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Summary

Six pillow mounds lying on top of historic field boundaries. These form part of Hentor Warren. Five of the mounds were built upon an east-west field boundary and the sixth on the reused Willings Walls Reave. These field boundaries form part of an extensive field system which is considered to have been built during the Medieval period and reused in post-Medieval times. The pillow mounds survive as flat topped, sub rectangular mounds of soil and stone with 2m wide and 0.3m deep ditches either side of their long axis. Lengths vary from 16m up to over 35m.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019082: Multi-period remains at Hentor Warren

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE133
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/236/28
• Old SAM Ref: 24230(P)
• Pastscape: 438876

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PILLOW MOUND (Constructed, Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Brewer, D., 1986, A field guide to the boundary markers on and around Dartmoor, 52-4 (Monograph). SDV309252.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140488, 07/11/1995 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Six pillow mounds lying on top of historic field boundaries. These form part of Hentor Warren.
A [SX 5880 6580] 36m by 6m by 1m high. This mound is referred to as site no.102 831a in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
B [SX 5877 6581] 22m by 6m by 1m high. This mound is referred to as site no.102 831b in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
C [SX 5875 6581] 18m by 6m by 1m high. This mound is referred to as site no.102 831c in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
D [SX 5873 6582] 19m by 6m by 1m high. This mound is referred to as site no.102 831d in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory. National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
E [SX 5870 6583] 26m by 6m by 1m high. This mound is referred to as site no.102 831e in the National Trust Upper Plym Inventory.
F [SX 5871 6586] built upon the refurbished Willings Walls Reave. Measures 16m by 5m by 0.9m high.
The position of these mounds on top of the field boundaries indicates that they certainly post-date the creation of the field system and probably also post-date its abandonment for arable purposes.
Five of the mounds were built upon an east-west field boundary and the sixth on the reused Willings Walls Reave. These field boundaries form part of an extensive field system (SX56NE/385) which is considered to have been built during the Medieval period and reused in post-Medieval times. The pillow mounds survive as flat topped, sub rectangular mounds of soil and stone with 2m wide and 0.3m deep ditches either side of their long axis.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, Map 49 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 219-20/102.831 (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

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

Recorded in survey.

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

Visible on the aerial image.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPHT-42 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(24/03/2020) Condition assessed as moderate to good. Pillow mound A – SX5870 6586. Reeds cover approximately 40% of site at time of survey mainly concentrated on the north side. A two meter wide farm track from Plym Ford passes the south-west end of the pillow mound (see photo 2). Large stone at south-west end of pillow mound prevents track widening to further damage site and immediate area. Marked Vehicles and human impact as one due to disturbance so close to site, but as not recent kept mark low.
Note, recorder has walked this route for thirty years and has seen no deterioration in this time where the farm track cuts through the reave system to give access to Hen Tor.
Pillow mound B –SX5870 6583. Appears to be (from onsite observations and map) one of a series of pillow mounds, B being the end mound on an existing reave system. The gap between mounds has lightly used animal tracks passing through mound system. Site is stable.

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

Features photographed in March 2020.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey

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