Ancient Monuments

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Cairn south-west of Lower Hartor Tor

A Scheduled Monument in Sheepstor, Devon

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.4888 / 50°29'19"N

Longitude: -3.9725 / 3°58'20"W

OS Eastings: 260172.83672

OS Northings: 67297.756421

OS Grid: SX601672

Mapcode National: GBR Q4.5RC9

Mapcode Global: FRA 27KR.XWB

Entry Name: Cairn south-west of Lower Hartor Tor

Scheduled Date: 25 May 1962

Last Amended: 21 October 1991

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1012293

English Heritage Legacy ID: 10680

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Sheepstor

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Details

Many examples of Prehistoric funerary monuments are preserved on Dartmoor,
mostly dating to the Bronze Age (c.2500-500 BC). To celebrate or commemorate
the dead, mounds of earth or stone were piled in a roughly hemispherical
shape over the burial, which was sometimes contained in a small rectangular
structure, or cist, made of stone slabs. Some monuments also include
kerbstones marking the outer edge of the mound and a surrounding ditch.
This cairn lies on a south-facing slope above the River Plym south-west of
Lower Hartor Tor and close to an enclosure with hut circles. It consists of a
heather-covered mound 11m in diameter and over a metre in height, with a
hollow in the centre.

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.
This cairn is a well-preserved example and occupies a prominent position
above the river. Its relationship to other monuments indicates the wealth of
evidence relating to occupation and the ritual side of Prehistoric life on
this part of the Moor.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County SMR SX66NW-007,

Source: Historic England

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