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Latitude: 50.6381 / 50°38'17"N
Longitude: -3.9514 / 3°57'5"W
OS Eastings: 262104.611447
OS Northings: 83861.189901
OS Grid: SX621838
Mapcode National: GBR Q5.24S1
Mapcode Global: FRA 27MD.0FR
Entry Name: Quintin's Man round cairn
Scheduled Date: 19 January 1962
Last Amended: 29 April 1998
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1017991
English Heritage Legacy ID: 28679
County: Devon
Civil Parish: Gidleigh
Traditional County: Devon
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon
Church of England Parish: Widecombe-in-the-Moor St Pancras
Church of England Diocese: Exeter
The monument includes a round cairn known as Quintin's Man situated on a
prominent ridge of Whitehorse Hill overlooking the valleys of the Rivers Teign
and Dart. The cairn survives as a 20.5m diameter mound standing up to 1.9m
high. A pit in the centre of the cairn containing a small drystone built
shelter is the result of relatively recent activity.
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
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 limited disturbance, Quintin's Man round cairn survives well and
contains archaeological and environmental information relating to this area
during the prehistoric period. This cairn is one of a relatively small number
of large cairns situated in a prominent position within this part of Dartmoor
and as such it is likely that they acted as important landmarks in the Bronze
Age and later periods.
Source: Historic England
Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX68SW23,
Source: Historic England
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