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.
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 Other
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
