Two standing stones and a mound 200m WSW of Black Barrow, Hoscombe

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. Standing stones are prehistoric ritual or ceremonial monuments, with dates ranging from the Late Neolithic to the end of the Bronze Age for the few excavated examples. They comprise single or paired upright orthostatic slabs, ranging from under 1m to over 6m high where still erect. They are often conspicuously sited and close to prehistoric burial monuments such as small cairns and cists. Standing stones may have functioned as markers for routeways, territories, graves or meeting points, but their accompanying features show they also bore a ritual function and that they form one of several ritual monument classes of their period. Although standing stones are widely distributed throughout England, the recorded examples on Exmoor form an important subgroup of the total population and are considered to be of national importance.

The two standing stones and a mound 200m WSW of Black Barrow survive well and will retain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the construction and use of the monument. Its importance is increased by the proximity of two other similar sites.

Details

The monument includes two standing stones, a mound and the archaeologically sensitive area between and around those features.The site is located on the south west facing slope 200m WSW of Black Barrow.The stones are set 4.7m apart with their long sides following their north east to south west alignment.The south westerly stone is 250mm high,300mm wide and 50mm thick.The north easterly stone is 100mm high,350mm wide and 100mm thick.The mound lies at the north east end of the alignment with its centre 11.7m from the north easterly stone.This makes the overall length of the monument 18m.The mound is 5m in diameter and 300mm high with a rounded top.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:

25228

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Quinnell, N V, Dunn, C J, Lithic Monuments within the Exmoor National Park: A New Survey, (1992), 49

Other
McDonnell, R R J, (1993)

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