Long Chains Combe South: two standing stones 380m south west 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. 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 Long Chains Combe South standing stones survive well and will retain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the development and use of the monument.

Details

The monument includes two standing stones and the archaeologically sensitive area between and around them, located on a small ledge on the steep, southern side of Long Chains Combe 380m south west of the sheepfold. The stones are 6m apart and are orientated WNW/ESE. The north western one measures 300mm high, 150mm wide and 120mm thick while the south eastern one measures 530mm high, 250mm wide and 120mm 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:

25207

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Quinnell, N V, Dunn, C J, Lithic Monuments within the Exmoor National Park: A New Survey, (1992), 42

End of official list entry

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