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Summary

A semi-circle of leaning orthostats adjacent to the east side of one of the outcrops forming High Willhays. The stones remain a maximum of 0.75 metres high and describe an arc some 9 metres in length. Small boulders and slabs are interspersed with the orthostats suggestive of a ring cairn, in this case attached to the tor.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010592: Tor cairn on High Willhays summit

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX58NE19
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 965852
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58NE/43
• Old SAM Ref: 24158

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Greeves, T. A. P., 1983, Cairn (Worksheet). SDV247848.

(04/09/1983) Unusual cairn of two semi-circular rings east of highest rocks of High Willhayes. Inner ring has upright retaining slabs, outer one a low ring bank.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133300 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(10/02/1994) Tor cairn on the summit of High Willhays. Cairn includes two semi-circular banks attached to the east face of a large rock outcrop. Outer ring bank survives as an 18m long, 2m wide curving earthwork standing up to 0.8m high on the outer edge and 0.2m high on the side facing the tor. The central length of the inner ring is visible as a 1.4m wide and 0.7m high double faced orthostat wall, which survives elsewhere as a buried feature denoted by a 0.5m high lynchet. The area enclosed by the ring banks measures 13.5m north-south by 5.5m east-west.

Department of Environment, 1995, Notification (Schedule Document). SDV247849.

(11/01/1995) SX 58048921 An Early/Middle Bronze Age tor cairn on the summit of High Willhays, the highest point in southern England. The cairn includes two semi-circular banks attached to the eastern face of a large rock outcrop. Scheduled.

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 2003-2004, Measured survey North Dartmoor Military Range Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV350801.

(15/09/2003) SX 58038922. A semi-circle of leaning orthostats adjacent to the E side of one of the outcrops forming High Willhays. The stones remain a maximum of 0.75m high and describe an arc some 9m in length. Small boulders and slabs are interspersed with the orthostats suggestive of a ring cairn, in this case attached to the tor. The outer ring described by Scheduling authority (1995) is visible as a slight scarp a maximum of 0.2m high curving around the NE quadrant of the inner ring. It may represent a second element to the cairn or, more likely, be the result of stone removal in the more recent past.
The outcrop to which this cairn is attached is crowned by a recent walkers' cairn which presumably contains material derived from this feature.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7620 - Okehampton Artillary Range
• EDV8679 - Okehampton Range: Management Survey
• EDV8291 - Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8695 - Survey of Okehampton North Dartmoor Military Range

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