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Summary

Standing stone lies 33 metres south of a nearby small stone circle and survives as a 3.2 metre high granite slab which tapers from the base which measures 0.7 metres wide by 0.5 metres thick.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1013430: A stone circle, standing stone, cairn, recumbent stone and stone alignment on Longash Common

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE9
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440047
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/24/2
• Old SAM County Ref: 334
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 12/01/1996
• Old SAM Ref: 24194

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STANDING STONE (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC? (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Ancient Monuments, Merrivale Standing Stone (Schedule Document). SDV320231.

Stone circle and menhir at Merrivale. A menhir 3.048 meters high stands to the south of a free standing circle of small stones.

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

'Monolith' shown on 19th century map.

Worth, R. N., 1893, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor, Part 2, 541 (Article in Serial). SDV231164.

Other details: Part 2.

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

'Menhir' shown on early 20th century map to the west of a 'Cairn'. (Menhir means 'Long Stone' in Welsh - AR)

Ordnance Survey, 1906, 56NE (Cartographic). SDV320244.

Merrivale. Principal menhir stands not far from the stone circle, a smaller menhir near it and the remains of a barrow (see PRN 3759) lie between the two. There are also a few scattered stones, purpose unknown. The smaller menhir is around 10 meters from the larger. A single stone row east of south from the big menhir now represented by three small stones equally spaced.

Burnard, R., 1911, Address of the President, 52 (Article in Serial). SDV231227.

Lowe, H. J., 1915-1920, The Dartmoor Antiquities and their Builders, 134-135 (Article in Serial). SDV231169.

Lowe considers the possibility of a connection between the menhir and the nearby stone circle (PRN 4998). Mention of astronomical use.

Worth, R. H., 1930, Proceedings at the Annual Meeting, 33-4 (Article in Serial). SDV231168.

Worth, R. H., 1940, The Dartmoor Menhirs, 196-7 (Article in Serial). SDV231163.

Other details: Plate 8, Fig 2.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 173 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Standing stone and recumbent stone with cairn between them.

NMR, 1979, SF1510/174 (Aerial Photograph). SDV231230.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX57SE9 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV231218.

(20/12/1979) Standing stone 3.2 meters high tapering from base which is 0.7 meters by 0.5 meters in section and supported by packing stones. Whether it was once the focus or terminus of stone rows is now uncertain, particularly since the vicinity was probably scoured for stone during construction of the local newtake wall.

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

Visible and recorded.

Stephens, F. W., 1990, Merrivale Standing Stone (Site Visit). SDV231220.

11feet high (3.352 metres), 1 foot 8 inches (0.5 metres) square. Other details: Sketch and Note.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 79 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Two standing stones, one recumbent, with cairn between them. Other details: F19.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133476 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Standing stone lies 33 metres south of a nearby small stone circle and survives as a 3.2 metre high granite slab which tapers from the base which measures 0.7 metres wide by 0.5 metres thick. May have acted as a focus for the other surviving features within the vicinity, but because of the proximity of a newtake wall, it seems probable that damage to important archaeological features and structures has occurred, making detailed interpretation more difficult than would have been the case.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 28, Map 44, Figure 44.7 & 44.7.6 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Merrivale Standing stone, 3.1 metres high, 42 metres almost due south from the centre of the stone circle.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2000, The Merrivale Guardianship Area, Walkhampton, Devon, 4 (Report - Survey). SDV344969.

(30/10/1999) SX55369459 The impressive standing stone is 3.0m high and 0.7m by 0.55m at its base; the packing stones and grounders around its foot have now been covered by turf.

Dartmoor National Park + English Heritage, 2004, Merrivale: An Archaeological Landscape, 15 (Leaflet). SDV320201.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

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

Visible on aerial photograph.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, MER-20 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 2/10/2019. Standing stone surrounded by erosion depression. Overall condition good. Photo taken.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, MER-20 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photo looking 300° showing erosion depression surrounding standing stone.

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

'Standing Stone' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1013430 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

This monument includes a stone circle, standing stone, cairn, recumbent stone, stone alignment and several small earthfast upright granite slabs situated on a gentle south facing slope on Longash Common overlooking the valley of an unnamed tributary of the River Walkham. The standing stone lies 33 metres to the south of the stone circle and survives as a 3.2 metres high granite slab which tapers from the base which measures 0.7 metres wide by 0.5 metres thick. This stone may have acted as a focus for the other surviving features within the vicinity, but because of the proximity of a newtake wall, it seems probable that limited damage to archaeological features and structures has occurred, making detailed interpretation more difficult than would have otherwise been the case.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4830 - Survey of guardianship area, Merrivale
• EDV4842 - Erosion repairs at Merrivale
• EDV4846 - Erosion repairs at Merrivale

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