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Summary

380 metre length of the Great Western Reave surviving as a 2 metre wide, 0.5 metre high rubble bank, running downslope from the eastern end of the Merrivale stone alignments in a south easterly direction. At least five separate cairns lie on top of or immediately adjacent to the reave, whilst one stone hut circle is attached to it and another two lie in close proximity. Hut circles are also closely associated. Southern end of the reave is lost in an area of tin streamworking.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1013429: Three stone alignments, ten cairns, three stone hut circles and a length of the Great Western Reave on Longash Common

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE116
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440360
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/167
• Old SAM Ref: 24193(PART)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• REAVE (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Fleming, A., 1978, The Prehistoric Landscape of Dartmoor. Part 1: South Dartmoor, 97-123 (Article in Serial). SDV235265.

Continuation of Great Western Reave.

National Monument Record, 1979, SF1510/174 (Aerial Photograph). SDV235271.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX57SE116 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV235266.

(28/01/1980) A discontinuous reave extends for 380 metres in a south-easterly direction from SX55587479 near the end of a stone row and the crest of a low broad ridge, terminating at SX55787446 on a low cliff demarcating an area of tin streaming. The northern 100 metres is shown and described on the Ordnance Survey 6 inch (1962) map as 'track of old wall' and the reave as a whole is considered by Fleming to be part of the 'Great Western Reave'.
There is no consistent pattern of construction; rather poor double-facing, in situ boulders and rubble occur haphazardly, the width varying from 1.5 metres to 2.3 metres with an average height of 0.6 metres. Towards the southern end about 30.0 metres is spread and turf-covered, appearing as a grassy bank 3.2 metres wide and 0.3 metres high. An unusual aspect is the number of breaks. Two 'a' and 'b' of 180 metres and 25.0 metres may indicate respect for pre-existing settlement; others, of 6.0 metres to 8.0 metres seem not to be modern or the result of stone robbing, while at 'c' SX55747451 there is a distinct inturn to the south-west. The linear cairns in the northern half are also of particular note. The northernmost is clearly subsequent to the reave, upright slabs of which protrude through the top. Four others, detached but more or less aligned, could represent constrictions within a gap, but this cannot apply to the sixth which is deliberately detached from, or ignored by, the alignment. There is some reason to doubt whether this should be considered the Great Western Reave, another part of which is 500 metres to the north-east, but would require a re-alignment of 70 degrees. A continuation of the present alignment, interrupted by 300 metres of settlement and clitter, leads to a further 200 metres of reave which ends near the bank of the River Walkham.
It is arguable that the 'Great Western Reave' is not a single land boundary but a number of units with local functions.

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

Visible on National Monuments Record aerial photograph and recorded on map overlay.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP133497, 1994 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

380 metre length of Great Western Reave running from above SX55777446 to SX55587479. Within the scheduled area it runs downslope in a south-easterly direction, is composed of loose rubble, measures 2 metres wide and stands up to 0.5 metres high.
At least five separate cairns lie on top of or immediately adjacent to the reave, whilst one hut circle is attached to it and another two lie in close proximity. An 80 metre break in the reave exists within the vicinity of the two hut circles although it probably survives along this length as a buried feature. The southern end of the reave terminates on the edge of a tin streamwork which has destroyed the southern extension. The northern end of the reave is visible up to the eastern end of the stone alignment [MDV14795]. A length of rubble walling within scheduling SM 24191 at SX55597486 may represent a continuation of this reave, which after a considerable break reappears at SX55677534.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 31 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Reave originating on Long Ash Brook, with five or six small cairns cited alongside/on it. Tapers to a stop opposite the double stone rows, which it appears to have pre-dated, as their staggered eastern ends match its orientation.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, Map 44.8 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2000, The Merrivale Guardianship Area, Walkhampton, Devon, 7 (Report - Survey). SDV344969.

(07/02/2000) Part of the Great Western Reave which exists as a 155 metre length of earth fast blocks and boulders interspersed with patches of smaller and more compact material. Has suffered greatly from stone robbing and would have been far more substantial in its original form. At the eastern edge of the guardianship area, the reave measures 2.5 metres wide and is on average 0.4 metres high, although it diminishes in height and disappears completely immediately to the north of the leat.
The reave is as described by the Ordnance Survey (1980). From the form of the field remains it is obvious that the reave has provided stone for a relatively recent episode of wall-building in the immediate area. Much of the reave's fabric has been repositioned or removed accentuating the remaining material which has been described by Authorities 1 and 3 as linear clearance and cairns. Several gaps have been created in the reave, which formerly blocked the path of a 17th century route between Tavistock and Ashburton, though it is interesting that there are no hollow ways or other defined tracks on this part of Walkhampton Common. The often fragmentary remains of this reave are on average 0.4m high.

Dartmoor National Park + English Heritage, 2004, Merrivale: An Archaeological Landscape (Leaflet). SDV320201.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2004, SMC for reave at Merrivale (Correspondence). SDV320169.

Scheduled Monument Consent granted for works concerning a five year programme of management works including erosion repairs.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England, Accessed 22/08/2016 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

This monument includes three stone alignments, ten cairns, three stone hut circles and a length of the Great Western Reave, it is situated on a gentle south west facing slope on Longash Common overlooking the valley of the River Walkham.
In the area to the south east of the alignments, a length of the Great Western Reave together with three stone hut circles and five cairns are visible. The Great Western Reave has a total length of over 10km and is the longest known prehistoric land division boundary on Dartmoor. A 380m length of the reave survives within this scheduling where it runs downslope in a south easterly direction, is composed of rubble, measures 2m wide and stands up to 0.5m high.
At least five separate cairns lie on top of or immediately adjacent to the reave, whilst one stone hut circle is attached to it and another two lie in close proximity. An 80m break in the reave apparently exists within the vicinity of the two stone hut circles, although the reave probably survives along this length as a buried feature. The southern end of the reave terminates on the edge of a tin streamwork, which has destroyed the southern extension. The northern end of the reave is visible up to the eastern end of the northern stone alignment. The five cairns associated with the reave are all considered to be more recent than the reave and are believed to have been constructed to serve a funerary purpose. The four northern cairns partly overlie the Great Western Reave whilst the southern one lies 1m to the east. These cairns vary in diameter from 2.5m to 5m and in height from 0.6m to 0.75m. One of the cairns has a kerb made up of two concentric rings of stone.
The three stone hut circles situated within the vicinity of the Great Western Reave each survive as banks of stone and earth surrounding a circular internal area. The interior of the northern hut measures 7.5m in diameter and is surrounded by a 1.8m wide wall standing up to 0.6m high. The interior of the western hut measures 6m in diameter and is defined by a 1.8m wide wall standing up to 0.7m high, except on the SSW where partial robbing has removed a 4m length of walling. Within the vicinity of both huts the Great Western Reave survives as a buried feature. The southern stone hut circle is attached to the western side of the reave and its interior measures 6.3m in diameter. The surrounding outer walls are 1.6m wide and stand up to 0.3m high.

National Monument Record, 2016, Pastscape (Website). SDV359354.

It is arguable that the 'Great Western Reave' is not a single land boundary but a number of units with purely local functions (citing Fleming, 1978).

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, MER-21 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 2/10/2019. Reave covered with grass with plentiful gorse outcrops. Overall condition moderate. Photo taken.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, MER-21 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photo looking 350° showing grass and gorse cover.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4830 - Survey of guardianship area, Merrivale
• EDV8901 - Palaeoenvironmental sampling, Merrivale

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