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.
Despite disturbance, this is a well-preserved example of a cairn, it
occupies a prominent position on the brow of Ringmoor Down. Its proximity to
Eylesbarrow Reave suggests that it was a landmark associated with this
formal division of the Moor in the Bronze Age. The relationship to other
cairns also indicates the wealth of evidence relating to the ritual side of
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 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 surrounding ditch.
This cairn lies approximately 100m north-west of Eylesbarrow Reave on the
brow of Ringmoor Down. It is 12m in diameter and 0.5m in height, with a
retaining kerb 6m in diameter within the mound, and is best preserved on the
southern side. Its uneven surface suggests that it has been partly
disturbed. It lies within a few hundred metres of other cairns.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10584
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
