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Summary

Small turf-covered cairn at the northern end of the western double stone row south of Fernworthy stone circle forming part of the Froggymead ceremonial complex. It measures 6.5 metres in diameter and has a central hollow resulting from excavation in 1898. It once had a retaining circle of small stones but only three were visible in 2013.

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: 144125
• National Monuments Record: SX68SE58
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443856
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/12/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 593B
• Old SAM Ref: 28672
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SE58

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, 107-110 (Article in Serial). SDV337066.

Barrow number 3 of the Fernworthy Group. Small barrow encircled with small standing stones. This barrow (along with 2 and 4 have been disturbed at some unknown time.

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

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 222,Fig. 76 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Cairn at northern end of row A of the Fernworthy group. 7.6 metres in diameter.

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

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1952, SX68SE58, SX68SE58 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV238654.

Site visit 12th August 1952. Cairn in fair condition. Appears to have been disturbed. Overgrown with grass, but can be distinguished on the ground.
‘Cairn at Fernworthy. Contained a cist which has been destroyed’ (citing J. W. Brailsford 1938/reference to the Ward Lock Red Guide to Dartmoor, Page 71).

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 222 (Monograph). SDV231148.

Disturbed cairn, 25 feet in diameter, forming the northern extremity of a double stone row (SX 68 SE 59).

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

Referred to as Cairn (3) but no detail provided.

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

Fernworthy Plantation, Froggymeade 2D.
Cairn with stone ring 7.6 metres in diameter. Sited at the northern end of the double stone row (1.D). Excavated, but nothing found. Has not been planted over.
February 1976. Froggymeade sites 1D-9D have been cleared as one open space. Trees on the western side 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. 3.

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, Lydford 21 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Site visit 15th April 1975. Cairn measuring 6.4 metres in diameter, height 0.3 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.

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.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 54, 80/f25 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Encircled cairn. Two rings of orthostats, 7.0 metres and 5.0 metres diameter, around cairn 4.5 metres diameter and 0.2 metres high.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 144125 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visit 28th April 1997. Ring cairn at SX65478410 forming part of ritual complex. Cairn measures 7.0 metres in diameter. Mound diameter 4.5 metres, height 0.4 metres. Central pit 2.0 metres by 1.6 metres by 0.2 metres deep.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 162-5, 242, Map 35, Figure 35.7 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Fernworthy cairn '3' at SX65488410 of 6.0 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high. This damaged cairn at the north end of the south-western stone row at Fernworthy covered a pit dug into the subsoil.

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 65498409 at the northern end of a double stone row is a cairn measuring 5.6 metres (north to south) by 6.0 metres and 0.4 metres high. It contains a large proportion of stone. There is a central depression 1.7 metres in diameter with disturbance in the southern half which is probably a result of the 1897 excavations.
Around the cairn, between 1.0 and 2.0 metres from its perimeter are stones which might have once formed a circle. The cairn is set slightly to the west of the alignment of the stone row to the south.

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

Fernworthy, Froggymead Group 2D. Site visit 27th September 1996. Cairn at northern end of 1D, south of 3D. Site not marked. Recommendations: This site needs a marker post.

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

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Cairn depicted on the modern mapping.

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, 9, 15, Fig. 11 (Report - Survey). SDV351784.

Froggymead Barrow A. The five barrows at Froggymead are all in poor condition. Barrows A-D were all excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1898 and still bear the scars, although in the case of A, B and C they had been opened previously and their current disturbed and spread appearance may owe more to earlier barrow diggers than to the DEC. Although now turf covered, the excavations revealed that these features were constructed from stone and are more properly referred to as cairns.
Barrow A is a turf-covered circular mound with a spread of up to 6.5 metres and 0.3 metres high. The central area is slightly hollowed and there is evidence of a trench having been cut through the southern quadrant, both evidence of excavation. The DEC reported this barrow to be much ‘pillaged’ suggesting that stone had been taken for the newtake wall. However, less than 20 years earlier Lukis showed an almost complete retaining circle in situ (Fig 4) although only three stones are visible today. The DEC excavation showed Barrow A to contain a disturbed cist 'previously rifled' and masses of burnt bone.

National Monument Record, 2014, Pastscape, 443856 (Website). SDV355682.

Bronze Age cairn at the North end of the Froggymead stone row. It lies a little to the West of the stone row and is 7.6m in diameter across the kerbstones. Scheduled. NMR No. SX68SE58. Record last updated: N/A

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6216 - Condition Surveys of Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land
• EDV6203 - Archaeological Survey of Fernworthy Forest
• EDV7389 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1996
• EDV7410 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1992
• EDV8512 - Excavation at cairn and stone circle, Fernworthy, Lydford
• EDV8522 - Cairn investigated, Fernworthy
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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