See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

Cairn and cist lie in rough moorland pasture on a peat-covered gentle hillslope. The cairn measures 4.6 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres in height with a number of small earthfast stones around its perimeter, possibly vestiges of a kerb. A narrow excavation trench extends north-west from the cist, with the spoil dumped on the southern part of the mound. The cist is 0.6 metres deep and 1.2 metres long, the north-west end is 0.4 metres wide and south-east end 0.6 metres wide; the north-west end-slab cannot be seen. The cover stone, resting on the north-east side, is 1.6 metres by 1.3 metres at its extremities.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002592: Two cairns with cists E of Whiteworks tin mine buildings

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67SW33
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443328
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/56
• Old SAM County Ref: 729A
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX67SW33

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CAIRN (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC (Between) to 1501 BC (Between))
• CIST (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC (Between) to 1501 BC (Between))

Full description

Worth, R. H., 1905, 24th Report of the Barrow Committee, 91, Plate 3 (Article in Serial). SDV64705.

South-east end stone and south-west and north-east side stones appear above ground. Excavated. Burnard writes: 'explored south end and west side with no results. Could do no more as north endstone (large) was wedged in bottom'. It thus appears that the north-west end stone had slipped in and as the cover stone is lying on east side. It is obvious that all the slabs are now accounted for.

Ordnance Survey, 1906, 107SW (Cartographic). SDV336772.

'Kistvaen' shown on early 20th century map.

Breton, H. H., 1912, Beautiful Dartmoor III. Southern Quarter, 15-16 (Monograph). SDV250997.

Anonymous, 1937, Proceedings of the 76th annual meeting, 75, Plate 4 (Article in Serial). SDV256417.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/19777, SX67SW33 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV261693.

Cairn with cist, one of two, north of Wheal Emma Leat, Fox Tor newtake. Cairn diameter 4.0 metres, cist (length 1.2 metres, widtth 0.68 metres), cover slab (length 1.3 metres, widtth 1.2 metres). A cist examined in 1905 when a presumed end stone wedged in the bottom prevented further investigation (citing Worth, 1905).
(27/04/1950) The remains of the barrow are visible on the south-west side of the kist, probably deposited there when the kistvean was rifled. Orientation NW-SE and not NE-SW as shown on OS 6". (See illustration card 2).
(12/04/1977) This cist is situated on a north west facing slope at 370.0m OD and lies within the remains of a cairn. The diagrams are correct and the dimensions are as shown. The depth is 0.6m. See photograph.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Fox, A., 1969, Swincombe Survey, 5 (Report - Survey). SDV250998.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 153 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Site visited on 27th September 1975. Cairn enclosing cist placed south-east to north-west, north-west end slab missing. Capstone to east-north-east. Diameter 4.5 metres and height 0.3 metres.

Robinson, R., 1982, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1982 (Un-published). SDV342809.

Site visited on 20th January 1982.

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

Not visible on aerial photograph.

Robinson, R., 1986, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1986 (Un-published). SDV345664.

Site visited on 30 July 1986.

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

(16/06/1988) At SX 62867116 a cairn and cist lie in rough moorland pasture on a peat-covered gentle hillslope. The cairn measures 4.6 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres in height with a number of small earthfast stones around its perimeter, possibly vestiges of a kerb. A narrow excavation trench extends north-west from the cist, with the spoil dumped on the southern part of the mound. The cist is 0.6 metres deep and 1.2 metres long, the north-west end is 0.4 metres wide and south-east end 0.6 metres wide; the north-west end-slab cannot be seen. The cover stone, resting on the north-east side, is 1.6 metres by 1.3 metres at its extremities.
This cist and its near neighbour (SX 67 SW 32) are not intervisible.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 218-9, Map 64, Figure 64.1 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Ter Hill N.W. '1' cairn at SX62857117 of circa 4.0 metres diameter by 0.3 metres high with a cist. It had already been dug into in 1904 when the soil was removed from the cavity.

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

Cairn shown on survey.

Cartographic Engineering, 2006, Dartmoor 2006 1:1250 Aerial Photography (digital) (Aerial Photograph). SDV345590.

Visible on aerial photograph.

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

'Cist' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1002592 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

This monument which falls into two areas includes two round cairns with cists situated on the lower north-west facing slopes of Ter Hill overlooking the River Swincombe as it exits Foxtor Mires. The northern cairn survives as a circular stony mound which measures up to 4.6 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres high. It contains a cist measuring up to 1.2 metres long by 0.5 metres wide with its coverstone displaced to the north-east and resting over one corner. This cairn was partially excavated by Burnard in 1904, the soil within the cist was removed but no artefacts were recovered just a stone wedged in its base.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8146 - Royal Commission Survey at Down Ridge and Swincombe
• EDV8673 - Excavation of cist, Fox Tor Newtake
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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