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 cist is a relatively well-preserved example and occupies a prominent
position on the brow of Gutter Tor. Its relationship to other monuments in
the immediate vicinity indicates the wealth of evidence relating to
settlement and 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 cist lies 200m south-west of Gutter Tor and is orientated north-west/
south-east, it has three sides remaining, the eastern side and capstone are
displaced, but lie beside the cist and there is no trace of a mound. The
cist is 1.2m in length, 0.6m in width and 0.5m in depth. It lies
approximately 100m to the north-west of a cairn and cist and within 200m of
two hut settlements, all the sites being near the summit of Gutter Tor.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10580
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
