See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Five cairns within a Bronze Age field system. One overlies a possible inhumation pit.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BARROW? (Late Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 1000 BC (Between) to 42 AD? (Between))
• CLEARANCE CAIRN (Late Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 1000 BC (Between) to 42 AD? (Between))

Full description

Smith, G. + David, A. + Jones, R. + Quinnell, H., 2021, A Late Bronze Age Field System and Settlement at Dainton, South Devon, 72, Figs 2, 13 (Article in Serial). SDV365337.

Excavation by English Heritage’s Central Excavation Unit in 1986 recorded five cairns (10-14) within Field 59. They were somewhat smaller, more irregular in size and of steeper profiles than cairns 4 + 7 in Field 56 (MDV133987 + MDV133988). They were also more random heaps of stone than those cairns, except for cairn 10, the largest and highest of the five. This had a better defined shape and unlike the other four in this field, after excavation its boundary was delineated by an area of differential weathering of the bedrock, as was found under cairns 4 + 7. Beneath the excavated quadrant was a sub-rectangular pit circa 2.5m by 1.25m by 0.4m deep, oriented roughly north to south, following the line of natural rock fracture. This was fairly certainly a man-made feature as its lower fill was largely loam but overlaid by angular rocks likely to be backfill derived from its construction. There were no artefacts in the pit to suggest a date or function. It was of sufficient size for an inhumation burial but although the limestone bedrock is alkaline, the overlying soils are slightly acid and, considering the very poor preservation of bone elsewhere on the site, it is not inconceivable that an inhumation might have decayed without trace.
Although scatters of flint and pottery were found in the topsoil around all five cairns nothing was found below them and only one, cairn 11, produced any artefacts within it, a few pieces of prehistoric, Roman and medieval pottery. There were relatively few pieces of prehistoric pottery in the topsoil from this field compared to other fields, suggesting that it was not as intensively used at the earliest period of the field system and the cairns, too, were relatively late features.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.