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. Round cairns are prehistoric funerary
monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as
earthen or rubble mounds, the latter predominating in areas of upland Britain
where such raw materials were locally available in abundance. Round cairns may
cover single or multiple burials and are sometimes surrounded by an outer
ditch. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major visual element in
the modern landscape. Their considerable variation in form and 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. Dartmoor provides one
of the best preserved and most dense concentrations of round cairns in south-
western Britain.
Details
This monument includes a round cairn attached to an enclosure situated on a
gentle east facing slope overlooking Gallaven Mire. The cairn mound measures
8m in diameter and stands up to 0.6m high. This cairn is almost certainly the
one excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1902, and because there
are no earthworks surviving associated with their work, it must be assumed
that the excavators reformed the mound into its present smooth outline. The
excavation revealed a large cist measuring 2.1m long by 1.3m wide, which
contained a 0.46m deep circular pit containing wood charcoal.
The cairn is attached to an enclosure boundary wall which partly surrounds an
area measuring 130m east to west by 105m north to south. Only three sides of
the boundary are visible, with the southern side being either never completed
or surviving as a buried feature. The eastern length includes a rubble wall
measuring 1.4m wide and standing up to 0.5m high, whilst the northern length
survives as a 3m wide and 0.5m high bank. The western length survives as a
lyncheted bank measuring 3.7m wide overall, 0.4m high on the upslope and 0.8m
high on the downslope.
Field evidence suggests that the cairn and enclosure are contemporary and
therefore the enclosure may have served some ritual purpose.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22377
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals 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
