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Summary

A cairn circle and cist on the SE side of Royal Hill, intervisible with two of three other cairns spaced along the 380m contour. The circle is 3.1m in overall diameter, comprising nine contiguous thick slabs, up to 0.9m long and from 0.3m to 0.7m high. There is virtually no cairn material but the interior has been levelled up to a height of 0.1m on the E, downhill side. A central cist oriented WNW to ESE is represented by two side stones which protrude 0.15m above ground.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Prehistoric cist on Royal Hill

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67SW35
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443334
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/58
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX67SW35

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

'Kistvaen (Remains of)' shown on 19th century map.

Burnard, R., 1890, Notes on Dartmoor Kistvaens, 205 (Article in Serial). SDV265355.

Ordnance Survey, 1906, 107SW (Cartographic). SDV336772.

Worth, R. H., 1908, 27th Report of the Barrow Committee, 85, Figure (Article in Serial). SDV265354.

Cist where two sides only remain, fallen together. One end stone can be identified as having been thrown out against the stones of the surrounding circle. Previously opened.

Worth, R. H., 1928, 47th Report of the Barrow Committee, 77, Plate 5, Figure 3 (Article in Serial). SDV345669.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1980, SX67SW35 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV261753.

(29/08/1950) Cist and retaining circle of cairn. A near perfect retaining circle. Diameter 3.0 metres. The coverstone appears to be at west side within the circle but is now earthbound. Condition very good. Height of earthen barrow 0.2 metres.
(05/02/1980) SX 62107242. On the lower south-east slope of Royal Hill at 384m.
OD. is the remains of a cist surrounded by an incomplete cairn circle, 2.9m. in diameter (see ground photographs). The cist is represented by two side stones aligned NW/SE and measures 0.85m. by 0.55m. and 0.4m. deep. There is now no coverstone and no cairn within the kerb.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD and at 1:2500 for AO Records. (See SX 67 SW 34).

National Monuments Record, 1969, NMR SX6273, 1 (Aerial Photograph). SDV261771.

Photograph taken on 12th April 1969.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 153 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Site visited on 19th July 1974. Cairn with retaining circle (11 slabs remain), enclosing cist, placed east-south-east to west-north-west; only the side slabs are visible. Cairn is on south-east side of Royal Hill, diameter 2.7 metres, height 0.1 metres.

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

Visible on aerial photograph.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit, M. J. Fletcher (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(16/06/1989) A cairn circle and cist on the SE side of Royal Hill, intervisible with two of three other cairns spaced along the 380m contour (SX 67 SW 34 and 72).
The circle is 3.1m in overall diameter, comprising nine contiguous thick slabs, up to 0.9m long and from 0.3m to 0.7m high.
Two others are fallen and slightly displaced while a third, within the W side of the circle, may be from a gap in the NW. There is virtually no cairn material but the interior has been levelled up to a height of 0.1m on the E, downhill side.
A central cist oriented WNW to ESE is represented by two side stones which protrude 0.15m above ground. They are 1.2m and 0.9m long and both about 0.2m thick and 0.4m deep. The longer, northern one leans inwards and touches the other at the W end; at the E the stones are 0.8m apart separated by two flat (packing ?) stones each about 0.35m across. An overgrown and embedded slab against the circle W if the cist may have been an end stone.
The cover stone probably suffered the common fate of being cut into posts, but a trimmed stone, 1.1m long and 0.35m square, lies 0.7m outside the circle on the SW and may be a relic.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 72, D21 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Ring setting, 2.8 metres diam, around central cist.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 230-234, Map 65, Figure 65.6 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Royal Hill E. '5' at SX62117242 of 3.0 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high with a cist. An almost complete retaining circle of good sized slabs surrounds the smallest cairn in the group but the cist has not survived so well. One of the side stones having collapsed across its partner. The cover and one of the retaning slabs now lean at an angle within the circle.

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

Cairn shown on survey.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

'Cist' is depicted on the modern mapping.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015-2017, 2015-2017 Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV361462.

Clearly visible on aerial photograph.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8628 - Tor Royal Farm Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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