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Summary

Northern of three cairns east of Drizzlecombe stone rows of 8.8 metres diameter by 0.8 metres high. Surrounding the mound, are two rings of upright stones, the nearest denoting the periphery and the second lying about 1.5 metres from the cairn. This cairn does not appear to have an associated stone row.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1014145: Three stone alignments, 15 cairns, a cist, a partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement and a small clapper bridge at Drizzle Combe

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE41
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438616
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/22
• Old SAM County Ref: 462
• Old SAM Ref: 24104

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Northern of three 'Tumuli' shown on 19th century map.

Brent, F., 1883, On a group of prehistoric remains on Dartmoor, 218 (Article in Serial). SDV273189.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 293-294 plate 35 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1980, SX56NE41 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV229625.

(02/11/1950) A turf covered cairn 1.0m high surrounded by the remains of a retaining circle 8m diameter. A hollow is visible in the centre of the barrow.
(09/09/1980) A turf-covered cairn 6.5m. in diameter and 0.8m. high. The diameter of the retaining circle, of which eight stones remain, is 8.0m., the stones averaging 0.3m. high. Worth tentatively suggests that a stone row could have been intended between this cairn and the upright slab to the south-east (SX 56 NE 1888), but there are no traces of any stones to sustain this suggestion.
Cairn surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

Worth, R. H., 1967, Worth's Dartmoor, 209-12 (Monograph). SDV337618.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 167/sheepstor 28 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(29/07/1972) Cairn with traces of retaining circle, 8m in diameter, 1m high.

National Monuments Record, 1983, SF2134, 80 (Aerial Photograph). SDV231262.

Robinson, R., 1984, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1984 (Un-published). SDV343082.

Visited 17/2/1984.

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

Recorded in project.

Robinson, R. + Cosford, J., 1986, Dartmoor multiple stone circles, 166-170, map, diagram (Article in Serial). SDV165686.

The cairn lies on a gentle south-western slope and is part of the complex group of cairns, stone rows and standing stones at drizzlecombe, though not itself directly associated with a stone row. It is 8m in diameter and 0.9m high, with traces of a retaining kerb, and in this case the associated concentric circles (three or four) are just outside the edge of the cairn proper.

Quinnell, N. V., 1988, Plan of the Drizzlecombe Stone Rows and associated features, Cairn A (Plan - measured). SDV232055.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 54 80/f24 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Encircled cairn, with outer ring of orthostats 9.6m in diameter and inner ring 7.4m diameter around cairn 5.9m diameter and 0.9m high.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133422, 12/03/1993 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(12/03/1993) Cairn survives as an 8.8m diameter mound standing up to 0.8m high. An L-shaped hollow cutting through the mound, measuring 1.2m wide and 0.3m deep, represents the site of robbing or a partial early excavation. Surrounding the mound, are two rings of upright stones, the nearest denoting the periphery and the second lying about 1.5m from the cairn.
This type of cairn is described by Turner as an encircled cairn with multiple circles. No stone alignment leads from this mound, although Worth has suggested that a solitary upright stone at SX 5899 6692 may have been intended to form part of an alignment leading from this cairn.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 135-40, 210, Map 49, Figures 49.19 & 49.19.4 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Drizzlecombe cairn '4' at SX59236709 of 8.8 metres diameter by 0.9 metres high is the northern of a row of three cairns at the east end of the Drizzlecombe stone rows. It does't have an associated stone row but has an elaborate structure surrounded by at least two concentric rings of much smaller slabs, many of them buried. The outer ring stands well outside the mound, a second closely surrounds its base and there may well be others covered by the cairn.

Quinnell, N. V., 1995, Cairn (Worksheet). SDV350843.

(10/09/1995) Much disturbed cairn. 0.3 metres high on the north-west side and 0.8 metres high on the south-east. Overall diameters are 7.5 metres by 8.5 metres with a flattish top, 4.3 metres to 5.0 metres across with a large, irregular robbing trench 4.5m long, 1.0 - 2.0m wide and 0.3m deep.
The fairly straight northern edge of the cairn may be the result of further robbing. Around the perimeter are 25 firmly embedded stones about 1.0 metre apart and mostly less than 0.1 metres high. Eight instances suggest there was originally a double 'circle', one at or just within the perimeter, the other 0.5 - 1.0 metres beyond. Neither forms a true circle or is concentric; the lack of height to the stones is unusual but their disposition does not seem to be a natural occurrence. Unlike the other nearby terminal cairns, no stone row has been found in association. Measured plan also included.

Quinnell, N. V., 1995, Drizzlecombe SX 59226709 (NAR 56NE41) (Plan - measured). SDV363470.

(1995) Measured plan of the cairn and encircling stones; all measured. Includes section of cairn.

Devon Archaeological Society, 1995, The Drizzlecombe Stone Rows, 11 (Leaflet). SDV272662.

Department of National Heritage, 1996, Consent granted (Correspondence). SDV229631.

(10/04/1996) Consent granted for works concerning erosion repairs.

Fletcher, M. + Newman, P. + Probert, S., 1999, Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor areas in the Plym Valley, West Devon (Report - Survey). SDV346268.

(20/08/1999) A damaged cairn of 7.0m in diameter is enclosed by the remnants of a low single (or perhaps double) kerb which is on average 8.5m in diameter. The mound is up to 0.8 m high but spoil has been deposited on the top from a long abandoned curvilinear trench, now very ragged and 0.5m deep, which has been cut in from the north side.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

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

Cairn shown on survey.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Cairn visible on aerial photograph.

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

Visited 05/02/2020. Overall condition moderate. Photo taken.

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

Photo looking 140° showing grass/moss and bracken cover.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

Cairn shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)
• EDV4966 - Survey of Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor. The Eylesbarrow archaeological landscape

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