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.
This cairn with a cist east of Willings Walls contour reave is a well-
preserved example and occupies a significant position near the reave. Its
relationship to other funerary monuments and to the reave indicates the
wealth of evidence relating to the ritual side of Prehistoric life and to
land use on this part of the Moor.
Details
Many examples of Prehistoric funerary monuments are preserved on Dartmoor,
mostly dating to the Bronze Age (c.2500-500 BC). To celebrate or commemorate
the dead, mounds of earth or stone were piled in a roughly hemispherical
shape over the burial, which was sometimes contained in a small rectangular
structure or cist, made of stone slabs. Some monuments also include
kerbstones marking the outer edge of the mound or a surrounding ditch.
This cairn with a cist lies about 40m east of Willings Walls contour reave on
a north-facing slope above the south side of the valley of the River Plym. It
consists of a low mound with a cist within a retaining kerb, which is
constructed with large slabs. The cist is oriented south-east/north-west.
All the side and end slabs are present, but the end slabs have partially
fallen inwards; the capstone is displaced to the north-east. The side slabs
are 1.7m and 1.8m in length and the end slabs 0.8m and 0.9m in length. The
end slabs are positioned inside the side slabs and the depth of the cist is
0.5m. The capstone is 2.3m in length and 1.3m in width and 0.4m in thickness.
The mound is 5m in diameter and up to 0.2m in height. The nine retaining
kerbstones are up to 1m in height and there is a possible second outer kerb
of small boulders. This cairn lies some 130m south-east of another cairn on
the other side of Willings Walls Reave.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10649
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
