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Summary

Cairn of 5.6 metres diameter by 0.5 metres high with a cist on the east side of Doe Tor. Excavated in 1905 and 'partly restored'. Cist of 1.3 metres by 0.8 metres and 0.6 metres deep with two end slabs and a side slab in place. A partially buried slab which lies to the east of the mound may be the missing side slab or the capstone.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1011232: Round cairn 190m east of Doe Tor summit

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440667
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/56
• Old SAM County Ref: 20
• Old SAM Ref: 20350
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX58SW1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Worth, R. H., 1902, 21st Report of the Barrow Committee, 115 (Article in Serial). SDV20971.

Cist. On the slope of Doe Tor towards Sharp Tor. There are two end stones visible. One side stone restored to place. Stands in mound. Previously robbed, excavation found fragment of charcoal.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Kistvaen' shown on early 20th century map with a small rectangular feature in the middle.

Worth, R. H., 1905, 24th Report of the Barrow Committee, 89-90 (Article in Serial). SDV64705.

In May 1905, a cist on the slopes of Doe Tor was re-opened, examined and partly restored. After restoration one side as well as both ends were above ground. The cover stone or possibly the other side stone was found lying to the east. The cist which stands on a mound of 16 feet diameter had obviously been robbed and excavation yielded only one minute fragment of charcoal. The original depth of the cist was three feet.

Ancient Monuments, 1959, Schedule note (Schedule Document). SDV215010.

(June 1959) Cairn east of Doe Tor. Denuded cairn about 457mm in height, 7.47m in diameter. Three large granite slabs set on edge forming the cist protrude nearly 305mm above the mound. Moorland.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 144 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(11/09/1975) Cairn enclosing cist. South-western slab missing. Excavated. Diameter 5.5m, height 0.3m.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX58SW1, SX58SW1 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV215009.

(29/08/1979) A cairn, 5.6m in diameter and 0.5m high, with a cist which protrudes 0.2m above the mound. The cist, oriented 175oN, has one side stone 1.3m long and two end slabs 0.6m and 0.8m long; the maximum depth is 0.6m. A possible cover stone 1.0m by 0.7m lies just east of the cairn.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.
Cist reopened and restored by Worth. The cist 'stands on a mound 16 feet diameter, had obviously been robbed and excavation yielded only one minute fragment of charcoal. Original depth of cist was 3 feet (1905).

Robinson, R., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1983 (Un-published). SDV345762.

Department of Environment Field Monument Warden site visit 3rd September 1983.

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

Not visible on the 1940s Royal Air Force verticals.

Brewer, D., 1986, A field guide to the boundary markers on and around Dartmoor, 38 (Monograph). SDV309252.

Crossing refers to a cairn which lies between Doe Tor and Hare Tor called 'Hay Tor Bound'. It marked the boundary of the old Willsworthy Manor.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 123738 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(1992) Round cairn. Mound measures 5.6m in diameter and stands up to 0.5m high. Partially excavated to reveal a cist orientated north-south. Interior measures 1.3m by 0.8m by 0.6m deep. Excavated by Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1905, and this work revealed only a small fragment of charcoal and that the cist has been previously robbed. Following excavation the cist was restored. A possible capstone measuring 1m by 0.7m lies immediately east of the cairn mound.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 106, 241, Map 32, Site 21 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Doe Tor E. cairn at SX54388484 of 5.0 metres diameter by 0.4 metres high with a cist. Cairn to the east of Doe Tor with two small stones showing above the turf within the mound which are probably part of an inner ring surrounding the cist. Both end stones and a side slab remain of the cist which was excavated in 1905 when the side slab was replaced. Another slab lying below the cairn was probably either the missing side or the cist cover. Only a fragment of charcoal was recovered from the previously rifled cist.

Probert, S. + Fletcher, M. + Newman, P., 1998, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon: An Archaeological survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (Report - Survey). SDV350638.

(22/06/1998) The remains of a very fine cist are set in a disturbed cairn at SX54388484 on a moderate hillslope. Three side slabs of the cist which measures internally 0.76m square and a maximum 0.6m deep survive; a partially buried slab which lies to the east of the mound may, as suggested, be the fourth slab or alternatively the capstone. The cairn which is dug away on the west side measures 5.8m by 5.4m and a maximum 0.6m high, some stones and boulders are visible in the turf-covered mound and the upper part of the cist protrudes from the top.
This cairn is most probably the boundary marker noted by Crossing as it lies immediately adjacent to the boundary of the MOD Willsworthy Estate which incorporated the Manor lands.

Probert, S., 2001, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon. Integrated Land Management Plan Implementation: Archaeological Condition Baseline Survey Appendices 2-5 (Report - Survey). SDV357727.

(20/12/2000) The cairn is well preserved and its remains are undisturbed.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Cairn shown on survey.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015-2017, 2015-2017 Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV361462.

Visible on aerial photograph.

Ordnance Survey, 2023, Mastermap 2023 (Cartographic). SDV365227.

'Cairn & Cist' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1011232 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

This monument includes a round cairn situated on a gentle east-facing slope of Doe Tor overlooking the valley of the Walla Brook. The cairn mound, which measures 5.6 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres high, contains a cist orientated north to south. The interior of this cist measures 1.3 metres long, 0.8 metres wide and 0.6 metres deep. This cairn was partially excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1905. This work revealed that the cist had been robbed previously and the only find was a small fragment of charcoal. A possible capstone measuring 1 metre long by 0.7 metres wide lies immediately east of the cairn mound.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8451 - Excavation of cairn east of Doe Tor
• EDV7368 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy (1998)
• EDV6663 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6664 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6665 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV8141 - Condition survey of the Willsworthy Training Area

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