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 is a well-preserved example and occupies a prominent position on
the summit of Brent Fore Hill. Its relationship to other burial and
ceremonial monuments indicates the wealth of evidence relating to the ritual
side of prehistoric 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). 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 100m north-west of the summit of Brent Fore Hill, slightly to
the north-east of the summit ridge. It is a small heather-covered mound 5m in
diameter and up to 0.5m in height with a hollow in the centre leading in from
the west side.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10575
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
