Stone alignment and cairn 470m east of Stannon Brook source

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.

Despite partial excavation of the cairn, the stone alignment and cairn 470m east of Stannon Brook source survive comparatively well, the former representing a typical example of a double alignment. Archaeological and environmental information relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was erected will survive.

Details

The monument includes a stone alignment and cairn situated on a gentle south facing slope overlooking the valley of the Stannon Brook. The cairn denotes the northern end of the alignment, measures 7.8m in diameter and stands up to 0.35m high. The edge of the mound is denoted by a rubble ridge which is most pronounced on the south western side. The stone alignment, which is of the double type leads south from the cairn for 167m and includes at least 46 stones of which 5 are now recumbent. The average height of all the stones is 0.16m and the distance between the two rows of stones varies between 0.9m and 1.5m.

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:

28760

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 167

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