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HER Number:MDV5102
Name:Cist and cairn on Brown Heath, Harford

Summary

Cairn with cist at Redlake Foot to the east of the Stall Moor to Greenhill stone row. A fine cist measuring internally, 0.7 metres by 1.0 metre and 1.0 metre deep single slabs form the end-stones and the southern side-stone. The northern side is a slab resting on a horizontal 'post' type stone. The cist is within a cairn 5.5 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres high on the west side, but merging into the west facing hillslope on its east side. A few large stones with a high quartz or spar content protrude from the turf near the perimeter but are not certainly part of a retaining circle.

Location

Grid Reference:SX 637 660
Map Sheet:SX66NW
Admin AreaDartmoor National Park
Civil ParishHarford
DistrictSouth Hams
Ecclesiastical ParishHARFORD

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

  • National Monuments Record: SX66NW19
  • National Record of the Historic Environment: 441620
  • Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/26
  • Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/26/1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

  • CAIRN CIRCLE (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., 1902, 21st Report of the Barrow Committee, 114 (Article in Serial). SDV20971.

The barrow was opened and found to contain a rifled kistvaen, 2 worked flakes were found in it. Flake 'a' has been used on some hard substance; the solid angles left by flaking have been rubbed down, smoothed and left with a dull polish. Flake 'b' Is similar to other flints found on Dartmoor.

Worth, R. H., 1941, 60th Report on Barrows, 55-6 (Article in Serial). SDV302703.

Kistvaen. The kist consists of two end stones and two side stones and has a depth of 0.9 metres. The cover stone has been removed and lies to the south of the kist, its greatest dimensions being 1 metre by 1.1 metres. The internal dimensions of the kist are length 1.0 metre, breadth 0.6 metres. The kist lies within a small cairn 5 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres in height. There is no retaining circle.

Worth, R. H., 1950, 69th Report of the Barrow Committee, 45 (Migrated Record). SDV151407.

Dixon, C. E. B., 1953, 71st Report of the Barrow Committee, 176 (Article in Serial). SDV272443.

Hankin, C. F., 1977-1980, Harford Parish Checklist (Worksheet). SDV149931.

Site visited in July 1976 at Red Lake Foot in the Erme Valley. On the west slope of Brown Heath at a point where the north slope gives a clear view of the valley at Erme Head. The ground is usually very wet; long grass on granite; the site is difficult to find because the associated cairn has virtually disappeared. Length of sides circa 0.9 metres by 0.6 metres with cover stone 1.02 metres by 0.99 metres and depth of cist at least 1.02 metres. Direction of cist 303 degrees. Altitude circa 402 metres.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 139 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Site visited on 23rd June 1976. Cairn with two stones of possible retaining circle enclosing a cist. Four wall slabs in position, capstone low, waterlogged at the time of visit. Diameter 5 metres, height 0.3 metres.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX66NW19 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV279294.

(17/04/1979) At SX 63786607 a fine cist at Redlake Foot measuring internally, 0.7 metres by 1.0 metre and 1.0 metre deep single slabs form the end-stones and the southern side-stone. The northern side is a slab resting on a horizontal 'post' type stone.
The partly displaced coverstone is 1.0 metre square and 0.1 metres thick.
The cist is within a cairn 5.5 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres high on the west side, but merging into the west facing hillslope on its east side. A few large stones with a high quartz or spar content protrude from the turf near the perimeter but are not certainly part of a retaining circle. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

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

Not visible on aerial photograph.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 77, Map 55, Figures 55.7 & 55.7.1 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Cairn '3' at SX63776607 of 6.5 metres diameter by 0.5 metres high contains an open cist with its cover slab only partly displaced from the sides. The debris from the interior was cleared out in about 1949 but it had already been excavated and only two flint flakes were recovered.

Newman, P., 2018, Erme Valley Survey data (GIS and Excel spreadsheet) (Cartographic). SDV361913.

Feature shown on survey.

Newman, P., 2018, The Upper Erme Valley, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: An Archaeological Survey, Appendix 1, Figures 22 & 23 (Report - Survey). SDV362921.

An intact cist with displaced cover stone on the lower north-west slope of Brown Heath, 60 metres east of the Stall Moor to Greenhill stone row. Both sides and ends of the rectangular chamber survive measuring 1 metre by 0.6 metres internally and 0.9 metres deep. One corner of the cover stone is visible partly obscuring the chamber, though the rest is buried beneath the peat. Any barrow or cairn covering the cist has long been removed.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UE-11 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(13/03/2019) Recorded by experienced volunteer condition assessor. Condition assessed as poor. This cist is situated on the lower slopes of Brown Heath. An area of peat that is completely overgrown with purple moor grass. The monument is substantially hidden by the overgrowth and is visible only from close range as part of the capstone remains unencumbered as is the metre deep cist itself.

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

Photographs taken in March 2019.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

'Cairn' shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV149931Worksheet: Hankin, C. F.. 1977-1980. Harford Parish Checklist. Parish Checklist. Digital.
SDV151407Migrated Record: Worth, R. H.. 1950. 69th Report of the Barrow Committee. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 82. 45.
SDV20971Article in Serial: Worth, R. H.. 1902. 21st Report of the Barrow Committee. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 34. A5 Paperback + Digital. 114.
SDV272443Article in Serial: Dixon, C. E. B.. 1953. 71st Report of the Barrow Committee. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 85. Unknown. 176.
SDV273224Article in Serial: Grinsell, L. V.. 1978. Dartmoor Barrows. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society. 36. A5 Paperback. 139.
SDV279294Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card: Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division. 1979. SX66NW19. Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card. Card Index.
SDV302703Article in Serial: Worth, R. H.. 1941. 60th Report on Barrows. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 73. Photocopy. 55-6.
SDV319854Cartographic: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1985. Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP. Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Aerial Photograph P. Cartographic.
SDV337765Monograph: Butler, J.. 1993. Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East. Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East. Four. Paperback Volume. 77, Map 55, Figures 55.7 & 55.7.1.
SDV361913Cartographic: Newman, P.. 2018. Erme Valley Survey data (GIS and Excel spreadsheet). GIS ShapeFile. Digital.
SDV362781Worksheet: Various. 2018-2020. PALs Condition Recording forms. PALs Condition Assessment Project Forms. Digital. UE-11.
SDV363073Photograph: Various. 2018-2020. PALs Condition Recording photographs. PALs Condition Assessment Project Forms. Digital.
SDV363413Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2020. MasterMap 2020. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital. [Mapped feature: #125132 ]

Associated Monuments

MDV4366Related to: Cairn adjacent to the Stall Moor stone row, Cornwood (Monument)
MDV4310Related to: Cairn at southern end of the Stall Moor stone alignment, Cornwood (Monument)
MDV5106Related to: Cairn at the northern end of Stall Moor stone row, Dartmoor Forest (Monument)

Associated Finds

  • FDV3203 - LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Neolithic - 698000 BC to 2201 BC)

Associated Events

  • EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley
  • EDV8473 - Excavation of a cairn, Redlake Foot

Date Last Edited:Jan 7 2022 10:56AM