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 settings consist of a group of standing stones set out in an irregular
or random pattern. There are a number of such sites on Exmoor where they
appear to be a regional variation of the more common stone alignments. Stone
settings 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
settings 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. Due to their rarity and longevity as a
monument type all surviving examples are considered to be of national
importance.
Details
The monument includes three standing stones, a partly buried stone and the
archaeologically sensitive area between and around the stones. It is located
at the top of Porlock Hill 150m north west of the cattle grid on the A39 trunk
road. The stones are set out in an apparently random manner and extend for
0.02ha. The central and largest stone is 1m high by 1.5m long and has three
sets of inscriptions on its south east face. These are probably sets of
initials and are MS, JHW and JTM. The style of the lettering appears to be
18th or 19th century and is therefore not contemporary with the period of
construction and use of the monument. The Porlock Hill stone setting is
believed to be the `fif stones' mentioned in the perambulations of the Royal
Forest in the 13th and 14th century.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
25224
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
