Stone alignment and cairn 800m SSW of Yardworthy

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)

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