Reasons for Designation
Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and,
because of exceptional conditions of preservation, it is also one of the most
complete examples of an upland relict landscape in the whole country. The
great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provide direct evidence
for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards.
The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites,
land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later
industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes in the
pattern of land use through time. Cairnfields are concentrations of three or
more cairns sited within close proximity to one another; they may consist of
burial cairns or cairns built with stone cleared from the land surface
(clearance cairns). Round funerary cairns were constructed during the Bronze
Age (c.2000-700 BC) and consisted of earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes
ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major visual element in the modern landscape. The
considerable variation in the size of cairnfields and their longevity as a
monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and
social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are
particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of
surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.
Details
The monument includes a cairnfield situated on a gentle east facing slope
overlooking the valley of the Blackaton Brook. The cairnfield survives as a
cluster of at least 25 mounds standing between 0.4m and 0.8m high. Fourteen of
the mounds are circular in shape with their diameters varying between 3m and
6.9m and the remainder are ovoid with lengths between 4m and 10.2m. One mound
is denoted by a number of edge set stones, indicating the presence of a kerb,
which is in turn surrounded by a 1.5m wide and 0.3m high platform. This mound
is probably a funerary round cairn and it has seen some damage as a result
of robbing or partial early excavation.
Two lengths of rubble walling survive within the monument, suggesting that
a field system was starting to be laid out before the area was abandoned.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
28707
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
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
