Exe Plain stone alignment 425m north east of the sheepfold

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 Exe Plain stone alignment survives well and will retain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its use and development.

Details

The monument includes a stone alignment orientated north west to south east and the archaeologically sensitive area between and around the stones. The monument is situated on the north west facing slopes of Exe Plain, 425m north east of the sheepfold in an area of naturally outcropping rock. The row is 27.8m long and includes two standing, one fallen stone. The stone at the north west end has fallen and is 600mm long, 300mm wide and 150mm thick. The middle stone is 10.9m to the south east of the fallen stone and is 550mm high, 150mm wide and 120mm thick. This stone, though earthfast, is leaning slightly and has a stock generated erosion hollow around its base 100mm deep. The third stone lies 16.9m to the south east on the same alignment and is 200mm high, 500mm wide and 150mm thick.

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:

25219

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Quinnell, N V, Dunn, C J, Lithic Monuments within the Exmoor National Park: A New Survey, (1992), 41
Chanter, , Worth, , Rep Trans Dev Assoc in The Rude Stone Monuments Of Exmoor And Its Borders, Part I., Vol. 37, (1905), 375-397

End of official list entry

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