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 of a large cairn and occupies a
prominent position on the brow of a hill in close association with the
Butterdon stone alignment, one of the longest alignments on the Moor. Its
relationship to other 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 BC). To celebrate or commemorate
the dead, mounds of earth or stone were piled in a roughly hemispherical
shape over the burial, which was sometimes contained in a small rectangular
structure, or cist. Some monuments also include kerbstones marking the outer
edge of the mound and surrounding ditch.
This cairn, to the east of Hangershell Rock, built of earth and stone, is 15
m. in diameter and 1.5 m. high, with a hollow in the centre. It lies close to
the Butterdon stone alignment.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10537
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
