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 with a cist forms a well-preserved example and occupies a
prominent position on the break of slope on the hillside. Its relationship
to other burial and ceremonial monuments type 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 with a cist lies on the eastern slope of Brent Fore Hill, just
above a flattish area on the 380m contour. The cairn is 6m in diameter,
merging into the slope of the hill on its uphill side and 0.5m in height on
the downhill side, which has a retaining kerb. There is a central cist of
which two parallel slabs remain set on edge at the north-west and south-east
sides. An upright stone 0.9m in height is offset from the cist on its north-
west side.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10576
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
