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Summary

A fine turf-covered cairn situated at the head of a shallow dry valley below Hart Tor with impressive distant views in most directions. Mound measuring 12 metres in diameter, 1.2 metres high. Much of the well-constructed cist with part of its capstone in situ is visible in the eviscerated core of the 1.5 metres high stony mound. Surveyed in 2007.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1007418: Platform cairn 60m north of Raddick Hill summit

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE22
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440088
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/73
• Old SAM County Ref: 933B
• Old SAM Ref: 22311

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PLATFORM CAIRN (Constructed, Neolithic - 4000 BC (Between) to 2201 BC (Between))

Full description

Worth, R. H., 1899, 18th Report of the Barrow Committee, 98-99 (Article in Serial). SDV339157.

One of three cairns on Raddick Hill. This barrow lies to the n of two barrows near Devonport Leat. Previously rifled and not excavated (R. Burnard, edited by Worth).

Worth, R. H., 1902, 21st Report of the Barrow Committee, 113-115, 122, 131 ,fig. P.114 (Article in Serial). SDV20971.

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

(SX 57917115) Cairn (NR). Cairn is marked on the Ordnance Survey 6 inch early 20th century (1906) historic map.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 174 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(25/04/1973) Cairn with large hollow towards centre. Has small stony mounds on either side, satellite cairns or recent stone heaps? diameter of cairn 14.5m, height 1.5m.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1978, SX57SE22, SX57SE22 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV275774.

(12/08/1978) Burnard (1899; Worth editor) quotes four cairns on Raddick Hill: two small ones (SX 57 SE 39) north of the Devonport Leat, the third a short distance north of those and the fourth still further to the north; (SX 57 SE 21). He describes the northernmost as a barrow 45 ft in diameter which had been previously explored by a pit sunk in the centre. Burnard cleared this out in 1899 to reveal a cist which, though formerly disturbed, yielded a small piece of corroded bronze (1 1/2 ins x 3/4 in). (a).
All four cairns were first published on the OS 6" 1906 (b) (c) with, almost certainly, Burnard as the source of information. But the discrepancy between the measured diameter of the northern cairn (5.0m), and that quoted by Burnard (45 ft : 13.5m) indicates entirely different cairns.
The cairn in this position (i.e. the third) Burnard dismisses as a barrow which had been "previously disturbed" but gives no other details. (a).
The cairn in this position (i.e. the third) Burnard dismisses as a barrow which had been "previously disturbed" but gives no other details.
Currently this cairn is as follows: It has an overall diameter of 12.0m and 1.2m. high with no visible kerb or similar feature. It appears to be a platform cairn with an originally flat top 8.0m across which now incorporates an off centre excavation hollow and an infilled trench from the north east side towards the centre. The trench seems to have been cut from the top and not through the side of the cairn.
There are only four cairns in the area and it seems probable that in his published notes Burnard transposed his third and fourth cairns. Thus the one dismissed with no details would be the northernmost. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

National Monuments Record, 1982, NMR SF2112, 1272-1274 (Aerial Photograph). SDV345548.

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

Visited 19/01/1983.

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

Cairn is visible on the aerial photographs and recorded.

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

(1993) Platform cairn. Mound measuring 12m in diameter, 1.2m high. A hollow in the centre of the mound, measuring 2.2m long, 2m wide and 0.9m deep, is probably the result of a partial excavation in 1898 by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee. This work revealed a previously robbed cist containing a small piece of corroded bronze. The cist with a surviving capstone on the east side is orientated east-south-east to west-north-west and measures 0.7m long .

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 61, 208, Map 46 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Raddick Hill Summit cairn '3' at SX57927114 of 13.8 metres diameter by 1.5 metres high with a cist . A single slab on end may be the last of a circle of stones that once surrounded the mound and to the north and south two roughly circular stone heaps at its base seem to contain some set stones. Excavated by Burnard who cleared out the central pit to discover 'a very fine and perfect cist' from which most of the grave goods had gone save for a small piece of unidentified bronze.

Fletcher, M. J., 2007-2008, Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project (Report - Survey). SDV359195.

(05/09/2007) A fine turf-covered cairn situated at the head of a shallow dry valley below Hart Tor with impressive distant views in most directions. Much of the well-constructed cist with part of its capstone in situ is visible in the eviscerated core of the 1.5m high stony mound. Surveyed at 1:2500 scale.

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

Clearly visible.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, WLK-115 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 23/12/2019. Overall condition very good. Photo taken.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, WLK-115 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 23/12/2019. Overall condition very good. Photo taken.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, WLK-115 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photo looking 240° showing grass/moss/whortleberry cover.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, WLK-115 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photo looking 240° showing grass/moss/whortleberry cover.

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

'Cairn' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1007418 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

This monument includes a platform cairn situated on the northern edge of Raddick Hill plateau overlooking the valley of the Hart Tor Brook. The cairn mound measures 12 metres in diameter and stands up to 1.2 metres high. A hollow in the centre of the mound is probably the result of a partial excavation in 1898 by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee. This work revealed a previously robbed cist containing a small piece of corroded bronze. The cist with a surviving capstone on the east side is orientated east-south-east to west-north-west and measures 0.7 metres long. Two small mounds on the northern and southern edges of the cairn have been identified as possible satellite cairns.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV5868 - KNIFE? (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 701 BC)

Associated Events

• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project

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