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Summary

Double stone row to the north of the stone circle at Fernworthy; the longest of the three rows in the Froggymead ceremonial complex. The southern section of this row survives better than the northern section leading to the barrow; only two isolated stones can now be seen between the barrow and the main group of stones.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017984: A stone circle, known as Fernworthy Circle, three stone alignments and five cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge

Other References/Statuses

• MPP Archaeological Item Dataset: 144126
• National Monuments Record: SX68SE55
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443853
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/14
• Old SAM County Ref: 593E
• Old SAM Ref: 28672
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SE55

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STONE ALIGNMENT (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.

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

Baring Gould, S., 1898, Fifth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 107 (Article in Serial). SDV337066.

Double stone row to the north of the circle. Pillaged; pits of stones traceable. Row points to the circle, but it is doubtful if it was ever joined to it.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Stone Row' shown on early 20th century map.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 304 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 224, Fig.76 (Monograph). SDV231148.

350 feet (107 metres) north 6 degrees east from the centre of the stone circle lie the first stones of Row B. Double row, fairly perfect at the southern end, but to the north most of the stones are either lost or buried.
It terminates in a small mound or barrow at the north end. Its length is 340 feet (104 metres) as measured to the centre of the mound. The lines average 3 feet 3 inches (0.98 metres) apart, inside measurement, equivalent to 3 feet 10 inches (1.16 metres) centre to centre; the stones stand at intervals of 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 metres) centre to centre along the row. This alignment has been said to point to the circle, but its line is tangential to the west circumference.

Spooner, G. M. + Birkett Dixon, C. E., 1955, Note on the Antiquities situated in the Forestry Commission ground at Fernworthy and Bellever. Appendix 1, 2 (Report - non-specific). SDV351955.

The northern stone row (8) was given a narrow clearing only for its more perfect southern half; the more ruinous northern half, with the small barrow (9), from which it led, being planted over. The trees are now well grown and, though buried beneath new humus, the fixed stones and terminal barrow have been located. The end transverse stone (marked with an arrow on Map 2) has a tree growing close to it right in the line of the row. It is very desirable that this tree be removed as soon as possible, and also other trees in the line of the row (thinning appears to be contemplated in this region, and these trees might be included with others already marked).

Turner, J. R., 1976, Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land. Fernworthy and Bellever (Report - non-specific). SDV351823.

Fernworthy Plantation, Froggymeade D (site number 8.D). (Spooner and Dixon Site No. 8). Site visit 1976. Double stone row 107 metres north of the stone circle. 102 metres in length, almost perfect at the southern end, but to the north most of the stones are lost or buried. Has not been planted over.
February 1976. Froggymead sites (1.D – 9.D) have been cleared as one open space. The barrier across the forestry ride which intersects the stone row has not been renewed, and the one on the eastern side is missing. No posts ringing the clearance zone. Trees outside are within falling distance of rows.
Included in 1955 Spooner and Dixon report (b) Region North of the South Teign, Site No. 8.

Dartmoor National Park Authority + Forestry Commission + Dartmoor Preservation Association, 1976, Conservation of Ancient Monuments. The Report of a Working Party (Report - non-specific). SDV248248.

Turner, J., 1978, Report of Work Carried Out by the Forestry Commission since January 1976, 1 (Report - non-specific). SDV351816.

Froggymead (D). No work has been carried out on this group of sites since February 1976. The clearance zone of this group should be marked out with posts as one open space so that there would be no need for any site number posts inside the clearance zone, making the site more photographic. Vegetation on these sites are very (?), in fact site 7D (cairn) looks in excellent condition.

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

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 144126 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visit 28th April 1997. Located within a substantial forest clearing. The row is kept clear of scrub although beyond this is dense gorse and some heather. A path is developing down the centre of the row.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 162-5, 234, Map 35, Figure 35.8 (Monograph). SDV219155.

'Fernworthy Stone rows 1' a double stone row at SX65538429 of 101 metres long with 1.4 metres between the two rows. The distance between the stones along the rows is 1.65 metres and the average height of the stones is 0.14 metres. The rows start 140 metres north of the stone circle. The 1898 plan shows a mound with a stone alongside as its northern terminus. The northern half of the row was once overplanted and all but a single flat slab has disappeared, perhaps buried under the turf. The southern half remains with regularly spaced stones and few gaps, ending abruptly at disturbed ground.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project, H. Chapman (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(01/06/1995) Centred SX 65518426, to the north of Fernworthy stone circle, is a double stone row. At its northern end are the disturbed remains of a barrow. The row survives well for 125m although beyond this (to the north) it has been heavily disturbed by forestry activity as far as the barrow. The plan of 1898, made prior to afforestation, shows the northern end of the double row as already `buried or lost'.
The surviving part of the double row contains paired, low stones 0.8m to 1.4m apart, averaging 0.3m high, although many are flush with the ground. The tallest stones are at the S end. The alignment of the row is tangential to the circle.
The barrow at the northern end of the row measures 6m in diameter, although it is very amorphous due to tree planting. There is a large proportion of stone in the centre of the low mound, as well as some amorphous scarping and one large upright slab.

Quinnell, N. V., 1995, Notes regarding Fernworthy Stone rows (Personal Comment). SDV276826.

Named 'stone row' on 1963 Ordnance Survey 6 inch and 2.5 inch maps, but no row shown. Length 104 metres from Worth, but no grid references to indicate extent possible to get from the current maps.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 1996, Condition Survey of Identified Archaeology within Woodland Areas 1996 (Un-published). SDV351820.

Site visit 27th September 1996. Fernworthy, Froggymead Group 8D.
Double stone row north of 3D, beyond forestry ride. Marked by 1 post.
Recommendations: a footpath has been created in between the double stone row. Perhaps a signpost directing people around the monument would deter this? Other details: photo.

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

Stone row is depicted on the survey layer.

Newman, P., 2013, Fernworthy Forest Sites Survey (Un-published). SDV351708.

Newman, P., 2013, The Archaeology of Fernworthy Forest, Dartmoor, Devon, 15, Fig. 12 (Report - Survey). SDV351784.

Stone Row b. The longest of the three rows, and possibly once much longer, commences 105m NNE of the circle at which point the first pair of visible stones is located. From there this double row undoubtedly extended a further 100m, terminating at Barrow 5, although for the c.45m leading up to the barrow most of the stones are missing. It is not known if or how far the southern end of the row once extended or whether it terminated near the circle. However, had it continued south in a straight line the row would have tangentially clipped the western edge of the circle, so it seems unlikely, unless the missing section deviated slightly to compensate and hit the row more centrally.
The rows are 1.2 – 1.5m apart. The western row has 22 stones in situ and the eastern row has 21, arranged as 15 pairs, with each row having a number of singles where a corresponding stone is absent. The largest stone has a footprint of 0.58m by 0.25m but many are much smaller, some barely visible. The average height is 7-10cm though some are almost level with the ground. Two isolated stones to the north of the main group cannot be identified as being aligned with either row and may be displaced.
Other than these two, all the stones between the main group and the barrow are missing.

National Monument Record, 2014, Pastscape, 443853 (Website). SDV355682.

A Bronze Age double stone row aligned north-south, terminating at the north end at a cairn. When planned in 1898, the row was 340 long and even then the north end was buried or lost. It is now 125 metres long. At the south end, the row is tangential to the Fernworthy stone circle, SX68SE56. The cairn at the north end is 6.0 metres in diameter and it has been adversely affected by tree planting. Scheduled. NMR No. SX68SE55. Record last updated: N/A

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

'Stone Row' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1017984 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

The monument, which falls into two areas, includes a stone circle, three stone alignments and five cairns situated on a gentle east facing slope overlooking the valley of the South Teign River. The stone circle, known as Fernworthy Circle,includes 27 stones, standing up to 1.1m high, forming a 20m diameter circle. Excavation by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee revealed that the original ground surface was covered by a layer of wood charcoal. Two stone alignments lie to the south of the stone circle. The western of these includes two parallel rows of stones measuring up to 31m long and terminating in a small ring cairn. The eastern alignment is also of double row type, measures 20.5m long and its upper end is denoted by a small cairn containing a cist. Excavation of this cairn led to the recovery of large quantities of burnt bone and wood charcoal. South of this row and possibly originally forming its other end is another cairn from which a flint chip was recovered. The third alignment lies north of the stone circle and survives as a double line of stones extending towards a small cairn. The southern part of the row includes at least 49 small stones protruding through the turf, although within the northern half many survive as buried features. The final cairn within the monument lies south east of the stone circle and survives as a 6.4m diameter and 0.6m high mound surrounded by a 1.5m wide and 0.1m high bank which lies 3m from the base of the mound.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6216 - Condition Surveys of Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land
• EDV6203 - Archaeological Survey of Fernworthy Forest
• EDV7389 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1996
• EDV7410 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1992
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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