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Summary

This disturbed and mutilated feature lies on a shallow NW slope in stone-free moorland pasture, surrounded by tin pits and upcast mounds to the east of Royal Hill. Visible as a very low circular turf-covered stony spread about 12m in overall diameter it is enclosed by a stony bank at best 1.8m wide and 0.3m high on the E side which fades on the N and S sides. There is no evidence of a kerb, cist slabs or boulders. The disturbed interior has an off-centre c.4.6m in diameter shallow ?excavation hollow accompanied by upcast mound, this may be Greeves' oval cairn though it is not large. It may represent the disturbed remains of a ring cairn. This site is on the local list of Nationally Important Dartmoor sites.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Group of four prehistoric cairns east of Royal Hill

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Non-designated Heritage Asset (Historical): NI Site
• National Monuments Record: SX67SW220
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 620073
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/111

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Greeves, T. A. P., 1982, Royal Hill Cairns (Site Visit). SDV345837.

Tor Royal Newtake. A large low oval cairn of small stones perhaps originally with a double ring bank. Other details: Plan.

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

Not visible.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

The plan (SMR worksheet, 1982) depicts a concentric double ring bank with overall diameters of 17.5m and 13.0m; the outer bank is visible only in the E quadrant. It is described as possibly a cairn which shows as a circular spread of paler grass with multiple concentric rings of stones.
(24/04/1989) SX 62967224. This disturbed and mutilated feature lies on a shallow NW slope in stone-free moorland pasture at 355m OD, surrounded by tin pits and upcast mounds (SX 67 SW 229).
Visible as a very low circular turf-covered stony spread about 12m in overall diameter it is enclosed by a stony bank at best 1.8m wide and 0.3m high on the E side which fades on the N and S sides. There is no evidence of a kerb, cist slabs or boulders. The disturbed interior has an off-centre c.4.6m in diameter shallow ?excavation hollow accompanied by upcast mound, this may be Greeves' oval cairn though it is not large.
It may represent the disturbed remains of a ring cairn similar to that 74.0m to the NE (SX 67 SW 237).

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 66, A18 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Disturbed ring cairn consisting of a stone ring 8.0 meters in diameter internally with bank 1.0 meter wide and 0.2 meters high. Other details: A18.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 213-4, Map 63, Figure 63.1 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Cairn '5' at SX62967226 of 11 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high seems to have been constructed with an outer bank surrounding a low mound at the centre, now a pile of rubble displaced to one side.

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.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8146 - Royal Commission Survey at Down Ridge and Swincombe
• EDV8628 - Tor Royal Farm Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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