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Summary

A Bronze Age stone row, with the remains of a cairn at the southern end. Worth (1953) mentions another cairn at the northern end, but this feature has not been confirmed since; may be the result of turf cutting.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1003056: Stone row N of Yarner Wells

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77NE/29
• Old SAM County Ref: 453

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STONE ALIGNMENT (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Worth, R. N., 1896, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 5, 712-713 (Article in Serial). SDV270344.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 307-308, No. 48 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

In 1946 16 stones only remain, 7 set and 9 fallen. Although the site is on slate, all the stones are granite. Among the fallen stones the following lengths were observed: 1.37m, 1.14m, 1.09m, 1.07m, 559mm, 254mm, 229mm and 152mm respectively. Row No. 48 (NB: Original dimensions given in imperial measurements).

Royal Air Force, 1950, RAF/541/540, 3135-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV285230.

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 227 (Monograph). SDV231148.

Trendlebere Down, Black Hill, Manaton. A stone row 100 ft. to the north of the Haytor-Manaton road.
"Probably a double row, much robbed, and many of the stones fallen; but there is still one undoubted pair of set stones which stand 3 ft. 1 in. apart..... Starts at the S. end with a ruined cairn some 50 ft. in diameter, but now reduced to a ring cairn. Terminates to the north in another ruined cairn also reduced to a ring. At this end there is a mound which looks like an independent cairn, its centre 50 ft. to the W. of the line of the row. But this is more probably a remnant of the row cairn, turned back by the roadmen, who have despoiled both terminal cairns. The distance between the centres ... is 412 ft."
There are now [1946] sixteen stones remaining, seven upright and nine fallen. The fallen stones vary in length between 3'4" and 4'6"; the upright ones between 6" and 2'4".

Ancient Monuments, 1960, Schedule note (Schedule Document). SDV283106.

(May 1960) Stone row, 17 stones over 12.80m. Aligned roughly north to south. Begins on south from the remains of a badly ruined cairn. Many of the stones have been pushed over. Moorland.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1960, SX77NE2, Row (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV283114.

(19/04/1960) The cairn at the southern end of the row is centred at SX 7662 7923. Its perimeter can be traced on the ground but only a grass covered crescent of stones survives in the eastern half.
18 stones of the stone row can be identified of which 9 are fallen and 9 upright. Their measurements conform to those given by Hansford Worth. The row extends from SX 7662 7924 to SX 7663 7934.
The site of the cairn which existed to the north of the row cannot be identified with accuracy. The topsoil has been stripped in its area exposing scattered subsurface stone.
A 25" survey has been made. Ground photographs: see AO/53/69/7 and AO/53/69/8.

Woolner, D., 1963, Unknown title, 5 (Article in Serial). SDV283217.

The row is about 100 feet longer than recorded by Worth (1953) and contains at least eight more stones according to Mrs D. Woolner, 1963. See also 1950 aerial photo.

Ordnance Survey, 1963-1996, 1963-1996 National Grid OS Metric, (1963) (Cartographic). SDV350058.

SX 76627924 to SX 76637934 Stone Row (NR).

Grinsell, L. V., 1970, Discovering Regional Archaeology: South Western England, 21 (Monograph). SDV304192.

National Monuments Record, 1977, NMR SX7679, 1 (Aerial Photograph). SDV282185.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 179, Manaton 14a (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(30/05/1976) North of Yarner Wells. SX 7662 7935. Cairn at lower end of stone row is thought to be an island left by turf cutters.
(02/12/1977) Black Hill stone rows and cairn; Bronze Age. Cairn diameter 15m. Stone row has 15 stones, extending north down the slope from the cairn. The north end of the cairn is marked by a larger stone at right angles to the axis of the row. NB: attributed to Grinsell, but not seen in publication [Richards, A. F., 01/07/2022].

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

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

Visible and recorded.

Quinnell, N. V., 1995, Notes in Sites and Monument Record: stone rows (Personal Comment). SDV138550.

(22/03/1995) Row runs from SX 76617922 to SX 76617933. Row is 125m long.

Natural England Volunteers, 2009-2015, Natural England Volunteer Archaeological Survey, J9 and J9a (Worksheet). SDV350591.

Visited 11/12/2009. Stone row at SX 7662 7923. Fourteen aligned stones found plus one extra at stone 3, in a pair, Black Hill stone row. Scheduled monument standing stones 125 metres long. Sketches and photos taken.
Mound noted at SX 76634 79366, and peat cuttings at SX 76618 79367.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6071 - East Devon Natural Nature Reserve and surrounds Archaeological Survey

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