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Summary

The eastern row of a pair of alignments located to the south of Fernworthy stone circle and forming part of the Froggymead ceremonial complex. It was probably originally a double row but most of the stones are now missing; the surviving stones are small. It has a barrow at the northern end and if continued to the south, the alignment would meet a second barrow.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017984: A stone circle, known as Fernworthy Circle, three stone alignments and five cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SE93
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443857
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/12
• Old SAM County Ref: 593B
• Old SAM Ref: 28672
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SE59

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

'Stone Row' shown on early 20th century map with a confused line of stones but not showing two distinct rows.

Victoria County History, 1906, The Victoria History of the County of Devon, 357-358 (Article in Serial). SDV238214.

Tyler, F. C., 1930-1931, Kistvaens at Thornworthy and Stone Rows, 115-119 (Article in Serial). SDV251072.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 303, Pl.38 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Birkett Dixon, C. E., 1952, 70th Report on Barrows, 253 (Article in Serial). SDV165393.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1952, SX68SE59 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV244440.

Site visit 6th October 1952. Unable to find any of the features mentioned (cist, cairn and stone row). The area is covered by re-afforestation.

Spooner, G. M. + Birkett Dixon, C. E., 1955, Note on the Antiquities situated in the Forestry Commission ground at Fernworthy and Bellever. Appendix 1, B. (7) (paragraph 2.6) (Report - non-specific). SDV351955.

To the south-east of the stone circle (5) lay two cairns (2 and 4), joined by a short double stone row (7). These have been completely over planted and are at present hidden by an impenetrable growth of trees and an accumulation of humus. These sites are likely to have been damaged by this overgrowth.

Worth, R. H., 1967, Worth's Dartmoor, 222-224, Fig 76 (Monograph). SDV337618.

Stone row C of the Fernworthy group. Clear evidence of a ruined double row 31 metres long with a barrow at the southern end and a cairn with a cist at the northern end.

Turner, J. R., 1976, Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land. Fernworthy and Bellever (Report - non-specific). SDV351823.

Fernworthy Plantation, Froggymeade 5.D.
Stone row east and abreast of stone row 1D, connecting cairn 4D, and cist 6D. 32.7 metres in length, very ruined, probably robbed for construction of modern newtake wall, south of forestry road. Has been planted over.
Februaru 1976. Sites 1D-9D have been cleared as one open space with 14 posts ringing clearance zone with posts and rails and southern end. All agreements carried out.
Included in 1955 Spooner and Dixon report (B) Region north of the South Teign (Froggymeade, Toms Hill and Hemstone), Site No. 2.

Dartmoor National Park Authority + Forestry Commission + Dartmoor Preservation Association, 1976, Conservation of Ancient Monuments. The Report of a Working Party (Report - non-specific). SDV248248.

Turner, J., 1978, Report of Work Carried Out by the Forestry Commission since January 1976 (Report - non-specific). SDV351816.

Froggymead (D). No work has been carried out on this group of sites since February 1976. The clearance zone of this group should be marked out with posts as one open space so that there would be no need for any site number posts inside the clearance zone, making the site more photographic. Vegetation on these sites are very (?), in fact site 7D (cairn) looks in excellent condition.

Emmett, D. D., 1979, Stone Rows: The Traditional View Reconsidered, 111 (Article in Serial). SDV251087.

Robinson, R., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1983 (Un-published). SDV345762.

Department of Environment Field Monument Warden site visit 11th October 1983.

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

Not visible due to tree cover on 1946 Royal Air Force aerial photographs.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 144124 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visit 1997.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 162-5, 234, Map 35, Figure 35.7 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Fernworthy double Stone Row '2' at SX65518407 of 20.5 metres long with only 4 stones remaining which are 1.13 metres apart and averaging only 0.1 metres high. The tops of the four stones are all that are visible of the double stone row which is orientated towards the edge of Cairn '4'.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project, H. Chapman (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(01/06/1995) Centred at SX 65518404 is a cairn. 45m to the N at SX 65508409 is a barrow containing the remains of a cist. Between the two are the very fragmented remains of an alleged double stone row running N to S parallel to another row (SX 68 SE 59) which leads towards Fernworthy Stone Circle (SX 68 SE 56).
The row, barrow and cairn have all been comprehensively damaged by afforestation and the digging of the adjacent drainage channels. Seven stones survive of an alignment but there is little evidence that it was a double row.
The barrow at the N end of the row measures up to 6m in diameter and is 0.4m high, although its shape is obscured by drainage channels. The cist in the centre is represented by two stones set at right angles, 0.4m tall internally.
The cairn at the S end of the row measures 7.3m N to S by 8.5m and is 0.5m high. There is a large amount of surface stone on and around it.

Quinnell, N. V., 1995, Notes regarding Fernworthy Stone rows (Personal Comment). SDV276826.

Destroyed. Ran approximately SX65488404 to SX65518407. Not investigated by the Ordnance Survey in 1970's. Cairn and cist both shown as 'site of' on 1963 Ordnance Survey 6 inch maps. Doubtful if both are correct in position since line between them does not accord with Worth's orientation .

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 1996, Condition Survey of Identified Archaeology within Woodland Areas 1996 (Un-published). SDV351820.

Fernworthy, Froggymead Group 5D. Site visit 27th September 1996. Double stone row east and parallel to site stone row 1D, connecting site 4D and 6D. Site marked with one post.
Recommendations: site would benefit from another marker post.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Only two stones shown on survey.

Newman, P., 2013, Fernworthy Forest Sites Survey (Un-published). SDV351708.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England, 1017984 (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

A stone circle, known as Fernworthy Circle, three stone alignments and five cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge. Together the stone alignments, stone circle and cairns 425m and 525m north west of Sandeman Bridge represent one of the most complete prehistoric ritual complexes on Dartmoor, with excavation at the stone circle providing evidence for its use. Despite afforestation the monument survives well and will contain further archaeological and environmental information relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. See List for full details.

Newman, P., 2013, The Archaeology of Fernworthy Forest, Dartmoor, Devon, 15, Fig. 11 (Report - Survey). SDV351784.

Stone Row c. This row, probably originally a double, runs approximately parallel with Row a and is of similar character, i.e. most stones are missing and the few that survive are small. Again it is likely that some stones are buried and currently obscured. The northern terminal of the row appears to be a very despoiled barrow (Barrow B) and to the south, if the row continued it would clip the edge of Barrow C. The eastern row has five stones currently visible covering a distance of 17.8m but with many gaps. The western row is represented by only two stones, each paired with a counterpart in the other row 1.3m to the west. A single stone 2.4m to the east suggests there was a third row but this may just be a misplaced stone, which has become earthfast, not part of a row.
This section of the monument is particularly affected by the overgrowth of turf where some of the stones are barely visible, however, more stones are now visible than on Worth’s plan of 1898.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6203 - Archaeological Survey of Fernworthy Forest
• EDV6216 - Condition Surveys of Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land
• EDV7389 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1996
• EDV7410 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1992
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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