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Summary

The remains of a round cairn situated on a prominent ridge of Whitehorse Hill overlooking the valleys of the River Teign and Dart. The cairn survives as a turf-covered stony mound 20.5 metres in diameter standing up to 1.9 metres high. It has a circular depression in the centre which measures 6.5 metres by 0.7 metres deep into which is built a shelter.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017991: Quintin's Man round cairn

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SW23
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443946
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SW/23
• Old SAM County Ref: 479
• Old SAM Ref: 28679

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Worth, R. H., 1940, The Dartmoor Menhirs, 198 (Article in Serial). SDV231163.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1979, SX68SW23 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV245356.

(19/08/1950) Cairn (height 1.83m, diameter 20.1m). Partially turf covered with hollow in centre, and very mutilated.
(12/09/1979) A cairn measuring 18.3m in diameter and 1.7m in height with turf-covered sides. In 1950 it was reported to have a hollow in the centre and to be very mutilated (1950 visit) but now the centre has been infilled with stone to present a flat top and there are no obvious mutilations.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 271 (Monograph). SDV231148.

Quintin's Man; the placename seems to indicate the existence of a menhir, but the object to which it is applied is to a cairn. No record of a menhir standing by a cairn.

Ancient Monuments, 1961, Schedule note (Schedule Document). SDV245348.

(September 1961) Depression in centre with small pile of stones on edge. Grass has grown on the sides.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 144 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(10/07/1976) Cairn, with large hollow centre. Diameter 19m, height 1.5m.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 144190 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(27/10/1997)

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 112, 242, Map 34, Site 1 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Quintin's Man cairn at SX62108386 of 17.0 metres diameter by 1.8 metres high to the south-east of Whitehorse Hill. It now shares the southern tip of Whitehorse Hill with Observation Posts and flagpole where perhaps there was once a standing stone as the name implies. There is no record of a 'menhir' ever having stood here, though a second cairn was reported nearby of which there is now no sign. The cairn is a fair size and much of it is still undamaged. The stones at the centre have been disturbed and roughly replaced but the sides of the pit are exposed showing that the interior was conposed of neatly coursed slabs laid at an angle to the horizontal.

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

(01/08/1995) The remains of a large cairn lie on the edge of a flat-topped spur overlooking the North Teign Valley at SX 62108386, 600m east of Teign Head, and close to some buildings used by the MoD. The cairn comprises a large, turf-covered stony mound, 17.5m N-S, 16.5m E-W, and 1.6m high. A light shelf lies around the south-eastern quadrant. There is a circular depression in the centre which measures 6.5m in diameter and 0.7m deep. Built into this depression is a circular shelter, some 2.6m in diameter, with an entrance to the southeast (4). The central depression seems to have been made some time after 1979 (see authority 3), whilst the small shelter was built some time after 1994.

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

(20/10/2003) This fine cairn is generally as described. There is some visitor damage - stones removed from the fabric are being used to heighten the walls of the shelter.

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

Cairn shown on survey.

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

Quintin's Man Cairn' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1017991 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

The monument includes a round cairn known as Quintin's Man situated on a prominent ridge of Whitehorse Hill overlooking the valleys of the Rivers Teign and Dart. The cairn survives as a 20.5 metres diameter mound standing up to 1.9 metres high. A pit in the centre of the cairn containing a small drystone built shelter is the result of relatively recent activity.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8679 - Okehampton Range: Management Survey
• EDV8291 - Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8695 - Survey of Okehampton North Dartmoor Military Range
• EDV7620 - Okehampton Artillary Range

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