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Summary

Remains include a hut circle, lengths of turf-covered stony bank forming part of the associated field system which covers an area of approximately 2.0 hectares and at least twenty small clearance cairns. Several of the clearance cairns appear to have been confused with sepulchral monuments in the past and display shallow delvings in their tops. When combined with the incomplete nature of the field system the cairns suggest that the phase of enclosure in this area occurred in the later Prehistoric period and remained unfinished. Somewhat unusually for Dartmoor the field system encloses an earlier prehistoric ring cairn (MDV54275).

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010773: Ten cairns and a length of bank forming part of a cairnfield on Homerton Hill

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX59SE120
• National Monuments Record: SX59SE49
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1393507
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 967767
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX59SE/40
• Old SAM Ref: 24148

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CAIRNFIELD (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• CLEARANCE CAIRN (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• FIELD SYSTEM (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• HUT CIRCLE (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV278000.

Des=worksheet/parish file. Vis=9/1/1980 (greeves) extensive group of small prehistoric cairns (all heather covered), on top of homerton hill, farming large 'cairn field' or 'cairn cemetery'. Discovered by andrew fleming a few days previously. Some cairns are oval and some long. Also traces of walls/banks etc. Many of these cairns are crest-sited and visible from some distance away.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV278001.

Fleming, a. /pdas/38(1980)9-12/the cairnfields of north-west dartmoor. Homerton hill. Cairnfield containing 20-24 cairns. Two main groups with outliers and a sub-group. Field includes conventional small cairns and ovoid cairns (fleming)

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., Des=mpp/133342. (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

vis=31/1/1994 (gerrard) SX562-904- these 10 cairns form part of a cairnfield including at least 27 mounds, situated on a gentle north west facing slope of homerton hill overlooking the valley of the west okement river. Six of the cairns are sub-circular in shape and these range in size from 2.6m to 6m in diam and stand between 0.3m and 0.8m high. The remainder are ovoid in shape, and these range between 3.5m to 7m long, 2.2m to 4m wide and stand between 0.4m and 0.6m high. The average height of all the mounds is 0.47m. Three cairns have a shallow central hollow, suggesting robbing or partial early excavation. Some of the cairns may contain burials, but the group most likely represents stone clearance connected with cultivation of the area. The individual cairns can be described individually as follows:vis=1. Sx56169046 measures 6m in diam stands up to 0.8m high. A 2m by 1m by 0.15m deep trench cut into the mound is orientated nne to ssw and suggests partial early excavation. Vis=2. Sx56149045 measures 4m in diam and stands up to 0.3m high. Vis=3. Sx56159044 measures 2.6m in diam and stands up to 0.3m high. Vis=4. Sx56169045 measures 3.5m by 2.2m and stands up to 0.5m high. Aligned nnw to sse and a 0.4m square and 0.1m deep central pit suggests robbing or partial early excavation. Vis=5. Sx56179044 measures 4m in diam and stands up to 0.5m high. A 0.5m square and 0.1m deep central hollow suggests robbing or partial early excavation. Vis=6. Sx56159042 measures 4.5m in diam and stands up to 0.4m high. Vis=7. Sx56199044 measures 5m by 2m , stands up to 0.4m high and is aligned ne-sw. Vis=8. Sx56169047 measures 7m by 4m by up to 0.6m high and is aligned nne to ssw. Vis=9. Sx56189046 measures 4m by 2.4m by up to 0.4m high and is aligned nne to ssw. Vis=10. Sx56189048 measures 6m in diam by up to 0.5m high (mpp).

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North (Monograph). SDV219155.

SX 56159047. A solitary hut circle, fragments of at least three contemporary enclosures and at least 20 clearance cairns occupy the crest of Homerton Hill.

English Heritage, 1994, Schedule note (Schedule Document). SDV230529.

(20/09/1994) SX56179046 Ten Cairns and a length of bank were found at this location forming part of a Cairnfield situated on a gentle north west facing slope of Homerton Hill overlooking the valley of the West Okement River. The Cairns and bank are of Bronze Age date.

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 2003-2004, Measured survey North Dartmoor Military Range Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV350801.

(28/01/2004) Clearance cairns and enclosure bank (record 1393507).
SX 56189049. The hut circle remains as a terraced platform 4.3m in diameter enclosed by a crude stony ring 0.8m wide and 0.25m high. There is no obvious entrance.
Adjoining the hut is a turf-covered stony bank forming part of the associated field system which covers an area of approximately 2.0 hectares. The boundaries of this system vary from large, well-defined banks 2.0m wide and 0.6m high to barely discernible rickles in the ground.
At least twenty small clearance cairns are visible in the immediate area, several of which sit upon or at the end of the enclosure banks. These features measure between 2.0m to 5.2m in diameter and stand a maximum of 0.8m high. Several appear to have been confused with sepulchral monuments in the past and display shallow delvings in their tops. When combined with the incomplete nature of the field system the cairns suggest that the phase of enclosure in this area occurred in the later prehistoric period and remained unfinished. Somewhat unusually for Dartmoor the field system encloses an earlier prehistoric ring cairn (967741).

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 03/12/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

Parent record created covering a number of previous records.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8679 - Okehampton Range: Management Survey
• EDV8291 - Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8695 - Survey of Okehampton North Dartmoor Military Range

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