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Summary

One of two closely located round cairns with a disturbed cist on south slope of Legis Tor. The approximately circular cairn is disturbed and spread up to 5.3m diameter but stands less than 0.3m high. Surveyed in 2005, 2010, 2017 and 2022.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019876: Prehistoric settlement, three round cairns and a post-medieval rabbit warren at Legis Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE67
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438692
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/70
• Old SAM County Ref: 592
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 22289
• Old SAM Ref: 10589

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., 1890, The Moorland Plym, 303 (Article in Serial). SDV215949.

Worth, R. H., 1901, 20th Report of the Barrow Committee, 118-119 (Article in Serial). SDV163208.

A cist, 250 yards south-east of Legis Tor, built on an earthfast boulder. No end stones remain. The eastern side stone is 3 feet 1 inch long, the western stone, which is displaced, is 3 feet 4 inches long. The width between them varies from 1 foot 9 inches at the north end to 3 feet 4 1/2inches at the southern end. The cover stone lies to the south of the cist, and is approximately 5 feet 4 inches long, 4 feet 2 inches wide. The present diameter of the barrow is 16 feet. Excavation has yielded no results.

Worth, R. H., 1932, 51st Report of the Barrow Committee, Plate III (Article in Serial). SDV251255.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56NE67 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV229298.

(20/06/1977) SX 5738 6548 A small round cairn, 5.0m diameter and 0.4m high, containing a cist, lies on a false crest at 292m OD.
The cist, comprising the 2 side stones only, measures 0.2m along the east side and 0.7m along the west side; it narrows from 1.0m wide at the south to 0.6m wide at the north, and the displaced cover stone measures 1.7m by 1.3m. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 167, Sheepstor 22 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(21/09/1975) SX 5739 6547 Legis Tor. Cairn containing cist placed south-south-east by north-north-west, capstone at south. Excavated in 1896 without result (citing Worth, 1890, 303). Diameter 5.5m, height 0.4m.

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

(03/08/1983) Visited.

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

Not visible on the 1946 Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 76/e43 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Platform circle. Ring of kerb stones, 3m internal diameter, enclosing flat-topped cairn 0.4m high with central cist. Much disturbed.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130882 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(22/02/1993) Round cairn. Mound measures 6m in diameter and stands up to 0.3m high. A cist orientated south-south-east to north-north-west has both side slabs and the northern end slab in place, giving a length of 0.9m, a width of 0.6m and a depth of 0.35m[. The capstone is displaced to the south and is 1.2m by 1.5m and 0.25m in thickness. A small number of stones set on edge around the perimeter of the mound indicates the presence of a kerb which survives partly as a buried feature.
Examined by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee during 1895, but no artefacts were recovered.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 114, Map 49, Figure 49.1 & 49.2.2 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Legis Tor E cairn '2' at SX57386548 of 4.0 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high with a cist. Both side stones of the cist are exposed in the wide central hollow of the cairn and the cover stone is also present, shifted to the edge of the mound, Most of the stones of the outer ring are present but partly covered by upcast. The cairn was excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1896 but no artefacts were found.

Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

(18/02/2005) SX 57396548. This feature is as described by the Ordnance Survey in 1977 and remains in a stable condition.

Probert, S. A. J., 2010, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of Ringmoor, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV360517.

(Visited November-December 2010)

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Ringmoor Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Report - Survey). SDV361636.

(05/12/2017) A cairn 5.0m diameter and 0.4m high containing a disturbed cist. A displaced cover stone lies on the south side of the cairn. Fair condition; monument stable.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPRM-25 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(02/03/2020) Condition of site assessed as good, although vegetation encroachment (heavy bracken) is affecting the feature.

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

Photographs taken during March 2020 visit.

Ordnance Survey, 2021, MasterMap 2021 (Cartographic). SDV364015.

Southern of two 'Cairns' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1019876 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

On the hillslope above the eastern part of the settlement are three round cairns. The perimeters of all three mounds are denoted in places by stones set on edge, which indicate the presence of kerbs which survive partly as buried features. The central mound measures 6.0 metres in diameter and stands up to 0.3 metres high. The mound contains a cist orientated SSE to NNW which has both sideslabs and the northern end slab in place, giving a length of 0.9 metres, a width of 0.6 metres and a depth of 0.35 metres. The capstone is displaced to the south and is 1.2 metres by 1.5 metres and 0.25 metres in thickness. This cairn was examined by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee during 1895, but no artefacts were recovered.

Newman, P., 2022, Ringmoor Down Premier Archaeological Landscape Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey, Table 1 (Report - Survey). SDV365490.

A small ruinous round cairn SE of Legis Tor, containing a disturbed cist. The approximately circular cairn is disturbed and spread up to 5.3m diameter but stands less than 0.3m high. Only the eastern side of the cist remains in situ comprising a single slab of 0.93m long. A partially buried slab 0.53m to its west, may be the displaced western side. A large capstone which once covered the chamber has been pushed to the south. Its dimensions are 1.56m by 1.29m. Surveyed at 1:100 scale using GPS, 14 April 2022.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8381 - Excavation of cairn south-east of Legis Tor
• EDV8917 - Survey of the archaeological features on Ringmoor Down

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