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Summary

Cairn to the north-west of Powder Mills survives as a 5.8 metres diameter by 0.5 metres high mound containing a central pit which is defined on its northern side by a 1.4 metres long and 0.55 metres deep slab of stone. This stone represents one side of a cist which has been damaged by partial excavation or robbing. A small number of edge set stones around the periphery of the mound suggests the presence of a kerb which survives largely as a buried feature.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1016638: A partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement, two cairns containing cists and a post-medieval building 440m NNW of Powder Mills

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67NW16
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442555
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NW/14
• Old SAM County Ref: 916B
• Old SAM Ref: 28721.02

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Kistvaen' shown on early 20th century map.

Breton, H. H., 1926, The Heart of Dartmoor, Morwenstow, 34-5 (Monograph). SDV265360.

Worth, R. H., 1938, 57th Report of the Barrow Committee, 61 (Article in Serial). SDV320309.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX67NW16 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV263514.

(06/09/1950) The cist is oriented north-west by south-east and is open with the south-west side stone and the end stone buried beneath the turf. Internal dimensions 1.3m by 0.85m depth 0.5m. The mound, which is slight with a height of 0.3m is much disturbed. Judging by the remains of the retaining circle of which six stones can be seen the diameter of the mound was 4.5m. Condition of the cist is fair, of mound poor.

Ancient Monuments, 1972, Schedule note (Schedule Document). SDV263506.

(05/10/1972) A stone cist in a small mound c.5.75m diameter. Not all the side-slabs are visible, and the top slab is missing. Signs of a possible smallscale kerb. Obviously robbed.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 148, Lydford 49 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

(12/06/1976) At Stennen Hill. Diameter 4.5m and height 0.3m. A slight mound with retaining circle enclosing cist, placed south-east by north-west, of which only the north-east side-slab is visible.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX67NW16 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV263510.

(20/11/1979) SX 62607783. On a gentle SE slope at 393m OD is a cairn with a central cist. The cist, aligned NW/SE, measures 1.3m by 0.8m internally and is 0.6m deep. No coverstone is visible. The furze-covered mutilated cairn now extends 8.0m NW to SE and 6.2m NE to SW, with a few stones of the retaining circle visible to the NW.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 and 1:2500 for AO Records.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(19/07/1989) Cist as described previously (OS, 1950 and 1979). It is placed centrally in a sub-circular cairn, probably originally 8 by 6m, of which only a stone scatter remains on the arc NW to NE; no certain kerbstones were obscured on the NW. The S arc, however, still stands up to 0.5m high but is obscured by thick gorse.

Turner, J. R., 1990, Ring Cairns, Stone Circles and Related Monuments on Dartmoor, 83 (Article in Serial). SDV229817.

Indication of stone ring/ring cairn beneath cairn.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 149298 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Vis=est -/-/1998 (gerrard, s. ) At SX 62607782. A cairn and cist 430m NNW of Powder Mills (mpp).

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 64, 239, Map 29 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Stennen Hill 2 cairn at SX62627781 of 5.0 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high with a cist. Only one side slab of the cist remains next to the pit in the centre of the mound. It may have been one of the cairns on Stennen Hill in which a 'pot of money' was rumoured to have been discovered.

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

Cairn shown on survey.

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

'Cairn & Cist' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1016638 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

The cairn survives as a 5.8 metres diameter and 0.5 metres high mound containing a central pit which is defined on its northern side by a 1.4 metres long and 0.55 metres deep slab of stone. This stone represents one side of a cist which has been damaged by partial excavation or robbing. A small number of edge set stones around the periphery of the mound suggests the presence of a kerb which survives largely as a buried feature.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8645 - Powder Mills and Gawler Newtake, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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