Enclosure north-east of Brisworthy Plantation

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 provides 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. Although partly disturbed, this enclosure lies within close proximity to a stone circle, stone alignment and the Eylesbarrow Reave. As such it provides important insight into the relationship between ceremonial and non- ceremonial monuments in the Dartmoor landscape.

Details

The Dartmoor landscape includes many discrete plots of land enclosed by stone walls or earth and stone banks, which acted as stock pens or protected areas for crop growing. Some of them were subdivided to accommodate hut dwellings for farmers and herdsmen. Many examples date to the Bronze Age (c.2500 to 500BC), though earlier and later ones also exist. This enclosure lies c.300m north-east of Brisworthy Plantation on a southern spur of Ringmoor Down. It is 40m in diameter and has an earthen bank up to 2m in width and 0.3m in height, with some large stones protruding. It has been disturbed by digging in the south-west quadrant. The enclosure lies within 50m of a stone circle, 250m north-west of Ringmoor Down stone alignment and within 200m of Eylesbarrow watershed reave and associated 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:

10665

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County SMR SX56NE-292,

End of official list entry

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