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Summary

Two flint rings at Farway Hill, Honiton, excavated in 1965, 1966. Two rings roughly adjacent being only 3.5m apart. Ring 1 is roughly 14m in diameter and ring 2 roughly 9m.141 pits, probably with ritual significance and found throughout the area of two rings, varied from less than 100mm in diameter to over 2m in length. Some pits contained charcoal and apparent backfills of local soil, but the majority contained no charcoal but foreign soil infill.59 flint artefacts found, fossil sea urchins, small calcinated fragments of bone and flint slabs. Three large flakes possibly palaeolithic. Probable cist in wall of ring 2. Both rings are tentatively dated to late neolithic/beaker periods (pollard).

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1014245: Two ring cairns 410m south east of Higher Blannicombe, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Farway Hill
• SHINE: Prehistoric cairns south east of Applewood

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY19NE/56
• Old SAM Ref: 24971

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RING CAIRN (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Bronze Age - 698000 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

Ancient Monuments, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121018.

Estimated -/-/1995 (ancient monuments) two ring cairns lying 3-5m apart.

STEPPED ON ITS N SIDE, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121019.

The se cairn survives as an earth bank up to 1.2m high and 2.5m wide with a sloping outer face and a vertical inner face, enclosing an area of recessed ground 9m in diam and c.0.5m lower than the surrounding ground surface. On the se side a 4m long section of the bank lies 1m-2m further out than the rest of the bank. The nw cairn survives as an earth bank up to 0.6m high and 2m wide with a sloping outer face and a vertical inner face, enclosing an area of recessed ground 6m-7m in diam and 0.3m lower than the surrounding ground surface. An embanked trench 7m long and 2m-4m wide (stepped on its n side) connects the 2 cairns.

AM, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121020.

The cairns were discovered in 1965 when the heath was ploughed by the forestry commission for tree planting. A rescue excavation was undertaken to record them which included an investigation of their interiors, sampling of their enclosing banks, and the excavation of a trench between them. They were subsequently landscaped into their present form with banks being heaped over the 2 exposed rings of stone and along the edge of the excavation. The area of the excavation is visible as recessed ground within the 2 cairns and the embanked trench between them. As excavated, the se cairn was composed of an irregular ring of flinty stones 1m-2.5m wide and 13.5m-15m in external diam, enclosing a central open area of 9.5m-11m diam. The central area contained a number of small pits, with some intercut and extending beneath and beyond the bank of the cairn. Forty of the pits contained charcoal in their fills. One cremation consisting of poorly preserved bone mixed with charcoal and fragments of heat shattered flint, was located in a small pit towards the w side of the cairn. Two other pits may have contained cremations. As excavated, the nw cairn was composed of an irregular ring of flinty stones 1m-2m wide and 9m-10m in external diam, enclosing a central open area of 6m-7m diam. The w side of the ring contained a number of slabs of flint which may have originally composed a cist. The open area beyond contained a number of small pits, with some extending beneath + beyond the bank of the cairn. None contained charcoal. A small assemblage of worked flints, containing some tools, was recovered from the cairns (am).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121021.

Pollard, s. H. M. /pdas/29(1971)162-164,167-180 figs 1,3,5-7 pl 5-11/seven prehistoric sites near honiton, devon. Part 2. Three flint rings.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121022.

Osa=sy19ne24/plan.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV121023.

Grinsell, l. V. /pdas/41(1983)37.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV148.

11/11/1975 (os) site under dense conifer plantation. Unlocated.

Pollard, S. H. M., Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV96893.

Two flint rings at farway hill, honiton, excavated in 1965, 1966. Two rings roughly adjacent being only 3.5m apart. Ring 1 is roughly 14m in diameter and ring 2 roughly 9m.141 pits, probably with ritual significance and found throughout the area of two rings, varied from less than 100mm in diameter to over 2m in length. Some pits contained charcoal and apparent backfills of local soil, but the majority contained no charcoal but foreign soil infill.59 flint artefacts found, fossil sea urchins, small calcinated fragments of bone and flint slabs. Three large flakes possibly palaeolithic. Probable cist in wall of ring 2. Both rings are tentatively dated to late neolithic/beaker periods (pollard).

Exeter Archaeology, 2003-2004, East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Archaeological Survey, Site No. 615 (Archive - Survey). SDV351568.

Two ring cairns 3.5m apart c. 14m diameter and 9m diameter. Partially excavated in 1965-6 and landscaped into their present form by addition of soil over banks. Scheduled Monument.
SMR.

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 91 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

Generally satisfactory but with significant localised problems. Declining.Principal vulnerability scrub/tree growth.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR SY1697 Bluesky International DTM 30-APR-2016 and 04-MAY-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

The cairns are now visible as circular earthwork depressions enclosed by banks.

Sims, R., Knight, S. & Houghton, E., 2020-2021, East Devon AONB Lidar Assessment and Desk based Assessment (Interpretation). SDV363914.

The cairns are visible as two circular depressions connected by a ditch and surrounded on all sides by banks. The western depression is circa 6m across and the eastern depression is circa 9m across, with the banks circa 3.5m in width.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8340 - East Devon AONB Lidar Assessment and Desk based Assessment

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