Details

This monument includes two round cairns orientated NW-SE and situated on the
gentle south-facing spur of Great Nodden overlooking the valley of the River
Lyd. The western cairn mound is flat topped, measures 5m in diameter and
stands up to 0.6m high. The eastern mound, which lies 7.5m from the other
cairn, measures 6.5m in diameter and stands up to 0.7m high. A slight stone-
filled hollow in the centre of the mound suggests partial early excavation or
robbing.

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 evidence of partial excavation of one mound, the two round cairns 840m
south west of Great Nodden survive well and contain archaeological and
environmental information relating to the monument and the landscape in
which it was erected. These mounds form part of a dispersed group of cairns
situated on a 2.5km long spur overlooking the valley of the River Lyd.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 219-220
Other
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,

Source: Historic England