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Summary

One of two disturbed prehistoric cairns on the summit and summit plateau of Yes Tor. This is the western cairn. A large gutted cairn 25.0 metres by 27.0 metres in and 0.8 metres in height. The central excavation is approximately 12.0 metres across and extends to 0.5 metres below the natural ground level. In the base of the hollow and on its south side are three partly buried slabs each about 1.7 metres long, 0.2 metres thick and more than 0.5 metres wide, which look like the displaced remains of a former cist.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010595: Round cairn and shelter 140m north west of Yes Tor summit

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX58SE6
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440858
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX59SE/166
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX59SE/9
• Old SAM County Ref: 37A
• Old SAM Ref: 24161
• Old SAM Ref: 24161(P)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROUND CAIRN (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• SHELTER (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Western of two 'Tumuli' shown on 19th century map on the summit of Yes Tor.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 200 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 158 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Site visited on 11th July 1976. The more westerly of two cairns on Yes Tor. This has a very large hollow towards the centre and is dug into from the north. Diameter 27.0 metres, height 1.8 metres.

1979, SX59SE6 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV256079.

(06/09/1979) SX 57959020. A large gutted cairn 25.0m by 27.0m in diameter and 0.8m in height. The central excavation is approximately 12.0m across and extends to 0.5m below the natural ground level. In the base of the hollow and on its south side are three partly buried slabs each about 1.7m long, 0.2m thick and more than 0.5m wide, which look like the displaced remains of a former cist.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD. See ground photographs.

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

Not visible on aerial photograph.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133359, 133360 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 10th February 1994. Round cairn on a natural shelf immediately below the summit of Yes Tor. Cairn mound measures 29 metres in diameter and stands up to 2 metres high. Has been the subject of a partial excavation which has left 2 distinctive features. The first is a large central hollow, 7 metres by 6 metres by 1.5 metres deep, in which many large rocks are exposed. The second is a 14 metre by 3 metre by 0.7 metres deep trench which leads to the central hollow from the north edge of the cairn. Many of the stones forming banks around these hollows probably represent material upcast during the course of the undocumented antiquarian exploration.
A shelter is situated 4 metres south of the large round cairn. The interior is oval, 2 metres by 1.5 metres, and is surrounded by a 1.1 metre wide and 0.4 metres high rubble wall. A gap in the north-east wall probably represents a doorway.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 214, 244, Map 41, Site '1' (Monograph). SDV219155.

Yes Tor '1' cairn at SX57969021 of 29 metres diameter. The cairn has a huge pit in the centre. A trench across the north side seems to have reached down to bedrock through an unrecorded excavation.

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) These features are as described in 1979 and have suffered no additional damage in the past quarter century.

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

Cairn shown on survey.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England, 1010595 (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

This monument includes a round cairn and a small shelter situated on a natural shelf immediately below the summit of Yes Tor which overlooks much of North Devon. The cairn mound measures 29 metres in diameter and stands up to 2 metres high. This cairn has been the subject of a partial excavation which has left two distinctive features. The first is a large hollow in the centre of the mound, which measures 7 metres long, 6 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep, and in which many large rocks are exposed. The second is a 14 metres long, 3 metres wide and 0.7 metres deep trench which leads to the central hollow from the northern edge of the cairn. Many of the stones forming banks around these hollows probably represent material upcast during the course of the undocumented antiquarian exploration. A small shelter of unknown date lies 4 metres south of the cairn. The interior of this structure is oval in shape, measures 2 metres long by 1.5 metres wide and is surrounded by a 1.1 metre wide and 0.4 metre high rubble wall. A gap in the north eastern wall probably represents a doorway.

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

Western of two 'Cairns' shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

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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