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Summary

Prehistoric cairn with cist located in open moorland west of the Erme River approximately 360 metres west of Erme Pound. This site is on the local list of Nationally Important Dartmoor sites.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks of Bronze Age cairn with stone cist located in open moorland west of the Erme River approximately 360 metres west of Erme Pound

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/79
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 136 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(Visited 30/6/1976) Cairn with close-set retaining kerb, enclosing cist placed south-east by north-west: capstone rests diagonally in cist. Cairn diameter 4.0 meters, height 0.6 meters. Other details: Cornwood 8.

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

Not visible on the Royal Air Force 1946/7 aerial photographs.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 76 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Platform circle. Ring of orthostats, 2.7 meters in diameter internally, enclosing a flat-topped cairn 0.4 meters high with a central cist. Other details: E46.

Morgan, F. C., 1995, Cairn 350 metres west of Erme Pound (Worksheet). SDV344927.

Cairn and cist situated on open moorland west of the Erme almost opposite to Erme Pound. Not a barrow as described in the Sites and Monuments Record for Devon. The site consists of a "Cairn with close-set retaining kerb, enclosing cist 104" (Grinsell 1978 cited by Morgan), the cist is placed south-east to north-west, the cap stone rests diagonally in the cist. Morgan believes that two capstones would have originally been needed, unless the remaining stone had been broken at some time. Cairn is 4.0 meters in diameter and 0.6 meters high.

Lethbridge, D. W., 1996, Cairn and Cist (Correspondence). SDV145306.

(Site visited some time in 1992) “The cist is off-centre in the kerb circle. It looks as though material from a central mound has been discarded downhill masking some kerb stones”. Other details: In Parish file.

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.

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

Cairn is visible on the aerial photography.

Newman, P., 2018, Erme Valley Survey data (GIS and Excel spreadsheet) (Cartographic). SDV361913.

Newman, P., 2018, The Upper Erme Valley, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: An Archaeological Survey, Appendix 1 (Report - Survey). SDV362921.

A prehistoric round cairn, 300 metres west of the River Erme in an area of intense peat cutting remains. The cairn has surviving elements of a kerb and a central hollow which may have contained a cist. This probable platform cairn has a diameter of 3.8 metres and is raised above ground by 0.5 metres. The flat-topped mound is surrounded by a closely fitting, though incomplete, kerb of upright slabs, where many of the survivors remain in situ. An elongated hollow across the centre of the cairn may represent a disturbed cist, and a displaced slab within the hollow is the remains of a capstone.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley

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