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.
These three large cairns are well-preserved examples which occupy a
prominent position on the south-western brow of Western Beacon.
Their relationship to other monuments of the same type indicates the wealth
of evidence relating to the ritual side of prehistoric life 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 and a surrounding ditch.
These three closely spaced cairns are situated on the south-western brow of
Western Beacon. Each cairn consists of a base built of stone and earth and
surmounted by a mound of stones. The cairns range in size with the following
dimensions; 12m, 23m and 23m in diameter and 1m, 1.7m and 1.8m high. Some of
the stones of the mounds have been repositioned by visitors to form
shelters.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10546
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
