Details

The monument includes a round cairn situated on a prominent ridge between
Higher White Tor and Longaford Tor, commanding extensive views over large
tracts of Dartmoor. The round cairn survives as a 28m diameter flat-topped
mound standing up to 1.4m high.

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.

The round cairn 480m south west of Higher White Tor survives well and is
situated in a particularly prominent location at a considerable altitude.
Archaeological and environmental information relating to the monument and the
landscape in which it was erected will survive. Funerary mounds composed
almost entirely of turf are considered to be rare on Dartmoor and all known
examples are therefore worthy of protection.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX67NW84, (1994)

Source: Historic England