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 cairn, lying 200m to the south of Eylesbarrow Reave, is a well-
preserved example and occupies a significant position on the brow of a hill.
Its relationship with other cairns, stone circles and an alignment 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.2500-500BC). 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 a surrounding ditch.
This cairn lies approximately 200m south-east of Eylesbarrow Reave and two
other cairns adjacent to the reave, on a spur south-west of Gutter Tor. It
is a mound of turf-covered stones 10.7m in diameter and 0.6m in height.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10624
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
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
