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 the later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive
changes in the pattern of land use through time.
This cist and retaining kerb, south of Lower Piles, are well-preserved
examples and their relationship with other ceremonial monuments, including
cairns and a stone alignment, 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, made of stone slabs. Some monuments also include
kerbstones marking the outer edge of the mound and a surrounding ditch.
This example consists of a cist within the retaining kerb of a cairn about
4m. in diameter, remaining 0.3m. high. The cist lies slightly to the east
of the centre and is orientated south-east/north-west. Three of its side
stones are in place, the north-west end being formed by smaller stones,
possibly cairn material. The capstone is missing. It measures 1.2m. in
length, 0.6m. wide at the south-east end and 0.4m. wide at the north-west,
with a depth of 0.9m. The slabs are 0.2m. thick. The retaining kerb
consists of six orthostats, averaging 0.3m. high above the mound, with one
large stone on the downhill side a metre high.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10523
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
