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Summary

A cairnfield containing 39 small irregular cairns on the crest and upper slopes of Longstone Hill.The majority relate to stone clearance activity perhaps during a period when the area was considered suitable for cultivation or simply to gather stone for use elsewhere. Features were recorded and scheduled in 1994 as a Bronze Age cairnfield. Ground survey in 2004 shed doubt on this identification and suggests these are clearance cairns.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010597: Eighteen cairns, a length of bank and a recumbent stone forming part of a cairnfield on Longstone Hill

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX59SE121
• National Monuments Record: SX59SE74
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1393516
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 969146
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX59SE/39
• Old SAM Ref: 24163

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BANK (EARTHWORK) (Early Bronze Age to Late Medieval - 2200 BC (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))
• CAIRNFIELD (Constructed, Early Bronze Age to Late Medieval - 2200 BC (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Greeves, T. A. P., 1978, Longstone Hill cairns (Worksheet). SDV260440.

Visited on 5th April 1978. Longstone Hill. 27 cairns to south of hilltop, at around 400 metres. Cairn field contains a range of cairn types; conventional small cairns, very small cairns, ovoid cairns.

Fleming, A., 1980, The Cairnfields of North-West Dartmoor, 9-12 (Article in Serial). SDV251119.

On the ridge or col between fishcombe water and a tributary of the redaven brook to the east there appears to be a prehistoric cairn cemetery consisting of small cairns, perhaps 20-30 in all. Some of the cairns are crest sited and can be seen from quite a distance away to the east. Several of the cairns are slightly on the east side of the ridge.

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

(09/02/1994) These 18 cairns form part of a cairnfield including at least 64 mounds, situated along a ridge called Longstone Hill. Fourteen of the cairns are sub-circular, ranging in size from 2m to 7m in diameter and standing between 0.2m and 1m high. The remainder are ovoid, ranging between 3m to 11m by 2m to 5m by 0.2m to 0.8m high. The average height of all the mounds is 0.52m. Four cairns have a shallow hollow in the mound, suggesting robbing or partial early excavation. Many of the cairns are crest sited and may therefore contain burials, although some may represent stone clearance connected with cultivation of the area. The individual cairns can be described individually as follows:-
1. SX 56779081 Cairn measures 7m in diameter and up to 1m high. A 1.3m square and 0.2m deep central hollow suggests partial early excavation.
2. SX 56799081 Cairn measures 3.5m in diameter and up to 0.6m high.
3. SX 56809081 Cairn measures 3.5m in diameter and up to 0.5m high.
4. SX 56799084 Cairn measures 2.4m in diameter and up to 0.2m high.
5. SX 56769084 Cairn is oval in shape, measuring 8m by 5m, up to 0.7m high and aligned east-west. A 1m square and 0.15m deep hollow dug into the western end of the mound suggests robbing or partial early excavation. The east side of this cairn has seen limited damage as a result of a track being cut through it.
6. SX 56739084 Cairn measures 2m in diameter and up to 0.2m high.
7. SX 56849080 Cairn is oval in shape, measuring 4.5m by 3m by up to 0.6m high and aligned east-west. A small crater 1m from the cairn on the north-east may be a shell hole.
8. SX 56859080 Cairn is oval in shape, measuring 11m by 4m, up to 0.8m high and aligned east-west.
9. SX 56849077 Cairn measures 4.1m in diameter and up to 0.3m high on the upslope side and 0.9m on the upslope.
10. SX 56819077 Cairn measures 3.5m in diameter and up to 0.7m high.
11. SX 56819078 Cairn measures 4.8m in diameter and up to 0.7m high.
12. SX 56759078 Cairn measures 3m in diameter and up to 0.4m high. The western side of the cairn has seen limited damage as a result of a track being cut through it.
13. SX 56769074 Cairn measures 3m in diameter and up to 0.3m high.
14. SX 56769075 Cairn measures 4.5m in diameter and stands up to 0.5m high. A 2m long, 1m wide and 0.2m deep central hollow suggests partial early excavation or robbing. The spoil from this investigation forms a mound immediately east of the cairn.
15. SX 56779075 Cairn measures 4.3m in diameter and up to 0.5m high. Two V-shaped trenches, associated with military activity in this area, lie in the immediate vicinity of the cairn.
16. SX 56769073 Cairn measures 3.8m in diameter and up to 0.35m high.
17. SX 56759072 Cairn measures 2.7m in diameter and up to 0.2m high. A large slab visible on the north-east side of the mound may be a cist coverstone or earthfast rock.
18. SX 56749073 Cairn is oval in shape, measuring 3m by 2m by up to 0.2m high and aligned north-south.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 215, 245, Map 42, Site '8' (Monograph). SDV219155.

Langstone Hill Cairn Cemetery at SX568908 with circa 24 cairns of between 2 metres and 7.0 metres diameter by 0.2 metres to 0.6 metres high. Located along the east side of the ridge. Some of the smaller ones are oval rather than round and ifficult to distinguish from natural hillocks. All have been dug into causing considerable distortion

English Heritage, 1994, Schedule note (Schedule Document). SDV233213.

(08/09/1994) SX56789079 Eighteen cairns, a length of bank and a recumbent stone were recorded at this location situated on the ridge south of Longstone Hill, forming part of a cairnfield, including at least 64 mounds, overlooking the valleys of the Redaven Brook and West Okement River. The cairns, bank and stone are of Bronze Age date.

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 2003-2004, Measured survey North Dartmoor Military Range Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV350801.

(27/01/2004) Centred SX 56779100. A cairnfield containing 39 clearance cairns of varying form and size on the crest and upper slopes of Longstone Hill. The majority of the cairns are roughly circular turf-covered stony mounds measuring between 2.0m and 5.7m in diameter and standing a maximum of 0.75m high. Exceptions occur in the form of occasional small piles of boulders and two linear clearance heaps. Several military earthworks also lie in this area as do two well-defined Bronze Age sepulchral monuments all of which appear to have been included in the total reached by Scheduling authority in 1994.
The majority of the cairns relate to stone clearance activity perhaps during a period when the area was considered suitable for cultivation or simply to gather stone for use elsewhere. Similar cairns (1393507) lie on the adjacent hilltop to the west and are intimately associated with what is probably a later prehistoric enclosure. However, the lower, northern, slopes of Longstone Hill are occupied by an early medieval field system upon which lie several similar cairns calling the prehistoric origin of these features into doubt.
[relating to record 969146 / SX59SE74]:
It is difficult to determine from the scheduling notes which cairns of those on Longstone Hill this record relates to. The situation is further confused as several of the cairns within this group (see record 1393516) appear to have been recorded more than once.
What is apparent is that the cairns in this small sub-group relate to stone clearance rather than sepulchral activity as witnessed by the two short lengths of seemingly contemporary bank that accompany them. The recumbent stone recorded by in 1994 was not found during field investigation.
The origin of these features has been ascribed to the Bronze Age by reference to similar cairn groups in the north of England. However the relationships between similar stony mounds and an early medieval field system on the north side of Longstone Hill suggests that these features may well be products of the historic period.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1010597 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

This monument includes 18 cairns, a length of bank and a recumbent stone situated on the ridge south of Longstone Hill forming part of a cairnfield, including at least 64 mounds, overlooking the valleys of the Redaven Brook and West Okement River. Other cairns lie in the immediate vicinity and these are covered by separate schedulings. Of the mounds, 15 are sub-circular in shape and range in size from 2 metres to 7 metres in diameter and stand between 0.2 metres and 1 metre high. The remainder are ovoid in shape, and these range between 4.5 metres to 11 metres long, 3 metres to 5 metres wide and stand between 0.6 metres and 0.8 metres high. Four cairns have a shallow hollow in the mound, suggesting robbing or partial early excavation. Many of the cairns are crest sited and are therefore clearly visible from long distances to the east and west. This situation strongly suggests that many of these cairns probably contain burials, although the size and shape of some mounds suggests that some may also be associated with stone clearance connected with cultivation of the area. A sinuous 50 metres long, 2 metres wide and 0.25 metres high bank lying within the monument leads towards a large recumbent stone. This stone measures 1.75 etres long, 0.8 metres wide and 0.45 metres thick and is the only large stone visible on Longstone Hill. It has been suggested that this may be the longstone which once stood upright to give the hill its name. The presence of this stone, which would have been broadly contemporary with the cairns, provides additional support for the ritual and funerary character ascribed to many cairns within the group. A small number of V-shaped trenches and shallow circular hollows survive within the monument and are the result of military training carried out within this area during the Second World War. The trenches represent small temporary defensive positions and the hollows are probably shell holes.

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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