| Summary : A stone row and a small cairn lie to the south of the double stone rows in close-cropped moorland turf. The cairn located at the northern end and slightly off-centre to the row, measures 3.2m across and up to 0.5m high. An 0.3m deep central pit opens out on the southern side. There is no obvious kerb or cist but a transverse slab, the terminal slab of the row, is set within the south side of the mound. The existence of this slab suggest that the row pre-dates the mound. The stone row extends for 41.7m in a southerly direction to an upright stone (SX553774720). However, during the English Heritage 1999 survey a further stone was located on the same alignment beyond this stone indicating an overall length for the row of at least 60m. The new partially buried stone at SX55337484 is visible as a rounded stone 0.15m across; it is similar to others in the row. A total of six upright stones, six stones protruding through the turf and about ten slight depressions, now indicate this 60m long alignment. The transverse stone within the cairn is 0.5m by 0.4 and 0.15m thick. The two adjacent in line slabs are 0.6m 0.3m by 0.15m and 0.3 by 0.2 and 0.2m thick respectively. The other large stone (SX55377472) is 0.5 by 0.4 and up to 0.4m thick. The other stones are up to 0.15m high. Scheduled. The Bronze Age cairn and the Neolithic/Bronze Age stone alignment were recorded as an earthwork and structures on 2021 Historic England orthomosaic aerial photography and visualisations of a Digital Elevation Model derived from the orthomosaic in 2023 during the Historic England Dartmoor-Plym project.
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| More information : (SX 55397476) Cairns (NR) (1)
(One cairn of two) Stone Rows (NR) (One row of three)
A single stone row extending for 139ft. from a 9ft. diameter barrow south of a stone row (SX 57 SE 12). (2)
A cairn, some 5.0m. south of one of the major Merrivale rows (SX 57 SE 12), is of small stone construction, now turf-covered. It has a diameter of 2.3m. and a height of 0.2m. with a small pit near the centre dug down to ground level. It is uncertain whether there was originally a kerb or cairn circle but one upright slab 1.5m. north west of centre appears to be associated with the cairn.
The stone row is not aligned upon the centre of the existing cairn but to the west side.
From a blocking stone at this point, SX 55397476, the row extends to the south west for 42.0m., to another blocking stone at SX 55377472.Between these points there appear to have been about 40 stones, of which only 13 survive, and most of these are at ground level. The positions of a further 19 stones are clear from small depressions, but it is difficult to say whether they result from deliberate robbing or casual vandalism.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on M.S.D. and at 1:250. See also ground photograph. (3)
A short single row in a slightly curved alignment, descends a shallow incline from the cairn at its upper end. At some period the cairn has been trenched from its southern edge to the centre where two slabs at an angle are probably the last of a ring, perhaps once surrounding a now vanished cist. The tops of 13 stones in the alignment show just above the surface ending apparently at a larger slab set at an angle 47.5m away, probably the original end stone. The majority of members are missing out of an original total of about 36, but most of these are probably buried beneath the turf. (4).
A stone row and a small cairn lie to the south of the double stone rows in close-cropped moorland turf. The cairn located at the northern end and slightly off-centre to the row, measures 3.2m across and up to 0.5m high. An 0.3m deep central pit opens out on the southern side. There is no obvious kerb or cist but a transverse slab, the terminal slab of the row, is set within the south side of the mound. The existence of this slab suggest that the row pre-dates the mound.
The stone row extends for 41.7m in a southerly direction to a large stone (SX55377472). However, during the English Heritage 1999 survey a further stone was located on the same alignment beyond this stone indicating an overall length for the row of at least 60m. It is a partially buried stone at SX55337484 and measures 0.15m across.
A total of six upright stones, six stones protruding through the turf and about ten slight depressions, now indicate this 60m long alignment. The transverse stone within the cairn is 0.5m by 0.4 and 0.15m thick. The two adjacent in line slabs are 0.6m 0.3m by 0.15m and 0.3 by 0.2 and 0.2m thick respectively. The other large stone (SX55377472) is 0.5 by 0.4 and up to 0.4m thick. The other stones are up to 0.15m high. (5)
The Bronze Age cairn and stones of the Neolithic/Bronze Age stone alignment were recorded as an earthwork and structures on 2021 Historic England orthomosaic aerial photography and visualisations of a Digital Elevation Model derived from the orthomosaic. The cairn is approximately 3.7m in diameter, with two standing stones visible protruding from the earthwork on its western side. The earthwork mound of the round cairn has a slight hollow in the top measuring about 1.1m by 0.8m in plan. In addition to the two stones in the cairn, eight stones of the alignment were visible in the available imagery. The site is scheduled (NHLE 1013429) and within the English Heritage Trust Merrivale Guardianship Area. The site was mapped from aerial sources in 2023 during the Historic England Dartmoor-Plym project. (6-7)
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