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,
major 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. Stone alignments or stone rows
consist of upright stones set in single file or in avenues of two or more
parallel lines, up to several hundred metres in length. They are often
physically linked to burial monuments, such as small cairns, cists and
barrows, and are considered to have had an important ceremonial function. The
Dartmoor alignments mostly date from the Late Neolithic period (c.2400-2000
BC). Some eighty examples, most of them on the outer Moor, provide over half
the recorded national population. Due to their comparative rarity and
longevity as a monument type, all surviving examples are considered nationally
important, unless very badly damaged. The double stone alignment and cairn 800m SSW of Yardworthy survive
comparatively well and together illustrate the small size of some examples of
this type of monument. Both the cairn and alignment will contain
archaeological and environmental information that will help to understand this
apparently unusual site.
Details
The monument includes a double stone alignment and cairn situated on a gentle
east facing slope overlooking the valley of the South Teign river. The cairn
measures 4m long by 2.8m wide and stands up to 0.4m high. The double stone
alignment leads north eastward from the cairn. The north western row includes
at least four stones standing up 0.09m high, whilst only one stone in the
south eastern row is visible. 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:
28754
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX68SE148, (1995)
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.
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