See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

'Huntingdon Barrow' or 'Heap of Sinners' cairn north of Huntingdon Warren. A large cairn measuring 22 metres in diameter with an average height of 1.4 metres. It is constructed of large boulders but has been mutilated by the erection of marker cairns and shelters on it. This site is on the local list of Nationally Important Dartmoor sites

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthworks of Huntingdon Medieval Warren including pillow mounds, vermin traps and warren house, Bronze Age hut circles, enclosures, and the Huntingdon Barrow as well as old tin workings including Huntingdon Tin Mine, Gibby Beam and Wellabrook Girt

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Non-designated Heritage Asset (Yes): NI site
• National Monuments Record: SX66NE22
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 441414
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NE/55

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

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

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 365-6 (Monograph). SDV320981.

On the highest part of Huntingdon Hill is a fine cairn 76 yards (approximately 70 meters) in circumference usually known as Huntingdon barrow but sometimes referred to as the Heap O’ Sinners.

Worth, R. H., 1946, The Stone Rows of Dartmoor. Part 1, 49 (Article in Serial). SDV251172.

Other details: 65th report on barrows..

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950 - 1977, SX66NE22 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV226973.

(03/05/1950) Badly mutilated cairn with hollow centre.
(15/07/1977) Cairn at SX 66216690 known as 'Huntingdon Barrow', or 'Heap of Sinners', is a large round cairn, diameter 22.0 metres, average height 1.7 metres situated on the summit of a broad, flat topped hill at 475 metres above OD. It is constructed of large boulders and is so badly mutilated by the erection of marker cairns and shelters upon it, that its original profile is conjectural.

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 164 (Monograph). SDV231148.

A large cairn on hillside, about 290 north west of Huntingdon Warren house (?), built up some years ago into grotesque cone.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 154 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Site visited on 11th October 1975. Cairn, mutilated, measuring 22.5 meters in diameter, 1.8 meters in height.

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

Visible and recorded.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 173, Map 58 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Heap of Sinners cairn at SX66206690 of 24.0 metres diameter by 2.5 metres high. Large, isolated cairn known as the ‘Heap of Sinners’, which is greatly disfigured by pits in its surface and regular remodelling of its stones, which has prevented vegetation growing on its surface. No evidence of an organised structure to this cairn and it may have never been anything more than a loose collection of stones.

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

(18/10/1995) Cairn at SX 6621266907 is as described in 1977 except its height has been reduced to 1.4 metres due to the construction of two walker's shelters and another marker cairn. A large scale survey and site report are deposited in the archive

Gerrard, S., 2004, List of Sites Remaining to be Considered for Designation on Dartmoor (Un-published). SDV345444.

This site was considered for designation as a Scheduled Ancient Monument during the Monument Protection Programme. The programme ended before the entire list of sites was successfully scheduled so this is included on a local list of Nationally Important Sites.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Cairn shown on survey.

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

Visible on aerial photograph.

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

'Huntingdon Barrow' or 'Heap of Sinners' shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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