Two ring cairns 250m north of the Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar on Cox Tor

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. A ring cairn is a prehistoric ritual monument comprising a circular bank of stones up to 20m in diameter surrounding a hollow central area. The bank may be kerbed on the inside, and sometimes on the outside as well, with small uprights or laid boulders. Ring cairns are found mainly in upland areas of England and are mostly discovered and authenticated by ground level fieldwork and survey, although a few are large enough to be visible on aerial photographs. They often occur in pairs or small groups of up to four examples. Occasionally they lie within round barrow cemeteries. Ring cairns are interpreted as ritual monuments of Early and Middle Bronze Age date. The exact nature of the rituals concerned is not fully understood, but excavation has revealed pits, some containing burials and others containing charcoal and pottery, taken to indicate feasting activities associated with the burial rituals. Many areas of upland have not yet been surveyed in detail and the number of ring cairns in England is not accurately known. However, available evidence indicates a population of between 250 and 500 examples. As a relatively rare class of monument exhibiting considerable variation in form, all positively identified examples retaining significant archaeological deposits are considered worthy of preservation.

Despite partial excavation, the two ring cairns 250m north of the Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar on Cox Tor survive comparatively well and form part of the Cox Tor round cairn cemetery.

Details

This monument includes two ring cairns situated on a plateau to the north of Cox Tor. The westernmost cairn survives as a narrow ridge of north to south outcropping rock measuring 10m in diameter surrounded by a circular stoney bank 4m wide standing up to 0.8m high. The eastern cairn lies 10m east of the other cairn and survives as a 10m diameter raised area on which there is a central mound measuring 4m in diameter and an outer bank measuring 2.7m wide and up to 0.7m high. Excavations carried out by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee during 1898 revealed that both cairns had an outer circular bank with a central infill of loose stones and earth, but no trace of burials or artefacts were found. These cairns form part of a round cairn cemetery including two round cairns, two tor cairns and two ring cairns.

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:

22227

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 84
Baring Gould, S, Devonshire Association Transactions in Fifth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, Vol. 30, (1898), 105

Other
National Archaeological Record, SX57NW36,
National Archaeological Record, SX57NW35,

End of official list entry

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