Furzehill Common 2: a stone alignment 850m north west of Hoaroak Farm

Reasons for Designation

Exmoor is the most easterly of the three main upland areas in the south western peninsula of England. In contrast to the other two areas, Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, there has been no history of antiquarian research and little excavation of its monuments. However, survey work has confirmed a comparable richness of archaeological remains with evidence of human exploitation and occupation from the Mesolithic period to the present day. The well-preserved and often visible relationships between settlement sites, major land boundaries, trackways and ceremonial and funerary monuments give insight into successive changes in the pattern of land-use through time. 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 are often sited close to prehistoric burial monuments, such as small cairns and cists, and to ritual monuments, such as stone circles, and are therefore considered to have had an important ceremonial function. Stone alignments were being constructed and used from the Late Neolithic period to the Middle Bronze Age (c.2500-1000 BC) and provide rare evidence of ceremonial and ritual practices during these periods. The recorded examples on Exmoor form an important subgroup of the total population and are considered to be of national importance.

The Furzehill Common 2 stone alignment survives well and will retain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction and use Its importance is increased by being part of a complex of six similar sites within one square kilometre.

Details

The monument includes two standing stones, a recumbent stone and the archaeologically sensitive area between and around these features. The alignment is located on the level, southern part of the ridge of Furzehill Common 850m north west of Hoaroak Farm. The monument forms a row 14.8m long and orientated north east to south west. The stone at the south western end has fallen and is 700mm long by 330mm wide and lies within an erosion hollow. The central stone lying midway between the two outer stones is 100mm high, 240mm wide by 140mm thick and also lies within an erosion hollow. The stone at the north eastern end of the row is 600mm high, 200mm wide by 150mm thick. It too has an erosion hollow around it and, though leaning at an angle of some 25 degrees to the north west, is earthfast.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

25216

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Quinnell, N V, Dunn, C J, Lithic Monuments within the Exmoor National Park: A New Survey, (1992), 22

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry