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Summary

The northernmost of the three rows (or groups of rows) originally identified. This row originates from Cairn A at the north-eastern end (see MDV15960) and is a single row of stones running for nearly 200 metres. Location of polygon is approximate.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1013031: Multiple stone alignment and associated cairns west of Glasscombe Upper Plantation
• SHINE: Earthwork and structural remains of the Corringdon Ball complex; three stone rows and a number of prehistoric cairns on Ugborough Moor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SE43
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 441898
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SE/3/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 371
• Old SAM Ref: 10569

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Lukis, W. C. + Pode, J. D., 1880, Unpublished 'Plan of two Monuments on the Moor outside Glazecombe Moor Wall between the East and West Glazebrooks, Dartmoor' (Plan - measured). SDV142516.

Worth, R. N., 1892, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor, 387-417 (Article in Serial). SDV237176.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 380 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 313, plate 40 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Corringdon Ball A: a single stone row, length 157 metres, spacing 1.0 metres, starting on the east with a cairn, diameter 6.7 metres, previously opened. The first stone of the row lies 18 metres west of the cairn's centre; there has been considerable robbery for the benefit of modern stone walls. The row clearly extends for 157 metres from the centre of the cairn, but with long intervals between the last stones. The stones are small, the highest being 635 millimetres.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX66SE43, 13/4/1950 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV350960.

Worth's description is accurate. Stone row A of Corringdon Ball group. A single row with a cairn at eastern end, 6.6 metres in diameter and 0.6 metres high. Cairn opened at some time past. Robbing of row considerable but clearly extends for 150 metres from centre of cairn, direction north 48 degrees 30' east. Row number. 57 (Worth’s publication).

Worth, R. H., 1967, Worth's Dartmoor, 231-232 (Monograph). SDV337618.

Davidson, C. + Seabrook, R., 1973, Stone Rings on south-east Dartmoor, 26 (Article in Serial). SDV345864.

The Glazebrook group of stone rows at Corringdon Ball consists of one single row, A, the most northerly, starting from a cairn, and two treble rows, B and C, starting from a retaining circle.
The cairn is 22 feet in diameter, 2 feet high and has been opened at some time.
A. A single row extending some 507 feet from the centre of the cairn. The first stone of the row lies some 58 ft west of the centre of the cairn. The retaining circle, 37 ft. internal diameter lies 41 feet to the south east of the cairn.
B. A triple row, parallel to A, and 260 feet in length measured from abreast the centre of the circle.
C. A triple row, some 219 feet in length measured from abreast the centre of the circle.
In the space between B and C are two stones 78 feet apart, marked P, P on plan. A line through these stones, produced to the east passes precisely through the centre of the circle.
To the north west of the cairn, at a distance of 165 feet on a line through the centres of the cairn and the circle is a damaged cairn. (Possibly SX 66 SE 42 which lies in the right direction though at a further distance).

Gaskell-Brown, C. + Hankin, C., 1974 -1978, Ugborough Parish Checklist (Worksheet). SDV161354.

Stone rows and cairn at Glazebrook, near Corringdon Ball. Situated on the open moorland between East and West Glazebrooks, near the wall which is the perimeter of the moor; a complicated set of stones which can only be aligned into rows by very exact survey. The stones are all small and of low height, and there is considerable traffic of cattle and pedestrians over this ground which tends to obscure the outline of the rows.

National Monuments Record, 1977, NMR SX6660, 6/309 (Aerial Photograph). SDV176911.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX66SE43 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV178395.

(15/08/1977) West of the East Glaze Brook at Glasscombe Upper Plantation at approximately 310.0m OD is a group of stone rows running north east-southwest with a cairn and a retaining circle at the north east end.
The cairn is a turf-covered mount of stones with a diameter of 6.8m and 0.4m in height and with two stones of its retaining circle still visible on the south west side. The single row of stones (A) runs directly towards the centre of this cairn, its length being 133.0m from end-stone to end-stone, or 154.0m to centre of cairn, and is shown on Worth's plan; his general description with sizes of stones is correct. The retaining circle has a diameter of 11.5m, with six of its stones still standing and one recumbent on the south - the largest stone is 0.3m x 0.3m and 0.5m high. Running approximately in direction of the north and south sides of this circle respectively are the triple stone rows (B) and (C). It appears that both these triple rows are much longer than indicated by Worth, a further fifteen stones being visible in row (B) approximately in line and a further nine at least in row (C). (See amended plan). The length of row (B) is thus 123.5m from the centre of the retaining circle and row (C) 116.5m. These further stones are of minimal height above ground level (not exceeding 0.1m) but are clearly similar to the other stones in the rows and roughly in the same alignment, bearing in mind that the triple rows are of a somewhat haphazard nature.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 171 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Visted 23/6/1973. Cairn 7.0 metres in diameter, 0.4 metres high at lower end of stone row.

Emmett, D. D., 1979, Stone Rows: The Traditional View Reconsidered, 106, 111 (Article in Serial). SDV251087.

Robinson, R. + Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, Two Unrecorded Prehistoric Multiple Stone Rings, Glasscombe, Ugborough, South Dartmoor (Article in Serial). SDV142714.

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

Visited 12/06/1984.

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

Part of this stone is visible on National Monuments Record 1977 aerial photograph.

Robinson, R. + Griffiths, D. + Cosford, J., 1990, The Corringdon Multiple Stone Rows: A Resurvey, 179-185 (Article in Serial). SDV142469.

1990 resurvey showed the row to be nearly 200 metres long.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 91-2, Map 56, Figure 56.8 (Monograph). SDV337765.

'Corringdon Ball stone rows and cairns' includes seven stone rows. At the east end the three north rows are spaced about 1 metre apart increasing to 3 metres on either side of the central row and about 1.5 metres between the three south rows. Westwards the rows curve slightly uphill but the southern rows converge towards this end. Rows five and six seem to combine a third of the wayy slong but the arrangement is far from clear. At the better preserved north-east end the stones are set at fairly constant intervals of 2.0 metres and care was taken to align them across the rows though at few points are all seven members now visible.

English Heritage, 2015, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV357602.

See designation detail.

Richards, A. F., 2016, Location of cairns and stone rows at Corringdon Ball (Personal Comment). SDV359400.

There are varying grid references provided for the stone rows and they cannot be identified from the aerial photographs. The existing polygons are a 'best guess', based on the dimensions of the rows as provided but will require amendment in the future when up to date survey is carried out using modern techniques.

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

Mastermap shows part of the rows and five circular features at the north-eastern end. These are not thought to be particularly accurate and have not been used for digitising (Richards, A. F., 15/02/2016).

Riley, H., 2021, Archaeological Survey: Ugborough Premier Archaeological Landscape, Harford and Ugborough, 10, 7.1.5, Figures 14-15 (Report - Survey). SDV364697.

Corringdon Ball stone alignments. Alignment of small stones and cairns between the West Glaze Brook and the East Glaze Brook to the south of the long mortuary enclosure. One single row and several linear stone alignments are associated with four cairns, a circular stone alignment, six upright stones in a curving alignment and three rather irregular arrangements of small upright stones.

Riley, H., 2021, UG21 heritage asset database and gazetteer of sites (Report - Survey). SDV364699.

Part of Corringdon Ball stone alignments.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8476 - Excavation at Corringdon Ball
• EDV8770 - Archaeological Survey: Ugborough Premier Archaeological Lanscape, Harford and Ugborough

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