Details

This cairn with a cist lies on a north-west facing slope north of
Whittenknowles Rocks and south of Combeshead Tor. It consists of a mound 6m in
diameter and up to 0.4m in height, with a cist, placed off centre and
orientated north-west/south-east, and a retaining kerb of six stones. The cist
is 1.7m in length, 1.2m in width and 0.3m in depth. The south-west side is
composed of two slabs, both sides and ends are present, the coverstone lies
on the north-east side.

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 provides 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.2500-1000 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 densest concentrations of round cairns in south-western Britain.

Source: Historic England