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Summary

A poorly preserved almost flat cairn 80m east of Ringmoor stone circle. The remaining spread of the cairn material is no higher than 0.15m and has an approximate diameter of 8m. Two earthfast boulders are alleged to be components of a robbed kerb or ring.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1012421: Cairn west of Legis Lake

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE63
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438680
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/65
• Old SAM County Ref: 10588
• Pastscape: 438680

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CAIRN (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Worth, R. H., 1910, 29th Report of the Barrow Committee, 63 (Article in Serial). SDV215873.

A low mound, 21 ft diameter and 10 ins high, within the slight remains of a cairn circle. Excavations in 1910 revealed a pit, filled with a mixture of earth and charcoal, a little north of centre.

Worth, R. H., 1912, 31st Report of the Barrow Committee, 83 (Article in Serial). SDV233835.

Breton, H. H., 1914, Beautiful Dartmoor and its Interesting Antiquities, 58 (Monograph). SDV256843.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX56NE63 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV229158.

(31/05/1950) Turf covered cairn. Five stones of a possible retaining circle remain, all are fallen. Diameter 7.2 metres by 0.2 metres high.
(26/06/1977) A cairn, at 270.0 m comprising a low turf covered mound of stones, 5.5 m diameter and 0.2 m high. Around it five boulders embedded in the turf, one probably the vestigial remains of a cairn circle.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 167, Sheepstor 21 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Visited on 28th July 1972 and 30th May 1977. Cairn with retaining circle of which five stones protrude and there are indications of others. Diameter 8.2 metres, height 0.2 metres. Excavated by R. H. Worth: just north of centre, a pit containing charcoal mixed with earth. The associated stone row claimed by Breton appears to be a few naturally placed boulders.

National Monuments Record, 1978, NMR SX5666, 2/148 (Aerial Photograph). SDV254609.

Photograph taken on 20th May 1977.

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

Recorded from aerial photograph.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 54, 79, F15 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Encircled cairn. Ring of orthostats 8.1 metres diameter, around cairn 3.5 metres diameter and 0.3 metres high.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 144-5, Map 49, Figure 49.21 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Ringmoor Down cairn '1' at SX56566550 of 10.0 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high. This cairn was excavated in 1909 with trenches from north to south and across the centre at right angles. They revealed a shallow internment pit which had already been dug into and contained only charcoal mixed with earth.

Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

(09/02/2005) SX 56566550. A low turf covered mound 5.5m in diameter an a maximum of 0.25m high lies in open moorland immediately N of Brisworthy Farm. The site is now largely obscured by long grass. The alleged vestiges of the cairn circle appear very dubious.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPRM-12 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(20/05/2019) Condition assessed as ?very good by volunteer recorders, although a number of the stones are hidden by vegetation (not seen as being particularly vulnerable).

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

Feature photographed in May 2019.

Ordnance Survey, 2021, MasterMap 2021 (Cartographic). SDV364015.

'Cairn' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1012421 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

This cairn lies to the west of Legis Lake, just north of the boundary with enclosed land to the south. It is a grass-covered mound 8.0 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres in height, with five stones of a retaining kerb around it. It lies within 100 metres of a stone circle and within a few hundred metres of a stone row and other cairns.

Newman, P., 2022, Ringmoor Down Premier Archaeological Landscape Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey, Table 1 (Report - Survey). SDV365490.

A poorly preserved, almost flat cairn 80m east of Ringmoor stone circle survey in 2022. The remaining spread of the cairn material is no higher than 0.15m and has an approximate diameter of 8m. Two earthfast boulders are alleged to be components of a robbed kerb or ring.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8376 - Excavation at cairn west of Legis Lake
• EDV8917 - Survey of the archaeological features on Ringmoor Down

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