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. Platform cairns are funerary
monuments covering single or multiple burials and dating to the Early Bronze
Age (c.2000-1600 BC). They were constructed as low flat-topped mounds of stone
rubble up to 40m in external diameter. Some examples have other features,
including peripheral banks and internal mounds, constructed on this platform.
A kerb of edge-set stones sometimes bounds the edges of the platform, bank or
mound, or all three. Platform cairns occur as isolated monuments, in small
groups, or in cairn cemeteries. In the latter instances they are normally
found alongside cairns of other types. Although no precise figure is
available, current evidence indicates that there are under 250 known examples
of this monument class nationally. As a rare monument type exhibiting
considerable variation in form, a substantial proportion of surviving examples
are considered worthy of preservation.
Details
This monument includes a platform cairn situated near to a rock outcrop known
as Fordsland Ledge, which lies on the south west spur of High Willhays
overlooking the valley of the West Okement River. The cairn mound measures
13.9m in diameter and stands up to 1.1m high. A rectangular pit lined roughly
with large stones is visible within the centre of the mound and may represent
the site of a cist or other structure revealed by early excavation. A number
of stones protruding from the mound may have been exposed during the
exploration of the cairn. A small number of edge set stones define the
northern edge of the mound and these probably represent a kerb which survives
elsewhere around the periphery as a buried feature.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
24160
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
