Details

This monument includes a round cairn situated between two rock outcrops on the
summit of Yes Tor which overlooks much of North Devon. The cairn mound
measures 15m in diameter and stands up to 1.8m high. This cairn has seen
limited damage as a result of military, visitor and early antiquarian activity
and as a result its core is exposed, revealing traces of drystone walling
which may either be original features or later additions. A mound of material
standing up to 2.3m high, lying on a terrace immediately below and south of
the cairn may be spoil from an early undocumented excavation.

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 damage and an early excavation, the round cairn 50m north west
of Yes Tor summit survives comparatively well and contains archaeological and
environmental information relating to the monument and the landscape in which
it was erected. This cairn is situated very close to the top of Dartmoor's
second highest peak.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX59SE4, (1987)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,
National Archaeological Record, SX59SE6,

Source: Historic England