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Summary

One of three scheduled round cairns that lie outside the coaxial field system on Wigford Down and survive as circular mounds. This cairn measures 7.0 metres in diameter by 0.3 metres in height. All three show evidence for either partial early excavation or robbing.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and walling of Bronze age parallel reave field system with hut circle settlements and cairns, plus deserted Medieval settlements with long houses and pillow mounds, on Wigford Down
• Scheduled Monument 1002522: Four round barrows on Wigford Down

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE189
• National Monuments Record: SX56SE29
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439033
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439192
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/203
• Old SAM County Ref: DV435

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROUND CAIRN (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1951/1980, SX56SE29 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV216693.

Cairn C; one of a group of six grass grown cairns. This cairn measures 7.3 metres in diameter.
"Near Cadover Bridge and its cross, two tumuli of small size are noted". (Worth, R. N., 1890, Vol 22, pg 50)
Lady Fox noted six cairns, north west of Cadover Bridge, all grass covered:
A. (SX 55016498) diam 18 ft.
B. (SX 54996494) diam 36 ft.
C. (SX 55036492) diam 24 ft.
D. (SX 55016490) diam 36 ft.
E. (SX 55236487) diam 25 ft.
F. (SX 55246482) diam 30 ft. (Lady A Fox April 1951)
(09/09/1980) It is difficult to achieve reasonable concordance between these cairns and those identified by Grinsell. Investigation indicates that 'E' and 'F' relate to SX 56 SE 143& 144 which are also Worth's. 'two tumuli'.
It is possible that 'A' is SX 56 NE 142, 'B' is SX 56 NW 101 and 'D' SX 56 SE 142: 'C' cannot be accounted for in relation to the others or on the ground.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 157, Wigford Down 6 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(Visited 06/05/1976) A cairn measuring 6.5m in diameter; height 0.5m.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX56NE189 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV231888.

(15/09/1980) At SX 55026502, on an east slope of Wigford Down at 254m. OD is the remains of a cairn. It measures 7.8m. in diameter and 0.8m. in height with a spread of stone on the south side (see plan).
Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD.

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

Not visible on 1946 Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 80, Map 48, Figure 48.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Wigford Down cairn '11' at SX55056502 of 7.0 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high has been dug into but otherwise surprisingly little damage.

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

Cairn visible on aerial photography as a circular grassy area.

Richards, A. F., 2011, Cairns on Wigford Down (Personal Comment). SDV346330.

There seems to have been some confusion over the number of cairns in this area, possibly due to the originally grid references provided on the Ordnance Survey Card for this group, which identified six features (a-e). The modern Ordnance Survey mapping shows seven cairns in total (including the two to the south-east of this group), which corresponds with the 2010 aerial photography of the area, and Butler (1994), although these are located slightly north-east of the original 1950s grid references. For this reason, the extra HER records that have been based on the slightly inaccurate Ordnance Survey grid references, have been replaced by the correct HER records – in this case, 12718 replaces 2462, which has been deleted.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Depicted on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

The monument, which falls into four separate areas of protection, includes a ring cairn and four round cairns forming part of a round cairn cemetery situated on Wigford Down, lying partially within the Wigford Down coaxial field system, overlooking the Plym Valley.
The two western cairns are contained within the Wigford Down coaxial field system. The southern of these is a ring cairn which survives as a circular bank of stone measuring up to 3m wide and 0.5m high which surrounds a flat internal area with a diameter of up to 4m. The northern one is a round cairn which survives as a circular mound measuring 10m in diameter and 0.6m high.
The remaining three round cairns lie outside the coaxial field system and survive as circular mounds which vary in size from 7.8m to 13m in diameter and from 0.5m to 1.1m in height. All three show evidence for either partial early excavation or robbing.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8316 - Wigford Down PAL survey

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