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Summary

One of three scheduled round cairns that lie outside the coaxial field system on Wigford Down and survive as circular mounds. This cairn measures 14.0 metres in diameter by 0.4 metres in height. All three show evidence for either partial early excavation or robbing. A mound is visible as a cropmark on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2007 onwards and as a subtle earthwork on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002522: Four round barrows on Wigford Down

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE142
• National Monuments Record: SX56SE29
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439192
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439513
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/333
• Old SAM County Ref: DV435

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1951/1980, SX56SE29 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV216693.

Cairn D (marked at SX55016490 on Ordnance Survey card). One of a group of six grass grown cairns, measuring 11.0 metres in diameter (four of the six are scheduled).
"Near Cadover Bridge and its cross, two tumuli of small size are noted". (Worth, R. N., 1890, Vol 22, pg 50)
Lady Fox noted six cairns, north west of Cadover Bridge, all grass covered:
A. (SX 55016498) diam 18 ft.
B. (SX 54996494) diam 36 ft.
C. (SX 55036492) diam 24 ft.
D. (SX 55016490) diam 36 ft.
E. (SX 55236487) diam 25 ft.
F. (SX 55246482) diam 30 ft. (Lady A Fox April 1951)
(09/09/1980) It is difficult to achieve reasonable concordance between these cairns and those identified by Grinsell. Investigation indicates that 'E' and 'F' relate to SX 56 SE 143 & 144 which are also Worth's. 'two tumuli'.
It is possible that 'A' is SX 56 NE 142, 'B' is SX 56 NW 101 and 'D' SX 56 SE 142: 'C' cannot be accounted for in relation to the others or on the ground.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 157 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(Site visited 6/5/1976) A hummocky cairn, measuring 13.0 meters in diameter and height 0.4 meters. Other details: 8 Wigford Down.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX56SE142 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV221164.

(15/09/1980) At SX 55096497, on the south-east slope of Wigford Down at 246m. OD, is the remains of a severely robbed cairn, now much spread and averaging 12.2m. in diameter and 0.5m. in height.
Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD.

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

Not recorded.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 80, 97, Map 48, Figure 48.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Wigford Down cairn '12' at SX5509 6497 of 14.0 metres diameter by 0.4 metres high has been dug into but otherwise surprisingly little damage.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5564 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

A mound is identifiable as a subtle earthwork.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5564 03-MAY-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

A mound is visible as a cropmark and a subtle earthwork.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5564 31-MAY-2016 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

A mound is visible as a cropmark and a subtle earthwork.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Visible on aerial photograph as a circular grassy area.

National Monuments Record, 2011, 439513 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV346329.

Richards, A. F., 2011, Cairns on Wigford Down (Personal Comment). SDV346330.

There seems to have been some confusion over the number of cairns in this area, possibly due to the originally grid references provided on the Ordnance Survey Card for this group, which identified six features (a-e). The modern Ordnance Survey mapping shows seven cairns in total (including the two to the south-east of this group), which corresponds with the 2010 aerial photography of the area, and Butler (1994), although these are located slightly north-east of the original 1950s grid references. For this reason, the extra HER records that have been based on the slightly inaccurate Ordnance Survey grid references, have been replaced by the correct HER records – in this case, 28543 replaces 2457, which has been deleted.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

The monument, which falls into four separate areas of protection, includes a ring cairn and four round cairns forming part of a round cairn cemetery situated on Wigford Down, lying partially within the Wigford Down coaxial field system, overlooking the Plym Valley.
The two western cairns are contained within the Wigford Down coaxial field system. The southern of these is a ring cairn which survives as a circular bank of stone measuring up to 3m wide and 0.5m high which surrounds a flat internal area with a diameter of up to 4m. The northern one is a round cairn which survives as a circular mound measuring 10m in diameter and 0.6m high.
The remaining three round cairns lie outside the coaxial field system and survive as circular mounds which vary in size from 7.8m to 13m in diameter and from 0.5m to 1.1m in height. All three show evidence for either partial early excavation or robbing.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, WD-3 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(24/03/2020) Cairn is covered in vegetation growth (grass, moss, bracken); otherwise the condition is moderate.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photographed during condition monitoring visit.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

A roughly circular mound approximately 14m in diameter is visible as a cropmark on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2007 onwards and as a subtle earthwork on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017.
The mound is interpreted as the remains of a cairn or barrow of probable Bronze Age date.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)
• EDV8316 - Wigford Down PAL survey

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