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Summary

A cairn and cist, the southernmost of four, spaced along the contour on the east side of Royal Hill, in a relatively stone free area. It is intervisible with the cairn to the north. The cairn is 4.9m in diameter and 0.4m high with a flattish, platform, top. It is retained by a kerb of almost contiguous orthostats, the largest 1.1m long, 0.2m thick, and 0.6m high. A few are fallen or displaced. The central cist is oriented WNW to ESE, lacking both coverstone and N side slab. Internally it measures 1.35m by 0.75m by 0.55m deep.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002591: Cairn with cist S of Royal Hill

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67SW39
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443346
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/62
• Old SAM County Ref: 728
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX67SW39

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CAIRN CIRCLE (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• CIST (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

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

'Kistvaen (Remains of)' shown on 19th century map with an enclosing corcle.

Burnard, R., 1890, Notes on Dartmoor Kistvaens, 206 (Article in Serial). SDV265355.

Ordnance Survey, 1906, 107SW (Cartographic). SDV336772.

Shown on early 20th century map.

Worth, R. H., 1908, 27th Report of the Barrow Committee, 85, Figure (Article in Serial). SDV265354.

Royal hill, south. Cist, previously surrounded by stone circle. One side stone and both end stones remain in place. Exact length and width not ascertainable.
A cist, with a depth of 2ft 6 ins and one side stone missing, within a 15 ft diameter cairn circle. (Plan).

Worth, R. H., 1928, 47th Report of the Barrow Committee, 77, Plate 5, Figure 1 (Article in Serial). SDV345669.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1980, SX67SW39 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV261731.

(29/08/1950) Kist and retaining circle of cairn. The retaining circle is 4.5m diameter, and the height of the remaining earthen mound is 0.7m. The condition of the retaining circle is good although 2 stones at the eastern entrance are fallen. The cairn contains a cist, of which only the southern side stone and eastern end stone remain. Some stones at the western end appear to be reinforcements to the missing end stone (see plan). The cist depth is 0.65m. A large flat granite stone within the cist may be the missing end stone. The cist is 1.35m by 0.7m wide. Conditions of cairn good, of cist ruinous.
(06/02/1980) SX 62017207 To the south-east of Royal Hill at 379m. OD is the remains of a cairn with a kerb containing a cist with no coverstone. The cairn, 0.6m. high, is contained within the 5.0m. diameter kerb (see ground photographs). The cist, aligned NW/SE measures 1.3m. by 0.6m and is 0.6m. deep. The fallen stone planned by Worth now lies beyond the kerb (see amended plan). Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD and at 1:2500 for AO Records.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 152, Lydford 88 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Site visited on 19th July 1974. Cairn to the south-east of Royal Hill. Cairn with retaining circle or ellipse of twelve or more slabs several of which lean outwards enclosing cist, placed east-south-east to west-north-west. Diameter 4.5 metres, height 0.3 metres.

Robinson, R., 1982, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1982 (Un-published). SDV342809.

Site visit on 20th January 1982.

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

Not visible on aerial photograph.

Robinson, R., 1986, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1986 (Un-published). SDV345664.

Site visit on 31st July 1986.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit, M. J. Fletcher (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(06/02/1989) A cairn and cist, the southernmost of four, spaced along the contour on the E side of Royal Hill, in a relatively stone free area. It is intervisible with the cairn to the N (SX 67 SW 34).
The cairn is 4.9m in diameter and 0.4m high with a flattish, platform, top. It is retained by a kerb of almost contiguous orthostats, the largest 1.1m long, 0.2m thick, and 0.6m high. A few are fallen or displaced. The central cist is oriented WNW to ESE, lacking both coverstone and N side slab. Internally it measures 1.35m by 0.75m by 0.55m deep.
The S side slab is 1.5m long, 0.15m thick and 0.6m deep. The E one is of similar thickness, 0.6m long, with 0.3m of its depth exposed. Two small slabs, up to 0.5m high, are set into the W end of the cist and may have supported a possible side slab, 0.4m square, which lies in the bottom of the cist. Internally the cist is 1.35m long and 0.75m wide.
Reference to an OS card sketch plan of 1950 and the 1980 amendments to Worth's plan (1908) show a continuation of minor interference to this monument since 1905.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 47, 75, figure 17, E31 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Platform circle. Nearly complete kerb of stones, 4.2 metres internal diameter, encloses flat-topped cairn 0.2 metres high, with central cist.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 230-234, Map 65, Figure 65.6 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Royal Hill E. '3' at SX62017208 of 4.7 metres diameter by 0.5 metres high with a cist. Fourteen slabs remain around the cairn with two more lying flat outside the circle and one of the side stones of the cist has been displaced sideways from the central pit.

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

Clearly visible on aerial photograph.

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

'Cist' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1002591 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

This monument includes a platform cairn with kerb and cist situated on the eastern slopes of Royal Hill overlooking the valley of the River Swincombe. The platform cairn survives as a flat topped stony mound defined by an outer kerb of approximately 14 stone slabs which form a ring with a diameter of up to 4.9 metres and 0.6 metrs high. Two further slabs have been displaced and lie outside the retaining kerb. Within the cairn is a stone lined cist which measures up to 1.4 metres long by 0.8 metres wide. The coverstone and an end stone have been displaced. The relative lack of spoil from the early partial excavation of this cairn and cist suggest the cist was never deeply covered with a cairn of stones.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8628 - Tor Royal Farm Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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