Ancient Monuments

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Two round cairns 800m north west of Statts Bridge

A Scheduled Monument in Dartmoor Forest, Devon

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.6148 / 50°36'53"N

Longitude: -3.8919 / 3°53'30"W

OS Eastings: 266249.379696

OS Northings: 81158.234035

OS Grid: SX662811

Mapcode National: GBR Q8.PN0F

Mapcode Global: FRA 27QF.ZKN

Entry Name: Two round cairns 800m north west of Statts Bridge

Scheduled Date: 9 February 2001

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1019223

English Heritage Legacy ID: 28743

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Dartmoor Forest

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Church of England Parish: Widecombe-in-the-Moor St Pancras

Church of England Diocese: Exeter

Details

The monument includes two round cairns aligned NNW-SSE situated on a gentle
south east facing slope overlooking the Walla Brook. The northern cairn
measures 6m in diameter and stands up to 0.7m high. A very slight hollow in
the centre of the mound suggests partial early excavation or robbing. The
southern mound stands up to 0.8m high and is 8.6m in diameter. A 3m long, 1.5m
wide by 0.3m deep hollow in the centre of the mound is the result of an early
undocumented investigation.

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 800m north west of Statts
Bridge survive well and will contain archaeological and environmental
information relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was built.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 36
Butler, J, 'Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities - The Second Millennium B.C.' in Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, , Vol. 5, (1997), 218

Source: Historic England

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