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HER Number:MDV2373
Name:Cairn with Cist on Wigford Down, Meavy

Summary

A badly disturbed prehistoric cist with displaced cover stone and vestiges of a retaining circle surviving in situ. Only five slabs of the retaining circle survive approximately upright in situ, suggesting the overall diameter of the complete circle was 8.35m. The long slabs of the central cist are also in situ and the chamber measures 1.1m by 0.28m approximately by 0.3m deep. A large, flat, intact cover stone of 1.4m by 1.17m, with a rounded end, is displaced to the south. Some material from the turf covered cairn is still visible, but much disturbed and depleted.

Location

Grid Reference:SX 544 644
Map Sheet:SX56SW
Admin AreaDartmoor National Park
Civil ParishMeavy
DistrictWest Devon
Ecclesiastical ParishMEAVEY

Protected Status

Other References/Statuses

  • National Monuments Record: SX56SW10
  • National Record of the Historic Environment: 439547
  • Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SW/6
  • Old SAM County Ref: 565

Monument Type(s) and Dates

  • CAIRN (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
  • CIST (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Worth, R. H., 1888, The Moorland Plym, 289-310 (Article in Serial). SDV251956.

Worth, R. H., 1890, 12th Report of the Barrow Committee, 50 (Article in Serial). SDV346007.

Worth, R. H., 1900, 19th Report of the Barrow Committee, 48, Plates 1-2 (Article in Serial). SDV231259.

A cist, within massive circle of stones, 20 feet in diameter, once surrounding a barrow, lies on the southern slope of Wigford Down, outside the enclosure of Cadworthy Farm. It is well constructed and has been opened previously, the cover-stone still partially overhangs the cist. Dimensions; length, 3 feet 6 inches; breadth, 1 foot (at floor level 2 feet 3 inches); depth to floor, 2 feet. Two pottery fragments, evidently part of an urn were found. The pottery is of the same type in ornament and material as that found in the hut circles at Legis Tor. (SX 56 NE 69 : Possibly Late Bronze Age).

Worth, R. H., 1902, 21st Report of the Barrow Committee, 136 (Article in Serial). SDV20971.

Fox, A., 1951, Early Settlement on Dartmoor and in North Wales, 168 (Article in Serial). SDV255788.

The cairn was superimposed by the field or paddock wall of the nearby hut circle (SX 56 SW 9).

Fox, A., 1951, Eighteenth Report on the Archaeology and Early History of Devon, 168 (Article in Serial). SDV15558.

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

Site visited on 27th July 1972. Cairn with retaining circle. Diameter 7.3 metres, height 1 metre.

Price, D. G., 1978, Settlement and ancient fields on Wigford Down, 69-75 (Article in Serial). SDV220620.

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

Not visible on aerial photographs.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 46,74 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Platform circle. Ring of orthostats 7 metres internal diameter encloses flat-topped cairn 0.8 metres high with central cist.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 78-80, Map 48, Figure 48.1 & 48.1.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Wigford Down cairn '1' at SX54426442 of 8.5 metres diameter by 0.6 metres high with a cist. This outlier contains a cist and lies at the corner of the fields on the south of the Down. The ring of slabs around the cairn must have made its burial function obvious, yet the later prehistoric field walls override the structure with indifference, meeting near the centre and incorporating the north-west quadrant. The larger stones, visible around one third of the circumference, still retain much of the mound in place, not apparently dug outside the central cist. All four sides of the latter are present but almost hidden under the overhanging vegetation, and the displaced capstone lies alongside. It had already been cleared out before Worth's excavation in 1900, but he was still able to recover two fragments of an urn.

Berry, N., 2005, Archaeological and Historic Landscape Survey of Lower Cadworthy Farm, Meavy, Devon, 2, Site Summary (Report - Survey). SDV360144.

Remains of a Bronze Age cist with the original stones of a barrow removed. Later used as a clerance cairn

Ordnance Survey, 2017, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359962.

'Cist' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England, 1002552 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

This monument includes a kerbed cairn with cist situated within a coaxial field system on the south eastern side of Wigford Down, overlooking the Plym Valley. The kerbed cairn survives as a circular stony mound measuring up to 8.23m in diameter and 0.8m high. A retaining kerb is visible to the south as a 0.6m high arc of large stones with an internal diameter of approximately 7m. This disappears to the north as the cairn is overlain by an intersection of two prehistoric field boundaries. The central cist is also visible, as a stone lined rectangular feature partly obscured by the displaced coverstone. It measures up to 1.1m long by 0.8m wide and 0.7m deep. The cairn had been subject to an earlier excavation but was re-examined by Worth in 1900 and two fragments of late Bronze Age pottery were recovered.

National Monument Record, 2017, Pastscape, 439547, SX56SW10 (Website). SDV359964.

A cist, within massive circle of stones, 20 feet in diameter, once surrounding a barrow, lies on the southern slope of Wigford Down, outside the inclosure of Cadworthy Farm. It is well constructed and has been opened previously, the cover-stone still partially overhangs the cist. Two pottery fragments, evidently part of an urn were found. The cairn was superimposed by the field or paddock wall of the nearby hut circle.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, WD-19WD-19 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(14/08/2020) Condition assessed as moderate; vegetation is having an impact.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs (Photograph). SDV363073.

Image taken during August 2020 site visit, view showing monument mainly covered with closely cropped grass with gorse outcrops in north-east part and bracken encroaching along east side.

Newman, P., 2019-2020, Survey data from various sites on Dartmoor (Cartographic). SDV363779.

Newman, P., 2020, Wigford Down Premier Archaeological Landscape, Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey (Report - Survey). SDV363780.

A badly disturbed prehistoric cist with displaced cover stone and vestiges of a retaining circle surviving in situ. Approximately 60% of the feature remains due its location being chosen for the point where a later wall has a right angle corner with an adjoining wall branching from it, covering the northern portion of the cairn. Only five slabs of the retaining circle survive approximately upright in situ, suggesting the overall diameter of the complete circle was 8.35m. The long slabs of the central cist are also in situ and the chamber measures 1.1m by 0.28m approximately by 0.3m deep. A large, flat, intact cover stone of 1.4m by 1.17m, with a rounded end, is displaced to the south. Some material from the turf covered cairn is still visible, but much disturbed and depleted.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV137656Monograph: Butler, J.. 1994. Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West. Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West. Three. Paperback Volume. 78-80, Map 48, Figure 48.1 & 48.1.1.
SDV15558Article in Serial: Fox, A.. 1951. Eighteenth Report on the Archaeology and Early History of Devon. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 83. A5 Hardback. 168.
SDV20971Article in Serial: Worth, R. H.. 1902. 21st Report of the Barrow Committee. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 34. A5 Paperback + Digital. 136.
SDV220620Article in Serial: Price, D. G.. 1978. Settlement and ancient fields on Wigford Down. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 110. Unknown. 69-75.
SDV229817Article in Serial: Turner, J. R.. 1990. Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 48. Paperback Volume. 46,74.
SDV231259Article in Serial: Worth, R. H.. 1900. 19th Report of the Barrow Committee. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 32. Unknown. 48, Plates 1-2.
SDV251956Article in Serial: Worth, R. H.. 1888. The Moorland Plym. Plymouth Institution and Devon and Cornwall Natural History Society. 10. Unknown. 289-310.
SDV255788Article in Serial: Fox, A.. 1951. Early Settlement on Dartmoor and in North Wales. Archaeologia Cambrensis. 101. Unknown. 168.
SDV273224Article in Serial: Grinsell, L. V.. 1978. Dartmoor Barrows. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 36. A5 Paperback.
SDV319854Cartographic: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1985. Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP. Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Aerial Photograph P. Cartographic.
SDV346007Article in Serial: Worth, R. H.. 1890. 12th Report of the Barrow Committee. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 22. Hardback Volume + Digital. 50.
SDV359962Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2017. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital.
SDV359963National Heritage List for England: Historic England. 2017. National Heritage List for England. Historic Houses Register. Digital. 1002552.
SDV359964Website: National Monument Record. 2017. Pastscape. http://www.pastscape.org.uk. Website. 439547, SX56SW10.
SDV360144Report - Survey: Berry, N.. 2005. Archaeological and Historic Landscape Survey of Lower Cadworthy Farm, Meavy, Devon. National Trust Report. A4 Comb Bound. 2, Site Summary.
SDV362781Worksheet: Various. 2018-2020. PALs Condition Recording forms. PALs Condition Assessment Project Forms. Digital. WD-19WD-19.
SDV363073Photograph: Various. 2018-2020. PALs Condition Recording photographs. PALs Condition Assessment Project Forms. Digital.
SDV363779Cartographic: Newman, P.. 2019-2020. Survey data from various sites on Dartmoor. GIS ShapeFile. Digital. [Mapped feature: #84186 ]
SDV363780Report - Survey: Newman, P.. 2020. Wigford Down Premier Archaeological Landscape, Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey. Southwest Landscape Investigations. Digital.

Associated Monuments

MDV40210Related to: Circular feature, Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119021Related to: Clearance Cairn on in south-west corner of a Field at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119020Related to: Clearance Cairn on west side of a Field at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119022Related to: Clearance Cairns in western half of a Field at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119024Related to: Farm Building in a Field at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119026Related to: Former Field Boundaries at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119023Related to: Former field boundary at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119042Related to: Former Field Boundary at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119044Related to: Former Field Boundary at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119047Related to: Former Field Boundary at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119043Related to: Holloway to fields at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119818Related to: Hut circle in field system on south side of Wigford Down, Meavy (Monument)
MDV2397Related to: Hut circle in field system on Wigford Down, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119025Related to: Linear Feature in a Field at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119027Related to: Linear Feature on the north-east side of a Field at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV2219Related to: Parallel reave system on Wigford Down (Monument)
MDV119029Related to: Prehistoric Enclosure and Bank at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)
MDV119045Related to: Two Clearance Cairns at Cadworthy Farm, Meavy (Monument)

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

  • EDV7251 - Lower Cadworthy Farm: Archaeological and Historic Landscape Survey
  • EDV8316 - Wigford Down PAL survey

Date Last Edited:Sep 27 2021 10:31AM