See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

A turf-covered round cairn situated immediately next to the Lichway on the crest of a ridge between Cocks Hill and Lynch Tor. The cairn mound measures 19.7 metres in diameter and stands up to 1.4 metres high on the north side and 0.7 metres high on the south. A shallow hollow in the centre of the mound suggests partial early excavation or robbing. The outer edges of the mound survive as a buried feature below deep peat deposits.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1007896: White Barrow round cairn

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57NE11
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439600
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NE/11
• Old SAM County Ref: 540
• Old SAM Ref: 20398

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BARROW (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'White Barrow (Tumulus)' shown on 19th century map.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX57NE11, 2/10/1950 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV253981.

White Barrow. A large turf covered mound 1.25 metres in height, 19.0 metres in diameter. The upper surface very uneven, and at a point, a metre south from the centre is a large depression 3.0 metres in diameter and 0.75 metres in depth. Condition is good, but has appearance of having been dug into haphazardly.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 146 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Visited 1974. Cairn on Peter Tavy boundary, damaged by Ministry of Defence training activities. Diameter 21.0 metres, height 1.5 metres.

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

No aerial photographs available.

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

Turf covered round cairn. Measures 19.7 metres in diameter and 1.4 metres high. A shallow central hollow, 4.5 metres by 3 metres by 0.4 metres deep. The outer edges of the mound survive as a buried feature approximately 2.0 metres wide. The cairn may have originally been flat-topped, with the mound surface now being uneven because of earlier interference.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 78, 240, Map 30, Site 13 (Monograph). SDV219155.

White Barrow cairn at SX 56857930 of 21.0 metres diameter by 1.7 metres high. The White Barrow cairn has been a Forest 'bound' since the 18th century. It has a central pit but is still substantial despite its vulnerable position.

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

(12/07/1994) SX 56857930. White Barrow, a turf-covered stony mound. The main dimensions of the site are as described in 1979. The top of the mound displays a large, irregular excavation hollow measuring 3.4 metres (north-south) by 3.8 metres and 0.5 metres deep with what are presumably spoil heaps to the north. Surrounding the cairn are several irregular hollows and scrapes, possibly shell craters, which, on the northern side, have exposed the stony fabric of the mound.

Hedges, M., 2003, Upper Walkham Valley, 2 (Article in Serial). SDV239759.

White Barrow on the boundary between Peter Tavy and Lydford parishes was a 1240 bound of the Forest of Dartmoor.

Newman, P., 2004, Merrivale Range Baseline Condition Survey, 30/11/2004 (Report - Survey). SDV346874.

Merrivale Range Baseline Condition Survey visit. As recorded in 1994. The cairn is in a stable condition under short grass.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Merrivale Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation, 07/03/2018 (Report - Survey). SDV361635.

White Barrow. A disturbed round cairn on Cocks Hill comprising a turf covered stony mound. Condition is gradually declining. Erosion hollow in the centre of the barrow caused by animal poaching and waterlogging.

Ordnance Survey, 2018, MasterMap 2018 (Cartographic). SDV360652.

'White Barrow' is depicted on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

Despite evidence for partial excavation, the White Barrow round cairn survives well and contains archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. The cairn was also an important visual landmark for travellers using the nearby ancient route known as the Lichway.
Details: This monument includes a turf-covered round cairn situated immediately next to the Lichway on the crest of a ridge between Cocks Hill and Lynch Tor. The cairn mound measures 19.7m in diameter and stands up to 1.4m high on the north side and 0.7m high on the south. A shallow hollow in the centre of the mound suggests partial early excavation or robbing. The outer edges of the mound survive as a buried feature below deep peat deposits.

National Monument Record, 2018, Pastscape, (1979 OS data) (Website). SDV360651.

A turf-covered cairn situated on a slight north slope at 490 metres OD. It measures 19.7 metres in diameter and is 0.7 metres high on the south side and 1.4 metres high on the north. There is a large excavation hollow in the top. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD. See ground photograph (citing Ordnance Survey, 15/10/1979, Field Investigators Comments).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7441 - Condition survey of the archaeological sites of Merrivale Training Area
• EDV7570 - Condition survey of Merrivale Range training area
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8713 - Merrivale Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8813 - Archaeological and historical investigation of Peat Cutting on North-Western Dartmoor

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.