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MONUMENT NO. 35433

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DESCRIPTION

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A ring cairn with inner kerbing, probably dating to the Bronze Age, is visible as an earthwork on Cheriton Ridge. It is compact and well preserved on the outer ring, while the interior has been disturbed. Eight upright stones survive, and the retaining circle measures approximately 9 metres in diameter.

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(SS 74564477) Hut Circle (NR) (1)
Cheriton Ridge. Shown on Ordnance Survey as a hut circle, but appearance and situation on ridge suggest a cairn (2) with a retaining circle 30ft in diameter of which eight stones still stand (3) (see plan). Cairn with peristalith (4). (2-4)

A spread cairn 14.0 metres in diameter and up to 0.3 metres high with a 9.4 metre diameter retaining ring which now comprises only eight upright stones up to 0.9 metres high.
Published survey 1:2500 revised. (5)

SS 7456344778. A cairn 15.8m diameter and of 0.5m maximum height.

Prominently situated, about 349m above OD near the centre of a saddle on Cheriton Ridge, this cairn has been mutilated by robbing resulting in a flat-topped heathery mound. The NW quadrant is strwen with stones, the southern half has some stone scatter whilst the NE quadrant is overgrown with heather.

About 2m within the outer edge of the cairn material at least 8 stones of an internal `peristalith', or inner retaining kerb, slightly eccentric to the main cairn body survive in situ, mainly around the southern half. These stones vary from the largest, in the NW quadrant, 0.8m by 0.8m and 0.2m thick down to one in the SW quadrant, 0.3m by 0.3m and 0.15m thick. They give a diameter of about 9.4m between stone centres. Although slightly irregular, the content and form of the band of material outside the `peristalith' suggests it is a part of the the original cairn construction and not just spilled debris due to robbing. It is this ring of material which probably led to the site being classified as a hut circle by the Ordnance Survey (6) in 1888.
The cairn is a Scheduled Monument, Devon No.714 (7), although it is incorrectly described as a hut circle under the Monument Title.

Surveyed at 1:2500. (8)

Generally as described by source 6. The form of this monument suggests that it could be categorised as a ring cairn. The compact and well preserved nature of the outer ring (especially on the north), combined with the inner kerb form the most striking part of the feature. The interior, although disturbed, does not have any height indicative of a cairn, neither is there any evidence for robbed material spread around the monument.
Surveyed at 1:200 scale, July 1996. (9)

The cairn described above is visible as a slight circular earthwork on aerial photographs, measuring approximately 9.5 metres in diameter. The individual stones are not visible (11).

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1962

( 2) Devon Archaeological Society proceedings

28 Page(s)112

( 3) Devonshire Association reports and transactions

J F Chanter and R H Worth 394 Page(s)394

( 4) by L V Grinsell 1970 The archaeology of Exmoor : Bideford Bay to Bridgwater

Page(s)194

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 MJF 17-APR-74

( 6) General reference

Sainsbury IS, 13-SEP-1994 RCHME Field Investigation

(7) General reference

Ordnance Survey 1889 1:2500 Devon Sheet 7:6

(8) General reference

Dept of the Environment 1987 County List of Scheduled Ancient Monuments: Devon 14, County No.714

(9) General reference

R Wilson-North 03-JUL-1996 RCHME Field Investigation

(10) Brendon, cairn at SS 74 SW 37/ink survey

(11) Vertical aerial photograph reference number

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