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Summary

The Great Western Reave measures over 10 kilometres in length and is the longest known prehistoric land division boundary on Dartmoor. This record covers the most southerly section of the reave (two sections measuring a combined length of 2.58 kilometres). Along its length, the width of the reave varies between 2.5 metres and 4 metres, whilst its height varies between 0.2 metres and 0.7 metres. A second reave leads off at right angles at SX55777088 and there are hut circles and cairns associated with the reave.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019589: A length of the Great Western Reave, a prehistoric settlement, three cairns and two field systems on Walkhampton Common
• SHINE: Earthwork and structural remains on Walkhampton Common including 19th century Swelltor and Foggintor Quarries, a section of the early 19th century Plymouth and Dartmoor Tramway, later converted to railway, also streamworks along the Yes Tor Brook

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE79
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440253
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/170
• Old SAM Ref: 34425(P)(PART)
• Pastscape: 440253

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, 106G/UK/1190, 3269 (Aerial Photograph). SDV170515.

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

Continuation of the Great Western Reave south of Leeden Tor. The southern part of the Great Western Reave is broken at Leeden Tor, SX 563718, and is heavily overgrown and robbed.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX57SE79 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV235316.

(05/08/1980) (The reave has a number of discontinuous lengths between SX 552702 and SX 543787 (White Tor) a distance of over 10 kms. These have been dealt with separately under individual antiquity numbers.
The reave extends from SX 55217030 (to the north-east of enclosed land in which it probably once continued) to SX 56567251, at a tributary of the River Walkham, a total distance of 2.67 kilometres. It is well-defined and tends towards higher ground for much of its course but neither follows the contours nor has any particular point of alignment, save perhaps Leeden Tor, towards which it gradually curves and skirts the north-west side.
There are several modern breaks and one area of clitter where it is discontinued (see illustration) plan for details). Some gaps at SX563719, north of the Tor, may represent original incompletion; there is no reason for robbing in this area and large scale quarrying 70 metres to the west has not intruded on the course.
The reave makes a distinct easterly turn before reaching its northerly end on the stream. It may have originally ceased about here, though tin streaming has enlarged the area of marsh; certainly there is no sign of any continuation beyond. A comparison may be made with the next lengths 2 kilometres to the north-north-west (MDV15033 and MDV12817).
The only appendages to the reave are a branch to the north-west (MDV28231) and a half dozen huts attached to either side (MDV19958). Surveyed at 1:10 000 on M.S.D.

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

Visible on the 1946 Royal Air Force aerial photographs and recorded on map overlay.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP152591, 21/3/2000 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

A length of the Great Western Reave on Walkhampton Common. A 2660 metre length of the Great Western Reave. Towards its south-western end it survives as a 3 metre wide and 0.3 metre high earthwork. In the vicinity of field system MDV57042 it measures 4 metres wide by 0.4 metres high and survives as an earthwork with occasional protruding stones. Within the vicinity of hut it measures 2.8 metres wide by 0.6 metres high and is of rubble bank construction (SX56047133).

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 85, Map 45 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Reave is depicted by Butler.

Fletcher, M. J., 2007-2008, Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project (Report - Survey). SDV359195.

(24/06/2007) The reave at Walkhampton Common extends from the newtake enclosure in the south-west, across a high broad shelf located to the north-west of Sharpitor; here a short spur reave runs down the slope to the north-west. It then runs across a broad valley and over the western flank of Leeden Tor before being cut by a steep tinners' cliff. Just before it is lost it takes a dramatic north-easterly turn. It cannot be traced further north so it may have terminated at the river before it was destroyed by the streamworks It is generally well-preserved and well-defined.
Parts of the reave are now bracken covered. Surveyed at 1:2500.

Simmonds, A. + Champness, C., 2015, Excavation of a Transect Across the Great Western Reave at Walkhampton Common, Dartmoor, 1 (Report - Excavation). SDV359812.

The excavation demonstrated that the reave was constructed in two phases, comprising an earthen bank that was succeeded by a roughly built drystone wall. A palinological sequence was recovered from beneath the reave and indicated that it was constructed in a grassland landscape that was already in use for grazing livestock. No artefactual evidence was recovered and the only sample suitable for radiocarbon dating was a solitary hazelnut shell, which returned a date range that attributed the nut to the early Mesolithic period.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

'Boundary work' is depicted on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England, 1019589 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

The monument, which falls into two areas of protection, includes a length of the Great Western Reave, a prehistoric settlement, three cairns, two field systems and a boundary stone on Walkhampton Common.
The Great Western Reave measures over 10 kilometres long and is the longest known prehistoric land division boundary on Dartmoor. A 2.58 kilometre length of the reave survives within the monument. The first part leads from National Grid Reference SX55217030 to SX56157163 and the second part leads from National Grid Reference SX56207173 to SX56567251. Along its length, the width of the reave varies between 2.5 metres and 4 metres whilst its height varies between 0.2 metres and 0.7 metres. Where the core of the reave is visible, it is of rubble bank construction.
A second reave leads off at right angles at National Grid Reference SX55777088 and this one measures 500 metres long by 1.5 metres wide and 0.5 metres high.
A prehistoric settlement lies adjacent to the Great Western Reave at National Grid Reference SX56007126 and includes at least six stone hut circles and two enclosures. One of the huts has a visible doorway, all six are butted to the Great Western Reave and two are in turn butted by enclosure walling. These relationships indicate that the reave was constructed first, followed by the stone hut circles and finally the enclosures.
Towards the south western end of the Great Western Reave are two field systems and three cairns.

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

Visited 09/04/2019. Bad damage at SX55852 71013. Animal trample has caused water erosion in large area and there are also a couple of sheep rub areas here. Photos X 3 taken

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

Visited 09/04/2019. Photos X 3 taken. 1) Reave going at right angles. 2) Reave damage 3) Water erosion

Newman, P., 2019, An Archaeological Survey of an area of Walkhampton Common, Dartmoor National Park, Devon, Appendix, Figure 6 (Report - Survey). SDV363478.

Great Western Reave (SW section between Goadstone Pond and the Peekhill outer enclosures, circa 645 metres). The condition of the reave varies in character over the section investigated. As it progresses south-west from Goadstone the reave has some stone from the original wall protruding through the earthwork bank but as it descends the slope towards Peak Hill, it develops into a low spread earthwork of up to 4 metres wide by 0.3 metres high, becoming particularly feint near where it meets the modern enclosures. Two anomalies were observed during investigation. One is a deviation of 2 metres in the reave’s alignment at SX55318 70400, giving a distinct kink. At SX55514 70553 a 17 metre long earthwork spur extends west from the reave to align with a large earthwork bank (MDV57042) to the west, although the two are not connected.

Newman, P., 2019, Walkhampton Common Survey data (GIS and Excel Spreadsheet) (Cartographic). SDV363701.

Feature shown on survey.

Radcliffe, B., 2021, Field visit to sites on Walkhampton Common (Correspondence). SDV364264.

(23/03/2021) At SX 55761 70863 and further north along Walkhampton Common reave there are signs of structures:- (some small circular ones and a rectangular one) built against the reave.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7095 - Excavation of a transect across the Great Western Reave on Walkhampton Common (Ref: 5879)
• EDV8225 - Survey of an area of Walkhampton CommonSurvey of an area of Walkhampton Common
• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project

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