Details

This monument includes two round cairns aligned SE-NW situated on the southern
edge of Raddick Hill plateau overlooking the valley of the River Meavy. The
north-western cairn mound measures 7.3m in diameter and stands up to 0.9m
high. A hollow in the centre of the mound is probably the result of a partial
excavation in 1898 by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee. This work revealed a
previously robbed cist. The second cairn mound lies 1m south-east of the first
and measures 6m in diameter and stands up to 0.4m high. A slight central
hollow indicates the location of the 1898 excavation, which revealed that the
cairn was formed by small stones overlying a pit dug into the subsoil which
contained a cist filled with charcoal and earth. The cist itself consisted of
sloping side stones covered by small slabs. A large flat stone lying between
the mounds may be the capstone from the western cairn.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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. Round cairns are prehistoric funerary
monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as
earthen or rubble mounds, the latter predominating in areas of upland Britain
where such raw materials were locally available in abundance. Round cairns may
cover single or multiple burials and are sometimes surrounded by an outer
ditch. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major visual element in
the modern landscape. Their considerable variation in form and 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. Dartmoor provides one
of the best preserved and most dense concentrations of round cairns in south-
western Britain.

Despite partial excavation, the two round cairns 140m south-west of Raddick
Hill summit survive well and contain archaeological and environmental evidence
relating to the monument and the landscape in which they were constructed.
These cairns form an important constituent part of a diverse group of
monuments including contemporary settlements, field systems and other funerary
sites.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Burnard, R, 'Devonshire Association Transactions' in Eighteenth Report of the Barrow Committee, , Vol. 31, (1899), 98
Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57SE75.1,
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57SE75.2,

Source: Historic England