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 Exmoor 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.
Cists are stone burial chambers and they are closely associated with the
Bronze Age. They were constructed as stone-lined chambers into which an
inhumation burial or cremation was inserted; a capstone was usually
provided to seal the chamber. They are sometimes free-standing but were
more often covered over with a mound of earth to form a barrow or piled
over with stone to form a cairn.
The cist and associated mound in Langridge Wood, 410m north west of
Treborough Lodge is one of only seven cists to have been documented on
Exmoor and one of two to survive. Despite the upper part of the mound
having been removed in the early 19th century for road building, the cist
itself remains intact apart from its displaced capstone and it provides
visible evidence of Bronze Age burial practices. Its surviving mound will
contain archaeological deposits and environmental evidence relating to the
monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.
Details
The monument includes a prehistoric stone-built cist and the remains of an
associated earth mound located on the Brendon Hills.
The cist is rectangular in plan and orientated from east to west at the
base of an approximately circular mound which has been largely flattened.
The interior of the cist is lined with slate slabs and its sides are 2m
long, 0.75m wide, and up to 0.85m deep. A large irregular shaped slab with
sides up to 1.6m long partially covers the open cist; this represents a
now displaced capstone. The mound is composed of stone and earth and has a
maximum diameter of 14m and a maximum height of 0.6m. The original profile
of the mound has been obscured due to material being removed in the early
19th century for road building. The cist contained a human skeleton which
was revealed during this stone removal in 1820; the remains were
re-interred in nearby Treborough churchyard.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
35310
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
