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Summary

This stone is undressed granite of 0.7 meters wide by 0.5 meters high with 14 cup shaped hollows in it of varying degrees of distinctness. Survey in 1994 suggested it is more likely to be a mortar stone.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57NE64
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 619153
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NE/51

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• (Former Type) CUP MARKED STONE (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• FINDSPOT (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Greeves, T. A. P., 1980, Cup-marked stone (Worksheet). SDV278144.

A possible cup-marked stone lies by the road on the eastern side. It is of undressed granite with 14 cup shaped hollows in it of varying degrees of distinctness. Dimensions of stone circa 0.8 meters by 0.53 meters, dimensions of hollows from 3.0 - 12.0 centimetres in diameter, and 2.5 – 4.0 centimetres deep. More likely of prehistoric origin than a mortarstone. Other details: Worksheet and sketch in parish file? Not scanned..

Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, Three prehistoric (?) cup-marked boulders on Dartmoor, 27-31 (Article in Serial). SDV278145.

Cup marked stone at Holmingbeam, SX 59497525. An undressed granite block built into a wall and painted with the number '81'. The exposed face of the stone measures 0.80m by 0.53m and fourteen small smoothly worn hollows, apparently in three groups. Other details: Figure IIB.

Morris, R. W. B., 1989, The Prehistoric Rock Art of Great Britain, 88 (Article in Serial). SDV278146.

Listed in the gazetteer as prehistoric, with cup and groove marks in a pattern. Grid reference given as SX59497542, Holming Beam. A provisional estimated date in uncalibrated carbon 14 years of 1900-1600BC is given.
(According to NRHE record, This stone is erroneously included in a gazetteer of prehistoric rock art of Great Britain. Richards, A. F., 23/08/2021).

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

Considered under the Monument Protection Programme but not in-situ therefore not recommended for scheduling.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 65, Map 29, Feature 'a' (Monograph). SDV219155.

Stone of prehistoric interest 300 metres north of the road and built into the Long Plantation wall. This block, obviously brought here from somewhere in the vicinity and painted for some reason with the number '81', has been identified as a cup-marked boulder. Fourteen circular or oval 'cups' can be identified on its exposed face, four of them are particularly well formed.

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

(18/08/1994) This granite block, built into the stone wall which forms the eastern boundary of Long Plantation, appears to be a mortar stone, not a prehistoric cup marked stone. The granite block measures 0.7 meters wide by 0.5 meters high; its thickness cannot be measured. There are approximately 12 circular depressions on its eastern face. These measure between 0.075 and 0.1 meter in diameter and up to 0.05 meters in depth. There are two rows of three depressions; the others are arranged at random.
The mortar stone itself appears to be part of a relatively recent wall repair and is upside-down to its previous position. Its original location is unknown. The figure 18 is painted on its eastern face, suggesting a previous use by the military or the prison authorities.

Probert, S. A. J., 2002, Stone west of Bear Down Farm, 4, fig (Report - Survey). SDV347518.

[619153] SX 59487523 A granite mortar stone, 0.7m high and 0.5m wide has been built into the external face of the prison boundary wall flanking the Holming Beam track. The exposed face of the stone possesses 12 circular depressions between 7.5cm and 10cm in diameter and up to 5cm deep. The stone appears to have been part of a relatively recent wall repair and has obviously been moved from a different location.
[22/08/2002) Site visited. No change noted.

National Monuments Record, 2011, 619153 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV347519.

The stone is erroneously included in a gazetteer of prehistoric rock art of Great Britain (Morris, 1989).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV7622 - MORTAR STONE (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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