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
occupies a prominent position on the brow of a hill, its relationship to
other ceremonial and settlement monuments in this part of the Erme Valley,
including Bullaven Reave which lies immediately to the north, indicates the
wealth of evidence for prehistoric activity 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 to 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, one of two north-east of Harford Moor Gate,
is 7.5m in diameter and 0.4m in height, it is turf-covered and has traces of
a retaining kerb.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10618
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
