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.
Details
This setting of four stone circles around a cairn and with a stone row
extending away from the south west side is situated on the south west facing
slope of Yellowmead Down. The four circles are not concentric and there is a
further arc of seven stones up to 0.4m in height on the west side which may
be the remains of a fifth circle. The innermost circle has 22 stones up to
0.9m in height; it surrounds a cairn 4m in diameter and 0.20m in height. The
outer rings have 32 stones, 27 stones and 30 stones respectively, the inner
two being only up to 0.25m in height and all having their largest stones
around the south side. The maximum diameter of the outer circle is some 30m.
The remains of a double stone alignment extend some l0m from the south west
side; there are 3 stones in the south row and a similar number in the north
row, although more were recorded in 1922. The stones of the alignments are up
to 0.3m in height and on average 2m apart. The alignment avenue is
approximately 1m in width.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10748
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
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.
End of official list entry
