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. Stone
aligments provide rare evidence of ceremonial or ritual practices on the
Moor during the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age. The Butterdon Hill alignment
is particularly significant as it is the second longest on Dartmoor and its
full length is defined by a terminal cairn at the southern end to a terminal
stone at the northern end. It is also associated with several other cairns
and ceremonial monuments on Butterdon Hill.
Details
Stone alignments or stone rows consist of upright stones set in a single
line or two or more parallel lines, up to several hundred metres in length.
They frequently lead to burial monuments such as small cairns, cists and
barrows and are therefore thought to have had a ceremonial function. The 70
or so examples known on Dartmoor were probably constructed in the Late
Neolithic period (around 2500 BC). The Butterdon Hill single stone alignment
runs for over 2km along the ridge between Butterdon Hill and Piles Hill and
is the second longest stone alignment on Dartmoor. The stones are up to a
metre in height and are spaced at intervals of 1m to 1.5m. There is a cairn
10.5m in diameter and 0.3m in height, with a retaining kerb at the southern
end of the alignment and a recumbent stone, 2.56m in length, known as the
Longstone, which is considered to have been the northern terminal. One stone
in the row c.300m south of this northern terminal has a cross incised on its
west face and is known as Hobajon's Cross. The line has been adopted as the
Harford Moor/ Ugborough Moor Common Land boundary and includes introduced
modern boundary stones.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10558
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
