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Summary

Cairns '2', '4' and '7' (Butler). Cairns A and B, located at the north-east end of the stone rows; stone row A aligns with the centre of cairn A. A third faint cairn (C) was recorded by Robinson and Greeves 24 metres north of Cairn B. A and B were first recorded in 1880 by Lukis and Pode. Polygons for this record are approximate.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1013031: Multiple stone alignment and associated cairns west of Glasscombe Upper Plantation
• SHINE: Earthwork and structural remains of the Corringdon Ball complex; three stone rows and a number of prehistoric cairns on Ugborough Moor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX 66 SE 43, SX 66 SE 116
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SE/350/1
• Old SAM Ref: 10569
• Pastscape: 441898, 442105
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CAIRN (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

Lukis, W. C. + Pode, J. D., 1880, Unpublished 'Plan of two Monuments on the Moor outside Glazecombe Moor Wall between the East and West Glazebrooks, Dartmoor', No. 21/Society of Antiquities, Library (1880) (Plan - measured). SDV142516.

Worth, R. N., 1892, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor, 387-417 (Article in Serial). SDV237176.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 313, plate 40 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Retaining circle overlapped by Corringdon Row C.
At SX66666112, 12.3 metres to the south-east of another cairn lies centre of retaining circle of 11 metres internal diameter, forming terminal of two triple rows. Seven stones stand, one is fallen. Measures between 0.3 metres and 0.6 metres high.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX66SE43, 13/04/1950 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV350960.

Worth's description and dimensions are accurate. Cairn at the eastern end of the row measures 22 feet in diameter, and 2 feet high. At some time it has been opened.
These antiquities are not shown correctly on Ordnance Survey plans. No attempt has been made to correct this on field sheet woing to the density of detail. Refers to Worth's plan (1946).

National Monuments Record, 1977, NMR SX6660, 6/309 (Aerial Photograph). SDV176911.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 171, No.3a Ugborough (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX56SE115 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV142824.

West of the East Glaze Brook at Glasscombe Upper Plantation at approximately 310.0 metres OD is a group of stone rows running north-east by south-west with a cairn and a retaining circle at the north-east end.
The cairn is a turf-covered mount of stones with a diameter of 6.8 metres and 0.4 metres in height and with two stones of its retaining circle still visible on the south-west side. The single row of stones (A) runs directly towards the centre of this cairn, its length being 133.0 metres from end-stone to end-stone, or 154.0 metres to centre of cairn, and is shown on Worth's plan; his general description with
sizes of stones is correct. The retaining circle has a diameter of 11.5 metres, with six of its stones still standing and one recumbent on the south - the largest stone is 0.3 metres by 0.3 metres and 0.5 metres high.
Running approximately in direction of the north and south sides of this circle respectively are the triple stone rows (B) and (C). It appears that both these triple rows are much longer than indicated by Worth, a further fifteen stones being visible in row (B) approximately in line and a further nine at least in row (C). The length of row (B) is thus 123.5m from the centre of the retaining circle and row (C) 116.5m. These further stones are of minimal height above ground level (not exceeding 0.1 metres) but are clearly similar to the other stones in the rows and roughly in the same alignment, bearing in mind that the triple rows are of a somewhat haphazard nature.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Robinson, R. + Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, Two Unrecorded Prehistoric Multiple Stone Rings, Glasscombe, Ugborough, South Dartmoor, 33-36 / plan (Article in Serial). SDV142714.

Cairns at the north-east end of the stone rows.
"A" lies immediately south of "D" (MDV15960). Ruined cairn with possible retaining circle. Stone-free area in centre. First noted by Lukis and Pode (1880), who noted a circle of stones around it, but unobserved by subsequent authors. Diameter of retaining circle approximately 8.5 metres.
"B" approximately 15 metres north-east of "A". Convex cairn, turf covered with stones showing but stone-free in centre. Recorded by Lukis and Pode (1880), Worth (1946) and Grinsell (1978). Diameter 8 metres (maximum), height 0.35 metres.
"C" centre lies 24 metres due north of the centre of "B". A turf covered barrow, with only three stones visible. Its edge is ill-defined. Approximately 8.5 metres in diameter, height 0.3 metres. Not previously recorded.
The resurvey of these cairns in 1979 showed that they are of an unusual class of monument, consisting mainly of multiple concentric stone rings. Additionally, there is a turf covered barrow to the north-east of the cairns and a very large ruined monument, 23.0 metres in diameter, comprising 5 or 6 multiple concentric stone rings (lying between the cairns 'A' and 'B'). The whole group is regarded as a ritual complex, associated with the stone rows.

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

Visible on National Monuments Record 1977 aerial photograph.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 54, 79 / F14. (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Encircled cairn at SX66636124 (possibly "B" above). Ring of orthostats 8.3 metres in diameter around cairn 5.5 metres in diameter and 0.2 metres high. Disturbed. Only two stones of ring are standing, aligned right of centre of single stone row.

Robinson, R. + Griffiths, D. + Cosford, J., 1990, The Corringdon Multiple Stone Rows: A Resurvey, 179-185 (Article in Serial). SDV142469.

The recorded size of the 'retaining circle' at the northern end of the stone rows differs according to the source consulted. R. N. Worth (1892) gives its diameter as 27 feet (8.2 metres), Hansford Worth (1946) as 37 feet (11.3 metres) and Lukis and Pode (1880) about the same, but with a cairn in the middle. It is difficult to project a circle from such a fragmentary arc, but the 1990 plan does suggest a much larger diamter, approximately 15 metres. There is no evidence today of a central cairn.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 91-2, Map 56, Figure 56.8 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Cairns '2', '4' and '7' at 'Corringdon Ball stone rows and cairns'.
Cairn '2' at SX66646119 of 6 metres diameter has been dug into but has the remains of a retaining circle outside the base though only two prominent slabs are still erect.
Cairn '4' at SX66656123 of 8.0 metres diameter by 0.2 metres high is very mishapen.
Cairn '7' at SX66646123 has a group of stones in concentric rings with some buried and about thirty showing through the turfbut the number of rings is uncertain.

Richards, A. F., 2016, Location of cairns and stone rows at Corringdon Ball (Personal Comment). SDV359400.

There are varying grid references provided for these features and they cannot be identified from the aerial photographs. The existing polygons are a 'best guess', based on the survey plan from Robinson and Greeves, 1978, but will require amendment in the future when up to date survey is carried out using modern techniques.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Mastermap shows part of the rows and five circular features at the north-eastern end. These are not thought to be particularly accurate and have not been used for digitising (Richards, A. F., 15/02/2016).

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

This complex of multiple stone alignments, cairns and remains of cairns lies on the west bank of the East Glaze Brook north-west of Glasscombe Upper Plantation.
The stone rows follow the main contour and are aligned roughly north-east/south-west, with five cairns at the northern end. There are seven, or possibly eight rows, the possible eighth being represented by two stones 25m apart between the two triple rows and aligned with the centre of their terminal cairn. The northernmost row is single and is 157m in length, with stones standing up to 0.64m in height. The spacing between stones is very irregular, the terminal cairn at the north end is 8m in diameter and 0.5m in height. There are two shorter triple rows south of it, both terminating at the north-eastern end at a cairn retaining kerb, the first triple row is 7.8m in length and the southernmost is 66m in length and again the spacings are irregular. This and the variation in length may be due to robbing for the newtake.
The cairn retaining kerb at the north end of the triple rows is a semi-circle 14m in diameter, with five stones up to 0.5m in height. Two sets of concentric rings of stones (retaining kerbs) at the northern end are 14m and 23m in diameter. The adjacent cairn is 8m in diameter and 0.5m in height.
The scheduled area for this site may not entirely cover the area of features.

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

Corringdon Ball stone row complex.

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

Visited on 29th April 2021. Part of Corringdon Ball stone alignments: see MDV5655.

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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