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Summary

Remains of a small cairn of 6 metres diameter at the northern terminus of the double stone row north of the Fernworthy stone circle. The cairn has been damaged by past tree planting and the feature can be hard to identify as the remains are low to the ground and spread far beyond its original form.

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

• MPP Archaeological Item Dataset: 144127
• National Monuments Record: SX68SE55
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443853
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/14/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 593E
• Old SAM Ref: 28672
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SE55

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Baring Gould, S., 1898, Fifth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 107 (Article in Serial). SDV337066.

Victoria County History, 1906, The Victoria History of the County of Devon, 357-8 (Article in Serial). SDV238214.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 304 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Spooner, G. M. + Birkett Dixon, C. E., 1955, Note on the Antiquities situated in the Forestry Commission ground at Fernworthy and Bellever. Appendix 1, 2 (Report - non-specific). SDV351955.

Small barrow (9) has been planted over. The trees are now well grown and, though buried beneath new humus, the fixed stones of the alignment and terminal barrow have been located. It is very desirable that this tree be removed as soon as possible.

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

Barrow depicted on plan.

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

Fernworthy Plantation, Froggymeade 9D.
Small cairn 2.7 metres in diameter (very low). Terminates the northern end of the double stone row (8.D). Has been planted over.
February 1976. No posts ringing the clearance zone. Five trees outside clearance zone are within falling distance of cairn.
Included in 1955 Spooner and Dixon report (B) Region north of the South Teign (Froggymeade, Toms Hill and Hemstone), Site No. 9.

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

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 145 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(15/10/1975). Cairn at north-north-east end of double stone row in clearing of plantation. Diameter 3.0 metres.

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.

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 on 1946 Royal Air Force aerial photograph due to tree cover.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 144127 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visit 28th April 1997. Cairn at SX65528428 forming part of ritual complex. Diameter 4.0 metres, height 0.3 metres. Grass and heather covered mound.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 162-5, 242, Map 35, Figure 35.8 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Fernworthy cairn '1' at SX65538429. The 1898 plan shows a mound with a stone alongside at the northern terminus of the northern stone row at Fernworthy with a retaining circle. The stone is still visible together with another at an angle, perhaps one side of a cist, but the cairn is totally obscured by brushwood

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

(01/06/1995) The barrow at the northern end of the row measures 6.0 metres in diameter, although it is very amorphous due to tree planting. there is a large proportion of stone in the centre of the low mound, as well as some amorphous scarping and one large upright slab.

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

Fernworthy, Froggymead Group 9D.
Site visit 27th September 1996. Cairn terminates the end of the double stone row. Marked by 1 post.
Recommendations: This site is very difficult to identify as it is covered in thick vegetation. Brash surrounds the site and regeneration is taking place just beyond the marker post.

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

Fernworthy, Froggymeade Group 9D. Site visit 27th September 1996. Cairn terminating the end of a double stone row. Marked by a single post. The site is very difficult to identify as it is covered in thick vegetation. Other details: Photo.

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

Barrow is depicted on the survey layer.

Newman, P., 2013, The Archaeology of Fernworthy Forest, Dartmoor, Devon, 16, Fig. 12 (Report - Survey). SDV351784.

Barrow E. Located at the northern terminal of Stone Row b on the edge of the clearing. It is much flattened and spread. Its overall form is now barely traceable but the spread of stone has a diameter of approximately 8m. Several stones are exposed but unlikely to be in situ.

National Monument Record, 2014, Pastscape, 443853 (Website). SDV355682.

Bronze Age double stone row aligned north-south, terminating at the north end at a cairn. When planned in 1898, the row was 340 long and even then the north end was buried or lost. It is now 125m long. At the south end, the row is tangential to the Fernworthy stone circle, SX68SE56. The cairn at the north end is 6.0m in diameter and it has been adversely affected by tree planting. Scheduled. NMR No. SX68SE55. Record last updated: N/A

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1017984 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

The northern alignment lies north of the stone circle and survives as a double line of stones extending towards a small cairn.

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
• EDV8524 - Cairn investigated, Fernworthy
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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