Details

This monument includes two round cairns aligned north-east to south-west and
situated prominently on a hill crest overlooking the valley of the river
Walkham. The northern cairn mound measures 5.3m in diameter and stands up to
0.3m high. Traces of a kerb are visible around the outer edge of the mound.
Excavations carried out by the Dartmoor Barrow Committee revealed a pit cut
into the subsoil, but no artefacts. The southern cairn mound measures 6m in
diameter and stands up to 0.4m high. A shallow hollow in the centre of the
mound is probably the result of a partial excavation carried out by the
Dartmoor Barrow Committee which revealed a small cist containing charcoal and
bones.

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 excavation, the two round cairns south-east of Langstone Moor
stone circle survive well and contain archaeological and environmental
evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was
constructed. They may be contemporary with the nearby stone circle and thus
form part of a larger ritual complex, possibly associated with a large stone
hut circle settlement situated a short distance to the south.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Worth, R H, Worth's Dartmoor, (1981), 174
'Devonshire Association Transactions' in Devonshire Association Transactions (Volume 30), , Vol. 30, (1898), 112
Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57NE28.1,
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57NE28.2,

Source: Historic England