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Summary

Coaxial field system around Pil Tor including Foale's Arrishes settlement. Four reaves traverse the slopes of Top Tor and Pil Tor, continuing the north-west trending axis from Rippon Tor and Halsanger, up the west side of Blackslade Down and over the ridge between the tors. The reaves descend the western slope towards the enclosed lands of Widecombe, wherein little trace of them now survives. A number of cross reaves on the north-west side of the tors, divide the reaves into blocks.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1003285: Burial chamber on Blackslade Down
• Scheduled Monument 1003283: Foale's Arrishes, huts and fields, Blackslade Down
• Scheduled Monument 1003286: Hut circle at Tunhill Rocks
• SHINE: Earthworks and walling remains of a Bronze Age coaxial field system around Pil Tor with remains of reaves, enclosures, hut circle settlements including Foales Arrishes, continuing south onto Blackslade Down

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Non-designated Heritage Asset (Historical): NI Site
• National Monuments Record: SX77NW87
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 898201
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77NW/266

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARALLEL REAVE SYSTEM (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

National Monuments Record, 1982, NMR SF2112, 1109 (Aerial Photograph). SDV345548.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, SX77NW (Cartographic). SDV345445.

Field system visible between SX73057563 and SX73687564.

Fleming, A., 1988, The Dartmoor Reaves: Investigating Prehistoric Land Divisions, 46-50 (Monograph). SDV229071.

The Rippon Tor parallel reave system is the largest on Dartmoor, and at 4500 hectares, one of the largest prehistoric field systems in the country. The parallel reaves in this system lie at almost 90 degrees to the adjacent Dartmoor system to the SW, and are aligned NW-SE. They terminate on a terminal reave running from Dunstone Down, ca. SX701761 to a point a little to the South of the Hameldown South reave (SX 77 NW 74) at ca SX715793. Five major blocks survive:
Dunstone Down/Wind Tor (SX 77 NW 41)
Hameldown South-East (SX 77 NW 85)
Hound Tor/Honeybay Tor/Chinkwell Tor (SX 77 NW 86)
Rippon Tor/Buckland Beacon/Horridge Common (SX 77 SW 43)
Saddle Tor/Haytor/Black Hill (SX 77 NE 31)
At the time of writing it is strongly suspected that the reaves may extend as far to the SE as the A38, NE of Ashburton, and that these are fossilised in the present fields.
(See illustration card for a plan of the system).

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume One - The East, 57-59 (Monograph). SDV299725.

Four reaves from Foales Arrishes continue west beyond Pil Tor and Top Tor. Reaves represented by two drystone walls are also present in the opposite direction. Cross banks were built between the reaves forming rectangular fields surrounding the hut circles. Other details: Map 9, Site 1, Figure 9.1.

Gerrard, S., 2004, List of Sites Remaining to be Considered for Designation on Dartmoor (Un-published). SDV345444.

Coaxial fields around Pil Tor was considered for designation as a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 2004.

Gerrard, S., 2006, Dartmoor Nationally Important Sites (Cartographic). SDV345607.

This site is included in the local list of Nationally Important Dartmoor sites.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Reaves visible on the aerial photography.

Newman, P., 2015, Rippon Tor Premier Archaeological Landscape, Dartmoor National Park, Devon, 16, 55, Figure 11 (Report - Survey). SDV359145.

Parallel reaves around Pil Tor. Four reaves traverse the slopes of Top Tor and Pil Tor, continuing the NW trending axis from Rippon Tor and Halsanger, up the west side of Blackslade Down and over the ridge between the tors. The reaves descend the western slope towards the enclosed lands of Widecombe, wherein little trace of them now survives. A number of cross reaves on the NW side of the tors, divide the reaves into blocks. Further blocks on the south side exist in association with the hut circle settlement at Foale’s Arrishes. Condition is stable.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6836 - Rippon Tor Premier Archaeological Landscape survey

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