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Summary

Cairnfield on the north-east flank of White Hill is concentrated on the upper slopes with some isolated cairns on the lower east sides. There are a total of twenty two definite cairns (surveyed in 1998 and revisited in 2001) and several low amorphous mounds which may be the result of peat cutting or military activity. With few exceptions the mounds are small with diameters in the range 2.95 metres to 6.15 metres and a maximum of 0.7 metres high. There is no evidence to suggest the presence of cists or kerbs on any of the mounds which also appear free from any unrecorded excavations.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1007659: Cairnfield and associated earthworks on the north eastern slope of White Hill

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX58SW57
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 902434
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/91
• Old SAM Ref: 22343

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CAIRNFIELD (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Fleming, A., 1980, The Cairnfields of North-West Dartmoor, 9-12 (Article in Serial). SDV251119.

Cairnfield at SX535841 on the North-East slopes of White Hill. There are 19 definite cairns, or 26 if all possible cairns are counted. They form a compact group with outliers to the East and West. The central group comprises cairns of c.5.0m in diameter, immediately to the North of which is an oval cairn 9.0m by 4.0m. The others range in size from 5.5 by 4.0m to cairns of 2.0m in diameter. They appear to be associated with low banks apparently representing a small, primitive field system. Five cairns may be incorporated in this system.

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

Not visible on Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130959-69, 20/4/1993 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

See related cairn records.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 106-108, Map 32, figure 32.6 (Monograph). SDV219155.

White Hill N. E. cirn cemetery at SX535840 with circa 24 cairns of between 2.0 metres and 5.0 metres diameter by 0.1 metres to 0.4 metres high.

Probert, S. + Fletcher, M. + Newman, P., 1998, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon: An Archaeological survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (Report - Survey). SDV350638.

(02/08/1998) The cairnfield on the NE flank of White Hill is concentrated on the upper slopes with some isolated cairns on the lower E sides. There are a total of twenty two definite cairns, tabulated below, and several low amorphous mounds which may be the result of peat cutting or military activity. With few exceptions the mounds are small with diameters in the range 2.95m to 6.15m and a maximum of 0.7m high. There is no evidence to suggest the presence of cists or kerbs on any of the mounds which also appear free from any unrecorded excavations.
The two low banks closely associated with this cairnfield, on which lie (and into which) some of the cairns have been incorporated, are of unknown origin. They measure around 2.0m wide and remain to a maximum height of 0.35m. Two further sections of bank occur 150m N of these and while not intimately associated are probably parts of the same site. There are no traces or accompanying ditches suggestive of a medieval origin.
It is tempting and not unreasonable to suggest that these features represent the initial phase in the establishment of a prehistoric field system.
NGR, DIAMETER (OVERALL), HEIGHT, COMMENTS:
SX5348884064 4.2m 0.4m
SX5350684079 4.0m 0.4m
SX5348784080 4.0m 0.6m
SX5347384081 4.25m 0.3m
SX5345884093 3.85m 0.5m
SX5345184085 4.5m 0.2m
SX5346184070 4.35m 0.3m
SX5354284097 3.5m 0.2m
SX5356784073 5.0m 0.6m
SX5354683976 3.0m 0.3m
SX5358484001 4.1m 0.45m
SX5360584023 3.15m 0.3m
SX5367784032 5.0m 0.4m
SX5364984124 6.15m 0.5m Hollow centre
SX5356984134 4.25m 0.6m Cut by track
SX5360584020 3.05m 0.25m
SX5353484040 3.5m 0.25m
SX5343184053 2.95m 0.4m
SX5351884027 5.55m 0.5m
SX5344484034 5.4m 0.7m Central hollow 0.3m
SX5343584039 5.85m 0.6m
SX5346684049 5.25m 0.5m

Probert, S., 2001, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon. Integrated Land Management Plan Implementation: Archaeological Condition Baseline Survey Appendices 2-5 (Report - Survey). SDV357727.

(10/01/2001) These cairns lie in open moorland under coarse grass and low gorse cover.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Cairns shown on survey.

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

Features visible on aeial photograph.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1007659 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

This monument includes 13 cairns, a length of boundary bank and a lynchet situated on a south facing slope overlooking the valley of the Walla Brook. Of the cairns, eight have mounds that are sub-circular in shape and these range in size from 3 metres to 6 metres in diameter and stand between 0.4 metres and 0.8 metres high. The remainder are ovoid in shape, and these range between 5 metres to 9 metres long, 3 metres to 5 metres wide and stand between 0.5 metres and 0.8 metres high. One cairn has a shallow hollow in the centre of the mound, suggesting robbing or partial excavation. Some of the cairns may contain burials, but the group most likely represents stone clearance connected with cultivation of the area. Remnants of an associated field system survive as an 80 metres long, 1.6 metres wide and 0.4 metres high lynchet following the contour, and a 64 metres long, 2 metres wide and 0.3 metres high boundary bank leading downslope from the lynchet. This field system was probably originally more extensive and now survives largely in the form of buried remains, the full extent of which are not known. Further cairns lying to the east and west of this monument are the subject of separate schedulings. Due to factors of scale in mapping the map extract may seem to imply that sites SM22347 and SM22345 adjoin, but they are in fact separate on the ground.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7368 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy (1998)
• EDV6663 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6664 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6665 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV8141 - Condition survey of the Willsworthy Training Area

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