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Summary

Grim's Graves. A ring cairn set into the slope, c 4.5m in diameter, with a cist at its centre. The cairn consists of a stony, turf-covered mound contained by a ring of upright slabs, most leaning outwards, c 1m in height; the mound rises to c 0.4m at top of cist. The cist, box dimensions c 0.8m x 0.95m internally, is formed from edge-set slabs. One side slab is c 1.7m long, 0.9m wide and 0.2m thick. The monument survives in a very good condition though the cover-stone is missing - this is possibly the slab that now lies on the down-slope side.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1018591: Grim's Grave cairn with a cist, Langcombe

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66NW33
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 441653
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/8
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/8/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 503
• Old SAM Ref: 10673

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

'Kistvaen (Remains of)' shown on 19th century map.

Worth, R. H., 1890, 12th Report of the Barrow Committee, 51 (Article in Serial). SDV346007.

Worth, R. H., 1890, The Moorland Plym, 309 (Article in Serial). SDV215949.

Rowe, S., 1896, A Perambulation of the Forest of Dartmoor, 171-2 (Monograph). SDV249697.

Falcon, T. A., 1900, Dartmoor Illustrated, 59 (Monograph). SDV257410.

Worth, R. H., 1901, 20th Report of the Barrow Committee, 120-121/plate xvi (Article in Serial). SDV163208.

A perfect specimen of a cist, standing in a mound surrounded by a circle of nine stones, all standing, diameter of circle 18 feet. The cover-stone lay diagonally across the cist, and has now been lifted out and lies within the circle on the south side. Dimensions of cist: length 3 feet 1 1/4 inches to 3 feet 6 1/2 inches; breadth 2 feet 6 inches to 2 feet 7 inches; original depth 3 feet 3 inches. There were no results from excavation but a flint flake was found on the surface a few feet from the cist.

Worth, R. H., 1902, 21st Report of the Barrow Committee, 137 (Article in Serial). SDV20971.

Worth, R. H., 1937, 56th Report of the Barrow Committee, 95 (Article in Serial). SDV20973.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 163 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(19/09/1975) Cairn with retaining circle (9 stones standing in 1896), enclosing cist, placed nearly south/north; capstone in position. Diameter 5.5 metres, height 0.5 metres.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1978, SX66NW33 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV162957.

(12/09/1978) The name 'Grim's Grave' could not be confirmed but is presumed to be traditional and was recognised by Worth. The feature comprises a flat-topped turf covered mound of stones 4.5m. in diameter and 0.5m. high. The peristalith has nine upright stones from 0.6m. to 1.0m. high. The central cist has had the coverstone replaced, as in the plan of 1950 (citing A. Clarke, 17/05/1950).
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.
Grim's Grave, Langcombe. A fine and perfect specimen standing in a mound surrounded by nine stones in a circle, all standing. The cover stone lay diagonally across the kist, and has now been lifted out and lies within the circle on the south side. No results from excavation, but one flint was found on the surface within a few feet of kistvaen. Stone circle (diameter 5.486 metres), kist (length 0.9 metres to 1.06 metres, breadth 0.76 metres to 0.8 metres), depth (before excavation 0.6 metres, original depth 0.96 metres) most of the stones in the circle lean outwards, due to trenching, round the circle (citing Worth, R. H., 1901).

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

Not visible on aerial photographs used in project.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 42 72 fig 14/D20 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Turner records this as a ring setting, 3.2 metres internal diameter around a central cist. The orthostats are large, flat and pointed and tilt outwards.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 150-1, Map 50, Figure 50.2 & 50.2.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Grim's Grave cairn at SX61246641 of 5.5 metres diameter by 0.6 metres high with a cist. The name was first applied in 1872 when it was identified, on rather slight grounds, with one of the ancient boundaries of the Forest mentioned in the 1240. The retaining circle is complete with nine large slabs embedded well enough to have stayed upright despite the erosion ditch outside the ring. Two capstones were required to cover the large central cist, one lying half buried alongside the outer ring whilst fragments of the other have fallen into the cist's cavity.

Department of Environment, 1995, Grim's Grave (Schedule Document). SDV162964.

Letter dated 11th July 1995. Consent granted for removal of stranded turf from the eroded gully, infilling with degraded granite, turf where possible or cover with appropriately seeded topsoil and protect areas with gorse cuttings or twigs.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

(28/02/2002) A ring cairn set into the slope, c 4.5m in diameter, with a cist at its centre. The cairn consists of a stony, turf-covered mound contained by a ring of upright slabs, most leaning outwards, c 1m in height; the mound rises to c 0.4m at top of cist. The cist, box dimensions c 0.8m x 0.95m internally, is formed from edge-set slabs. One side slab is c 1.7m long, 0.9m wide and 0.2m thick.
The monument survives in a very good condition though the cover-stone is missing - this is possibly the slab that now lies on the down-slope side.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015-2017, 2015-2017 Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV361462.

Stone circle and cist visible on aerial photograph.

Environment Agency WMS, 2019, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), 2019 (Cartographic). SDV362956.

Visible on Lidar data.

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

'Grim's Grave Cairn Circle' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1018591 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

This cairn lies close to the northern bank of Langcombe Brook, a tributary of the River Plym. It consists of a retaining kerb of nine, possibly ten, stones up to a metre in height, surrounding a mound 5.5 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres in height, with a central cist. The cist is 1 metre in length and up to 0.8 metres in width, and 0.9 metres in depth. Both side and end slabs are in place and the coverstone has been replaced in position. The ground outside the retaining kerb is badly eroded, leaving the monument standing above the surrounding ground level. There are several other cairns with cists in the Langcombe valley.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8468 - Excavation of cairn/cist at Langcombe, Grim's Grave

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