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Summary

Eastern of two round Prehistoric cairns of 15 metres diameter by 1.8 metres high on summit of Yes Tor shown on 19th century map and now considerably damaged.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010596: Round cairn 50m north west of Yes Tor summit

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX59SE6
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440858
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX59SE/4
• Old SAM County Ref: 37B
• Old SAM Ref: 24162

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROUND CAIRN (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

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

Eastern of two 'Tumuli' shown on 19th century map among the rocks on the summit of Yes Tor.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 200 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 158 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Site visited on 11th July 1976. A shapeless mass of stones added to Yes Tor, impossible to measure accurately. Diameter 25.0 to 35 metres by 3 metres high.

1979, SX59SE6 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV256079.

(06/09/1979) SX 58049016. On the top of the flat outcrop of Yes Tor and piled against the west side is an amorphous mass of stones representing a ruined cairn. The patch of stones on the top is more or less 14.0m across and 0.3 m high and the piling against the outcrop is 2.3m high. It is possible that this has resulted from bulldozing the cairn over the side of the outcrop but the stones appear quite stable and compacted.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD. See ground photographs.

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

Not visible on aerial photograph.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133361 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 10th February 1994. Round cairn between 2 rock outcrops on the summit of Yes Tor. Mound measures 15 metres in diameter and stands up to 1.8 metres high. Has seen limited damage as a result of military, visitor and early antiquarian activity and as a result its core is exposed, revealing traces of drystone walling which may either be original features or later additions. A mound of material standing up to 2.3 metres high, lying on a terrace immediately below and south of the cairn may be spoil from an early undocumented excavation.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 214, 244, Map 42, Site '1' (Monograph). SDV219155.

Yes Tor '2' cairn at SX58039091 of at least 20 metres in diameter. Large damaged cairn between two rock piles near the summit of Yes Tor. It is now a formless mound of stones much pitted exposing some of the natural blocks underneath.

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 2003-2004, Measured survey North Dartmoor Military Range Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV350801.

(15/09/2003) These features are as described in 1979 and have suffered no additional damage in the past quarter century.

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

Cairn shown on survey.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England, 1010596 (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

This monument includes a round cairn situated between two rock outcrops on the summit of Yes Tor which overlooks much of North Devon. The cairn mound measures 15 metres in diameter and stands up to 1.8 metres high. This cairn has seen limited damage as a result of military, visitor and early antiquarian activity and as a result its core is exposed, revealing traces of drystone walling which may either be original features or later additions. A mound of material standing up to 2.3 metres high, lying on a terrace immediately below and south of the cairn may be spoil from an early undocumented excavation.

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

Eastern of two 'Cairns' shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7620 - Okehampton Artillary Range
• EDV8679 - Okehampton Range: Management Survey
• EDV8291 - Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8695 - Survey of Okehampton North Dartmoor Military Range

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