Southern of five cairns forming an outlying part of a cairnfield on the north eastern slope of White Hill
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1007655
- Date first listed:
- 18-Apr-1994
Map
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Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- West Devon (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Peter Tavy
- National Park:
- DARTMOOR
- National Grid Reference:
- SX 53555 84004
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,
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. Cairnfields are concentrations of three or
more cairns sited within close proximity to one another; they may consist of
burial cairns or cairns built with stone cleared from the land surface
(clearance cairns). Round funerary cairns were constructed during the Bronze
Age (c.2000-700 BC) and consisted of earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes
ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major visual element in the modern landscape. The
considerable variation in the size of cairnfields and their longevity as a
monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and
social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are
particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of
surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.
The cairnfield on the north eastern slope of White Hill survives well and
contains archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument
and the landscape in which it was constructed. It provides a valuable insight
into Bronze Age agricultural activity on the western side of the Moor.
Details
This monument includes a cairn situated on a south-facing slope overlooking
the valley of the Walla Brook. The cairn is ovoid in shape, is orientated NNE
to SSW and measures 4m long, 3m wide and stands up to 0.8m high. This cairn
forms an outlying part of a cairnfield, which includes at least 22 mounds, as
well as a length of boundary bank and a lynchet.
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:
- 22342
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 107
Other
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,
Raymond, F, Single Monument Class Description - Cairnfields, (1987)
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 Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official listing
