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Summary

Area of cairns between the Devonport Leat and River Meavy. Several cairns, some very large within this plot, marked on the Tithe Map as 'burrow' field. The field name suggests that mounds existed in 1839 but their situation and present appearance conforms to late clearance rather than any other type of cairn and similar groups may exist in other parts of the forest.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE75
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440243
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/153
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/381

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• (Former Type) CAIRN (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• CLEARANCE CAIRN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD? to 1750 AD)

Full description

South West Heritage Trust, 1838-1848, Digitised Tithe Maps and Transcribed Apportionments, plots 871, 872, 873, 874 (Cartographic). SDV359954.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1979, South West Water Authority Burrator Survey, No.4 (Report - non-specific). SDV278356.

Centred at SX 5690 7035 (formerly recorded as site number 31 in pre-January 1978 recording).
Area containing several cairn mounds, some of which are very large between Devonport Leat and River Meavy.
Tithe Map gives 'burrow' field names to several of the fields. Possibly clearance cairns of unknown pre-19th century date, but some of them may be Prehistoric. Also the remains of a possibly Prehistoric enclosure wall. Trees to be thinned but a further archaeological assessment is needed.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX57SE75 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV276979.

(25/06/1980) Burrator conifer forest, first planted in the 1920's, utilizes land that was enclosed by way of several hundred small fields in the 18th or 19th centuries. Their substantial walling indicates the quantity of surface stone that was cleared, including not only natural accretions but remains of prehistoric settlement. Some traces of this still survive (SX 57 SE 82 to 86 etc.) and the sizes and shapes of some fields clearly show the fossilization of prehistoric enclosures.
The field at the N.G.R. quoted (Greeves, T., 1978) is about 1.6 ha., in area and is on a 1 in 6 south-east slope at 280m. O. D.
In the Tithe Apportionment of 1839 it is called 'Burrow Park' (Greeves, personal comment).
The field contains a random distribution of about a dozen stone heaps which vary from roughly circular, 3.0m. in diameter and 0.7m. high, to mounds 15.0m. long, 5.0m. wide and 1.5m. high. None of the mounds is overgrown with turf or humus and all are made up of small, easily gathered stones.
The field name suggests that mounds existed in 1839 but their situation and present appearance conforms to late clearance rather than any other type of cairn and similar groups may exist in other parts of the forest.
No survey action taken.

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

Not visible due to tree cover on 1946 photos.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project
• EDV8862 - Survey of archaeological sites on SWLT land in the Burrator catchment
• EDV8863 - Survey of archaeological sites on SWLT land in the Burrator catchment

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