Details

Eylesbarrow watershed reave can be traced from Cadworthy Wood to Eylesbarrow,
a distance of some 7.5km, separating the watershed of the Plym from that of
the Meavy. This part of the reave runs up the slope of Eylesbarrow from the
stream north of Scout Hut at its south-western end to streamworkings which
truncate its north-eastern end, a total distance of some 1.05km. The reave
consists of a bank of earth and stone up to 3m in width and 0.5m in height and
was the terminal reave for Roughtor parallel reave and another parallel reave.
Although it abuts these two reaves, for purposes of clarity and because they
are different reave forms, these three reaves have been defined as separate
schedulings.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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.

Elaborate complexes of fields and field boundaries are some of the major
features of the Dartmoor landscape. The reaves are part of an extensive
system of prehistoric land division introduced during the Bronze Age, around
1700BC. They consist of simple linear stone banks used to mark out discrete
territories, some of which are tens of kilometres in extent. The systems are
defined by parallel, contour and watershed reaves, dividing the lower land
from the grazing zones of the higher moor and defining the watersheds of
adjacent river systems. Occupation sites and funerary or ceremonial
monuments are often incorporated in, or associated with, reave complexes.
Their longevity and their relationship with other monument types provides
important information on the diversity of social organisation, land divisions
and farming practices amongst prehistoric communities. They show considerable
longevity as a monument type, sometimes surviving as fossilised examples in
medieval field plans. They are an important element in the existing landscape
and, as such, a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered
worthy of protection.

Eylesbarrow watershed reave is a major element in the reave system on
south-west Dartmoor.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Fleming, A, The Dartmoor Reaves, (1988)
Other
SX56NE-278, SX56NE-278, (1990)

Source: Historic England