See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

One of two cairns in a group on Wigford Down; these are contained within the coaxial field system. This is a ring cairn which survives as a circular bank of stone measuring up to 3 metres wide and 0.5 metres high which surrounds a flat internal area with a diameter of up to 4 metres. A round cairn lies just to the north, while three other cairns lie to the south-east.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks and walling of Bronze age parallel reave field system with hut circle settlements and cairns, plus deserted Medieval settlements with long houses and pillow mounds, on Wigford Down
• Scheduled Monument 1002522: Four round barrows on Wigford Down

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NW38
• National Monuments Record: SX56SE29
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439100
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439192
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NW/10/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 435A

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• RING CAIRN (Bronze Age - 2200 BC to 701 BC)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1190, 3239-40 (Aerial Photograph). SDV340833.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1980, SX56NW23 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV268171.

A turf-covered cairn measuring 0.6 meters in height adjacent to a cairn circle.

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

Cairn A (recorded at SX55011498, which is erroneous). Cairn measures 5.5 metres in diameter and is one of six grass-covered cairns in the area.
"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 53016490) 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 27/2/1972) A "cairn circle" recorded at SX54956508 as shown on Ordnance Survey 6 inch map. This may well be a hut circle with an entrance at the south-east. Diameter measures 9.0 meters, height 0.3 meters. Other details: 4a Wigford Down.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX56NW38 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV268172.

(04/09/1980) This 'Cairn Circle' seems to have no documentary source other than its first publication on the OS 6" in 1954 (associated with cairns 56 NW 23, 36 and 56 NE 200).
A stone free, almost level, circular area, 5.4m. in diameter is surrounded by a turf covered bank of stone. This is 2.1m. wide and 0.7m. high on the East, downslope side, lessening towards the west where it fades briefly. There is a distinct gap in the S.E. (see Plan).
It is scheduled as a barrow but this is almost certainly erroneous. Grinsell's view that it may be a hut is further sustained by the presence of a prehistoric field bank which extends from the east side of the hut and joins the local reave (SX 56 NE 172). A poorly defined angular structure about 2.3m. square internally and 0.4m. high is attached to the east side of the wall and appears to be associated with the hut.
Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 68 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Ring cairn, 5.1 meters internal diameter with bank 1.3 meters wide and 0.3 meters high. There is a 1.7 meter wide entrance on the south-east side. Other details: A42.

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

Wigford Down cairn '7' at SX54956507 of 9.0 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high. A ring cairn close to bowl cairn '6'.

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

Visible on aerial photography of the area.

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, 48903 replaces 2460, which has been deleted.

Ordnance Survey, 2017, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359962.

Depicted on the modern mapping.

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-5 (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.

Site recorded during condition visit.

Newman, P., 2020, Wigford Down Premier Archaeological Landscape, Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey (Report - Survey). SDV363780.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8316 - Wigford Down PAL survey

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