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Summary

Stone alignment which is double in places on the southern slopes of Lower Piles Hill. Stone row north of Butter Brook of 80 metres long. A single row of mostly small upright stones with one set of paired stones. Two stone stubs to south-west of the south-west end of row. Earthfast boulder at north-east end and a large recumbent stone in a hollow at south-west end may be a terminal stone. Cairn at south-west end of row, 4 metres diameter, 0.6 metres high. A well-trodden path cuts across centre of stone row making it vulnerable to further damage.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Prehistoric stone alignment which is double in places on the southern slopes of Lower Piles Hill, Harford

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Non-designated Heritage Asset: Y
• National Monuments Record: SX65NE71
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 441245
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX65NE/247
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: sx65ne71
• Pastscape: 441245

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STONE ALIGNMENT (Constructed, Neolithic - 4000 BC (Between) to 2201 BC (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 1217-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Rows form SX 65055994 to SX 65035993 stone row clearly visible with a second at from SX 65105995-SX 65075998.

Hankin, C. F., 1977-1980, Harford Parish Checklist, No. 15 (Worksheet). SDV149931.

(Feb 1980) A stone row about 42 metres long is situated on south sloping ground at SX 65145995, just north of the marshy Butterbrook valley. It is aligned south-south-west/north-north-east, and terminates at the south end in a hollow-centred ring of turf and stones of 2.5 metres diameter east/west, 3.2 metres north/south.
The first stone in the row is 10.35 metres from the centre of the terminal, thereafter the spacing becomes about 3 metres. The maximum height of the stones is 0.67 metre. The row becomes double for about 12.5 metres (four to five pairs of stones), with a distance of 0.4 to 0.5 metre between rows, after which only the second row appears to continue.
At 73 metres from the terminal there is a single orthostat 0.5 metre high, standing 3.25 metres off centre south from the projection of the rows, at the edge of a small clitter of broken stones. A third row, irregularly spaced and not showing much above ground, meets the double section of the rows at an angle of about 10o on the north-west side, extending westward to about level with the terminal. Visual projection east-ward along the third row appears to be in line with the orthostat

Anonymous, 1980, Local Finds (Article in Serial). SDV338482.

Further examination of the site in 1980 showed the possible continuation of the row eastward beyond the 'outlier', into the rock strewn ground that lies eastward of the site. Other details: February 1980.

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

One stone row clearly visible between SX65055994 to SX65035993, maybe a second row at SX65105995 to SX65075998.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 31-33, Map 53, Figures 53.9 - 53.11 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Butter Brook stone rows at SX 65115989 and SX65205998 the single and double stone rows are closely associated. The double row is just 25.6 metres long with its three remaining pairs of stones set close together at 0.1 metres, 0.35 metres and 0.45 metres apart. At the lower west end the rows are orientated west of the centre of a small cairn. The single row is 198 metres long but the stones are smaller and set closer together with intervals of 2.5 metres as opposed to 3.0 metres. It starts a few metres west of the cairn without any obvious origin. The two large slabs 10 metres south of the first identifiable member of the row, and possibly once associated, are now well out of alignment. A minority of stones are missing from the first section orientated at 8 degrees to the double row, crossing it about 30 metres from the cairn. A gap follows the twelfth stone in which the missing ones are probably buried before the row enters a clitter strewn part of the hillside where the alignment is resumed with another fifteen members. Another gap follows to a final run of nine slabs ending at a much larger stone 1.2 metres long lying in the line of the row, probably the original end stone. When the last group of stones reappears the row has altered course 16 degress to the east.

Quinnell, N. V., 1995, Butter Brook stone rows (Personal Comment). SDV347813.

Uncertain whether this is an alignment or marking-out for enclosure. Other details: Linked to OSAD card SX65NE71?.

Gerrard, S., 2004, List of Sites Remaining to be Considered for Designation on Dartmoor (Un-published). SDV345444.

This site was considered for designation as a Scheduled Ancient Monument during the Monument Protection Programme. The programme ended before the entire list of sites was successfully scheduled so this is included on a local list of Nationally Important Sites.

Riley, H., 2021, Archaeological Survey: Ugborough Premier Archaeological Landscape, Harford and Ugborough, 9, 7.1.4 (Report - Survey). SDV364697.

One of nine stone rows in the survey area.

Riley, H., 2021, UG21 heritage asset database and gazetteer of sites (Report - Survey). SDV364699.

Visited on 30th April 2021, surveyed and photographed. Stone row north of Butter Brook: oriented north-east to south-west, 80 metres long, single row of mostly small upright stones with 1 set of paired stones; 2 stone stubs to south-west of the south-west end of row; earthfast boulder at north-east end, large recumbent stone in hollow at south-west end may be terminal stone; cut by path. Cairn at south-west end of row, 4 metres diameter, 0.6 metres high. A well-trodden path cuts across centre of stone row making it vulnerable to further damage.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8770 - Archaeological Survey: Ugborough Premier Archaeological Lanscape, Harford and Ugborough

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