These stone circles were partly restored in 1894 by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee who re-erected the fallen stones and located four stones in the outer ring.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

20380

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Baring Gould, S, Devonshire Association Transactions in Second Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, Vol. 27, (1895), 84

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57NE20,
Bowman, A, Single Monument Class Description - Concentric Stone Circles, (1990)

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