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.
This long cairn is a well-preserved example of a type of monument very rare
on Dartmoor. Its relationship to other monuments of similar and different
types and with Cuckoo Ball chambered cairn 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), with a few dating to the
Neolithic period (c. 5000-2500 BC). To celebrate or commemorate the dead,
mounds of earth or stone were piled in a roughly hemispherical or sub-
rectangular shape over the burial, which was sometimes contained in a small
rectangular structure, or cist, or a chamber made of stone slabs. Some
monuments also include kerbstones marking the outer edge of the mound and a
surrounding ditch.
This long cairn is one of a very few known on Dartmoor, it lies to the east
of Butterdon Hill near the head of Lud Brook and is orientated north/south.
The body of the cairn is oval, with maximum dimensions of 23m in length
and 11m in width and about 0.9m in height. Large stones along its east
side suggest that it was a gallery grave, with a passage leading to the
burial chamber.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10547
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
