Porlock Allotment 1: a stone alignment 450m SSE of Black Barrow

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 Porlock Allotment 1 stone alignment survives well and will retain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction and use. Its importance is increased by its association with two further lithic sites.

Details

The monument includes three standing stones, five recumbent stones, a partly buried stone and the archaeologically sensitive area between and around these features. The site is located on the west side of the shallow saddle 450m SSE of Black Barrow. The nine stones are set out in three parallel rows of three and occupy an area 7m by 9m. The three standing stones form the northern corner of the site and are all leaning, though earthfast. The standing stones are of a uniform size 250mm high, 300mm wide and 150mm thick. The recumbent stones are between 1m and 300mm long and are all about 300mm wide. The partly buried stone is at least 500mm long by 300mm wide. Two of the standing stones are in erosion hollows.

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:

25227

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Quinnell, N V, Dunn, C J, Lithic Monuments within the Exmoor National Park: A New Survey, (1992), 60

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