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Summary

One of two stone rows to the south of Fernworthy stone circle forming part of the Froggymead ceremonial complex. The row of 31 metres long with 13 stones once extended further to the south, to the former newtake wall in which the terminal stone was incorporated. The forestry road now cuts across the site and the terminal stone has gone.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017984: A stone circle, known as Fernworthy Circle, three stone alignments and five cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge

Other References/Statuses

• MPP Archaeological Item Dataset: 144129
• National Monuments Record: SX68SE59
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443857
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/158
• Old SAM County Ref: 593C
• Old SAM Ref: 28672
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SE59

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STONE ALIGNMENT (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Baring Gould, S., 1898, Fifth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 107-108 (Article in Serial). SDV337066.

Stone row leading to a large blocking stone fixed in the newtake wall. This stone looks very much as if it might have been the blocking stone of the row. Double row much robbed for wall building.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Stone Row' shown on early 20th century map with a confused line of stones but not showing two distinct rows.

Victoria County History, 1906, The Victoria History of the County of Devon, 357-358 (Article in Serial). SDV238214.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 304, Pl.38 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 223-4 (Monograph). SDV231148.

A double stone row, 210 feet in length, runs from a cairn (SX 68 SE 58) in a southerly direction to a stone set in the face of a wall. The rows are 3 1/2 feet apart and the spacing between stones along the rows is about 3 ft.

Spooner, G. M. + Birkett Dixon, C. E., 1955, Note on the Antiquities situated in the Forestry Commission ground at Fernworthy and Bellever. Appendix 1, B. (6) (paragraph 2.8-2.9) (Report - non-specific). SDV351955.

The southern double stone row (6) once extended to the former newtake wall in which the terminal stone had been incorporated. The modern Forestry Commission road has been made across the site of the southern part of the row (and a roadside dump placed nearly on the line of the row, inconveniently imitating a cairn), while the terminal stone has vanished. This part of the row, it is true, has been largely robbed of its stones in former days, but the plan might have been completed by excavation for socket-holes. This possibility is now denied to future archaeologists.
The corridor in which the surviving part of stone row 6 and cairn 3 lie is too narrow: the row runs down its centre, and the cairn completely straddles it. Both are liable to suffer if timber is hauled along this route. A wide gap on the western side of the whole group of monuments would be advisable and the present corridor should be fenced off to prevent its use by through traffic.

Worth, R. H., 1967, Worth's Dartmoor, 222, Fig. 76 (Monograph). SDV337618.

Fernworthy A, southern row.
A stone in the face of a stone wall is probably taken from the row, of which, for present purposes, it has been taken as the end. The row is double, and measured from this assumed end to the centre of the cairn that forms its northern terminal is 64 metres in length. The internal width is 1.1 metres, equivalent to 1.25 metres, centre to centre, of the stones, and the spacing of the stones along the length of the row is 0.9 metres, centre to centre.

Turner, J. R., 1976, Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land. Fernworthy and Bellever (Report - non-specific). SDV351823.

Fernworthy Plantation Froggymeade 1.D
Site visit 1976. Double stone row, 64 metres long from the centre of the cairn to its north. Incorporating its terminal stone, and probably many more stones from the row in the new take wall on the southern side of the forestry road. Has not been planted over.
February 1976. Froggymead sites (1.D – 9.D) have been cleared as one open space. 14 posts ringing the clearance zone of sites 1.D, 2.D, 4.D, 5.D and 6.D with posts and rails at southern end. Trees on the western side are within falling distance of stone row.
Included in 1955 Spooner and Dixon report (B) Region north of the South Teign (Froggymeade, Toms Hill and Hemstone), Site No. 6.

Dartmoor National Park Authority + Forestry Commission + Dartmoor Preservation Association, 1976, Conservation of Ancient Monuments. The Report of a Working Party (Report - non-specific). SDV248248.

Turner, J., 1978, Report of Work Carried Out by the Forestry Commission since January 1976 (Report - non-specific). SDV351816.

Froggymead (D). No work has been carried out on this group of sites since February 1976. The clearance zone of this group should be marked out with posts as one open space so that there would be no need for any site number posts inside the clearance zone, making the site more photographic. Vegetation on these sites are very (?), in fact site 7D (cairn) looks in excellent condition.

Emmett, D. D., 1979, Stone Rows: The Traditional View Reconsidered, 111 (Article in Serial). SDV251087.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Not visible on 1946 Royal Air Force photos due to tree cover.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 144129 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visit 1997.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 162-5, 235, Map 35, Figure 35.7 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Fernworthy double stone row '3' at SX65488410 of 31 metres long with 13 stones. There is 1.3 metres between the rows and 1.28 metres between the stones which have an average height of 0.15 metres.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project, H. Chapman (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

[443857 / SX68SE59] (01/06/1995) A disturbed double stone row is centred SX 65488408. It is 21 metres long and is oriented north to south. At the northern end is a cairn offset slightly west of the alignment of the row. Beyond this to the north is Fernworthy Stone Circle. The southern end of the row is not very well preserved. The plan of 1898 depicts it terminating at a stone in the face of a wall, although the wall has since been removed.
The stones in the row average 0.5 metres to 0.6 metres tall and lie in an area of amorphous modern earthworks up to 0.3 metres deep.

Quinnell, N. V., 1995, Notes regarding Fernworthy Stone rows (Personal Comment). SDV276826.

Runs SX65478406 to SX65488410. 63 metres long.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 1996, Condition Survey of Identified Archaeology within Woodland Areas 1996 (Un-published). SDV351820.

Fernworthy, Froggymead Group 1D. Site visit 27th September 1996. Double stone row adjacent to track (north side), west of 4 and 5D. Marked by 1 post.
Recommendations: only 1 post marking this site. As the stones are very low to the ground it would be useful if another post was placed at the northern end of the site, so that the site could be more clearly identified.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Stone row is depicted on the survey layer. Map object based on this source.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Only four stones shown on survey.

Newman, P., 2013, Fernworthy Forest Sites Survey (Un-published). SDV351708.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Double stone row depicted on the modern mapping. Map object based on this source.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England, 1017984 (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

A stone circle, known as Fernworthy Circle, three stone alignments and five cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge. Together the stone alignments, stone circle and cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge represent one of the most complete prehistoric ritual complexes on Dartmoor, with excavation at the stone circle providing evidence for its use. Despite afforestation the monument survives well and will contain further archaeological and environmental information relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. See List for full details.

Newman, P., 2013, The Archaeology of Fernworthy Forest, Dartmoor, Devon, 12, 15, Fig. 11 (Report - Survey). SDV351784.

Stone Row a. This stone row to the south of the stone circle appears to be aligned coaxially with a diametric centre line of the circle, approximately SSE. Although many of the stones are missing and those that survive are very small, some barely breaking the surface of the turf, enough remains to establish that this was a double alignment of paired stones. Seventeen stones survive, all are small with a maximum footprint of 0.45m by 0.38m and the tallest stands to only 15cm. The overall distance between the current end stones is 34m and the rows are a little over 1m apart. It has been claimed (Worth 1953) that an upright stone in the modern wall to the south beyond the forest track was a part of this alignment and may have formed its southern terminal but this is unproven and the wall has since been effaced.
Near the northern end of the surviving alignment an earthen barrow (Barrow A) sits uncomfortably, slightly offset to the west. One stone survives to the north of the barrow suggesting that it overlies a preexisting stone row, breaking its continuity and is therefore later than the row, which in this case was probably erected to complement the circle not the barrow as is more usual.
The row has clearly been robbed of most of its stone and the ground in the vicinity is much disturbed and eroded. What appears to be a hollow trackway or ditch crosses the row and various diggings have resulted in hollows in the vicinity. This row, row C and the area surrounding them was not spared when the conifers were planted and although now cleared, tree stumps and machine furrows (not illustrated) bear witness to a period of rough treatment of these fragile features. However, Worth’s plan of 1898 shows a similarly depleted number of stones long before the forestry activity and it is likely the builders of the Fernworthy enclosure walls were responsible for the missing stones. It is also possible, given the small dimensions of the visible stones, that others remain in situ but have become overwhelmed by turf and topsoil.

National Monument Record, 2014, Pastscape, 443857 (Website). SDV355682.

Bronze Age double stone row South of Fernworthy Stone Circle. When planned in 1897 the row was 210' long from North to South and terminated at a stone wall. It is now reduced to 21.0m, the wall having since been removed. Towards the North end, and offset to the West, is a cairn, SX 68 SE 58, other contemporary sites are also in the area. Scheduled. NMR No. SX68SE59. Record last updated: N/A

Ordnance Survey, 2023, Mastermap 2023 (Cartographic). SDV365227.

'Stone Row' shown on modern mapping with about twelve stones shown.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6203 - Archaeological Survey of Fernworthy Forest
• EDV6216 - Condition Surveys of Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land
• EDV7389 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1996
• EDV7410 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1992
• EDV8521 - Row investigated, Fernworthy
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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