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Summary

One of three scheduled round cairns that lie outside the coaxial field system on Wigford Down and survive as circular mounds. This cairn measures 13.0 metres in diameter by 0.5 metres in height. All three show evidence for either partial early excavation or robbing.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and walling of Bronze age parallel reave field system with hut circle settlements and cairns, plus deserted Medieval settlements with long houses and pillow mounds, on Wigford Down
• Scheduled Monument 1002522: Four round barrows on Wigford Down

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NW36
• National Monuments Record: SX56SE29
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439096
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439192
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NW/44
• Old SAM County Ref: DV435

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROUND CAIRN (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Worth, R. H., 1943, 62nd Report on Barrows, 55 (Article in Serial). SDV165840.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1951/1980, SX56SE29 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV216693.

Cairn B (recorded at SX54996494); one of a group of six grass grown cairns. Cairn measures 11.0 metres in diameter.
"Near Cadover Bridge and its cross, two tumuli of small size are noted". (Worth, R. N., 1890, Vol 22, pg 50)
Lady Fox noted six cairns, north west of Cadover Bridge, all grass covered:
A. (SX 55016498) diam 18 ft.
B. (SX 54996494) diam 36 ft.
C. (SX 55036492) diam 24 ft.
D. (SX 55016490) diam 36 ft.
E. (SX 55236487) diam 25 ft.
F. (SX 55246482) diam 30 ft. (Lady A Fox April 1951)
(09/09/1980) It is difficult to achieve reasonable concordance between these cairns and those identified by Grinsell. Investigation indicates that 'E' and 'F' relate to SX 56 SE 143& 144 which are also Worth's. 'two tumuli'.
It is possible that 'A' is SX 56 NE 142, 'B' is SX 56 NW 101 and 'D' SX 56 SE 142: 'C' cannot be accounted for in relation to the others or on the ground.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 157 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(Site visited 06/05/1976) SX 54996503 Cairn, diameter 12m and height 0.6m. This may be Worth's number 5 which he describes as a normal type of cairn, diameter 37ft and height 3ft, lying 970ft away from number 1 (SX 56 NW 21) on a bearing E 3 3/4o S.

Price, D. G., 1978, Settlement and ancient fields on Wigford Down, 69-75 (Article in Serial). SDV220620.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX56NW36 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV220621.

(17/09/1980) A cairn, at SX 54996503, on the east slope of Wigford Down at 258m. OD, measures 12.0m. in diameter and 1.1m. in height with two excavations in its top. It is not however, Worth's number 5, which with entry by Worth (1943) applies to SX 56 NW 23.
Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD.

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

Not visible on 1946 Royal Air Force aerial photographs.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 80, Map 48, Figure 48.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Wigford Down cairn '10' at SX55026503 of 13.0 metres diameter by 0.5 metres high. It has been dug into but otherwise surprisingly little damage.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour aerial photography for Dartmoor (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Cairn visible on aerial photography as a circular grassy area.

Richards, A. F., 2011, Cairns on Wigford Down (Personal Comment). SDV346330.

There seems to have been some confusion over the number of cairns in this area, possibly due to the originally grid references provided on the Ordnance Survey Card for this group, which identified six features (a-e). The modern Ordnance Survey mapping shows seven cairns in total (including the two to the south-east of this group), which corresponds with the 2010 aerial photography of the area, and Butler (1994), although these are located slightly north-east of the original 1950s grid references. For this reason, the extra HER records that have been based on the slightly inaccurate Ordnance Survey grid references, have been replaced by the correct HER records – in this case, 5619 replaces 2461, which has been deleted.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Depicted on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

The monument, which falls into four separate areas of protection, includes a ring cairn and four round cairns forming part of a round cairn cemetery situated on Wigford Down, lying partially within the Wigford Down coaxial field system, overlooking the Plym Valley.
The two western cairns are contained within the Wigford Down coaxial field system. The southern of these is a ring cairn which survives as a circular bank of stone measuring up to 3m wide and 0.5m high which surrounds a flat internal area with a diameter of up to 4m. The northern one is a round cairn which survives as a circular mound measuring 10m in diameter and 0.6m high.
The remaining three round cairns lie outside the coaxial field system and survive as circular mounds which vary in size from 7.8m to 13m in diameter and from 0.5m to 1.1m in height. All three show evidence for either partial early excavation or robbing.

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

(24/03/2020) Cairn is covered in vegetation growth (grass, moss, bracken); otherwise the condition is moderate. There are two borse outcrops on the southern side of the cairn.

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

Photographed during condition monitoring visit.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8316 - Wigford Down PAL survey

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