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
on Glasscombe Ball is a well-preserved example and occupies a prominent
position on the brow of the hill. Its relationship to other cairns and a
stone row indicates the wealth of evidence relating to the ritual side of
life on this part of the Moor.
Details
Many examples of 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 large cairn, on
the southern brow of Glasscombe Ball, is 22 m. in diameter and 1.5 m. high,
it consists of a mound of stones on an earth and stone base and is similar
in form to the other large hilltop cairns in this area.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10562
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
