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 provide 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. Burford Down is a good
surviving example of its kind with a terminal retaining kerb and cairn
remains at the southern end.
Details
Stone alignments or stone rows consist of upright stones set in a single line
or in 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 2,500 BC).
The Burford Down stone alignment has been traced for 450m, from the retaining
kerb at the southern terminal north into Yadsworthy newtake. The alignment
incorporates at least 100 stones, many upright or tilted and up to 0.8m high.
Though robbing has occurred, particularly near the newtake wall, the spacing
of the stones is considered to have averaged 1.5m. There is no northern
terminal, but the alignment can be traced over 80m beyond the newtake wall.
The retaining kerb consists of six standing and seven fallen stones giving a
diameter of 10m. The cairn mound is hollow in the centre and a maximum 0.6m
high.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10527
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
