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Summary

Cairn of 10 metres diameter by 0.5 metres high forming part of the cermonial complex at Froggymeade. Sitated at the southern end of the eastern stone row to the south of Fernworthy stone circle. It was excavated in 1898 but had previously been disturbed. Only one small flint flake was found.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017984: A stone circle, known as Fernworthy Circle, three stone alignments and five cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge

Other References/Statuses

• MPP Archaeological Item Dataset: 144130
• National Monuments Record: SX68SE93
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443898
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/158/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 593C
• Old SAM Ref: 28672
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SE59

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Baring Gould, S., 1898, Fifth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 107, 110 (Article in Serial). SDV337066.

Disturbed at some time. Pit dug in the culm which contained nothing but soil. Much pillaged. Tiny flint chip found. No. 4 on plan.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Cairn' shown on early 20th century map.

Burnard, R., 1906, Early Man, 357-8 (Article in Monograph). SDV322231.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 304, Pl. 38 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 224 (Monograph). SDV231148.

A cairn and a cist in a barrow are separated by a distance of 104 ft in which there are clear evidences of a ruined double row. (Seven stones shown on plan).

Spooner, G. M. + Birkett Dixon, C. E., 1955, Note on the Antiquities situated in the Forestry Commission ground at Fernworthy and Bellever. Appendix 1 (Report - non-specific). SDV351955.

Turner, J. R., 1976, Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land. Fernworthy and Bellever (Report - non-specific). SDV351823.

Fernworthy Plantation, Forggymeade 4D. Cairn at southern end of double stone row (5D). Very low, the cairn is 9.1m in diameter; a flint flake was found during the excavation (in 19th century). The double row is very ruined and in 1976 had been planted over. The cairn at the north end of the row is 7.0m in diameter, with two stones of cist remaining, the north end and the west side stones. The 19th century excavation produced burnt bones.
Froggmeade sites 1D-9D have been cleared as one open space. Present clearance adequate.
Included in 1955 Spooner and Dixon report (B) Region north of the South Teign (Froggymeade, Toms Hill and Hemstone), Site No. 4.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 145 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Site visit 15th April 1973. Site of cairn in plantation clearing shown by a circular patch of moss. Diameter 10 metres and 0.3 metres high. Excavated in the 19th century but only yielded a flint chip.

Turner, J., 1978, Report of Work Carried Out by the Forestry Commission since January 1976 (Report - non-specific). SDV351816.

No work has been carried out on the Froggymead group of sites since February 1976. The clearance zone should be marked out with posts as one open space negating the need for posts inside.

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

Not visible on 1946 RAF aerial photos due to tree cover.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 144130 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visit 28th April 1997. Cairn at SX65488405 forming part of ritual complex. Diameter 10 metres, height 0.5 metres. Disturbed by forestry. Covered in small tree stumps.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 162-5, 242, Map 35, Figure 35.7 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Fernworthy cairn '4' at SX65498405 of 8.0 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high. This damaged cairn covered a pit dug into the subsoil. A tiny flint chip was found during the 1897 excavations.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project, H. Chapman (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(01/06/1995) Centred at SX 65518404 is a cairn. 45m to the N at SX 65508409 is a barrow containing the remains of a cist. Between the two are the very fragmented remains of an alleged double stone row running N to S parallel to another row (SX 68 SE 59) which leads towards Fernworthy Stone Circle (SX 68 SE 56).
The row, barrow and cairn have all been comprehensively damaged by afforestation and the digging of the adjacent drainage channels. Seven stones survive of an alignment but there is little evidence that it was a double row.
The barrow at the N end of the row measures up to 6m in diameter and is 0.4m high, although its shape is obscured by drainage channels. The cist in the centre is represented by two stones set at right angles, 0.4m tall internally.
The cairn at the S end of the row measures 7.3m N to S by 8.5m and is 0.5m high. There is a large amount of surface stone on and around it.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 1996, Condition Survey of Identified Archaeology within Woodland Areas 1996 (Un-published). SDV351820.

Fernworthy, Froggymeade Group 4D. Site visit 27th September 1996. Cairn at the southern end of a double stone row (5D), adjacent to trackway. Marked by a single post (7 posts lying on the ground next to it).

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

Cairn shown on survey.

Fugro-BKS, 2013, Fernworthy Forest LiDAR survey (Cartographic). SDV351778.

Cairn visible.

Newman, P., 2013, Fernworthy Forest Sites Survey (Un-published). SDV351708.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

'Cairn (Site of)' shown on modern mapping.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England, 1017984 (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

Stone circle, known as Fernworthy Circle, three stone alignments and five cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge. Together the stone alignments, stone circle and cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge represent one of the most complete prehistoric ritual complexes on Dartmoor, with excavation at the stone circle providing evidence for its use. Despite afforestation the monument survives well and will contain further archaeological and environmental information relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. See List for details.

Newman, P., 2013, The Archaeology of Fernworthy Forest, Dartmoor, Devon, 16, Fig. 11 (Report - Survey). SDV351784.

Froggymead Barrow C. The five barrows at Froggymead are all in poor condition. Barrows A-D were excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1898 and still bear the scars although A, B and C had previously been opened and their disturbed and spread appearance may be due to the works of these earlier barrow diggers. The southernmost of the barrows (C) is currently spread to about 11m diameter. Although originally circular, most of the southern half has been effaced and the centre section dug into, leaving a crescent shaped earthwork of 0.45m high. There is no evidence of there ever having been a kerb, nor has any past writer mentioned the presence of one.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6216 - Condition Surveys of Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land
• EDV6203 - Archaeological Survey of Fernworthy Forest
• EDV6557 - Microchip project - vulnerable roadside objects
• EDV7389 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1996
• EDV7410 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1992
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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