Guidance for walkers: The monuments featured in this database are archaeological treasures and need to be protected and preserved - please do not disturb any sites. Please check access and firing times before visiting sites, not all sites listed are on open access land. Firing ranges and boundaries of open access areas are marked on the OL28 OS Dartmoor Explorer map. Please stick to the country code and consider giving support to the numerous agencies that help to keep Dartmoor a fabulous natural and historic environment!
About the database listings: In all listings clicking on the photo or the site name will open a page for the site with a larger photo and further details from the database. The database now has over 6680 records covering nearly all publicly listed sites on Dartmoor including around 4800 round houses. This level of detail is of interest to archaeologists but tends to swamp listings of sites more likely to be of interest for walkers. For this reason, the listings default to around 550 core sites only. These are the stone circles, stone rows and the ring cairns listed by Turner. The default search radius is 2 km. The controls below the map can be used to start a new search by entering a 6- or 8-digit reference (without the prefix "SX"). The search radius can be specified and you can add incremental Display layers of detail on top of the core sites. If using a more detailed layer you will need to decrease the search radius to avoid getting hundreds of search results.
These listings have incorporated, matched up and merged all of the records from all of the major archaeological listings including: Worth, Grinsell, Turner, Butler, Bill Radcliffe, Sandy Gerrard, Megalithic Portal, the National Monument Records and the Historic Environment Records. The author would like to thank Bill, Sandy, the lovely people both at Megalithic Portal (especially Anne Tate who did an amazing job to link listings) and at ACE Archaeology for collaborative work over the years to synchronise and correct listings across the various websites which now interlink. A culmination of years of work the final merger of cairn records took 3 months of cross referencing in 2017 the result being a snapshot of the records at that time. This data has in turn been refined since by field work and research. The round house data was supplied by Sandy Gerrard. Grid references are in order of accuracy: from Google Earth satellite, if visible and found, from a Garmin GPS reading, if visited by the author and from the literature otherwise. Individual site pages will state the source of the grid reference and provide satellite imagery. If a site listing lacks a photo it has not yet been visited by the author in which case the grid reference is from the literature.
Currently the database only includes sites which can be represented by a grid reference. Reaves are not included as they require GIS shape technology which is beyond the current capability of this system. To see the sources for the records, look at the tables on the resources menu. The database listings can also be viewed on a Google map and downloaded as GPS datasets for Garmin devices.
Corrections, or any feedback or suggestions are very welcome, email: info@dartmoorwalks.org.uk.
NOTE: Clicking on the icons for each monument in the map will give the name of the site. You can zoom in and out and drag the map around.
OS Map: SX 62577 70299
HER: MDV48907
Megalithic Portal: 15211
PMD: Childe's Tomb
ShortName: CT ChildesTomb
Butler map: 64.4
DPD page: 94
Grinsell: LYD 96
Turner: E33
Notes: "A much disturbed cairn, 9m in diameter and 0.3m high with a modern 'kerb' of blocks and slabs, 5.8m in diameter and 0.5m high, set upon the mound. At the centre is a well built cist 1.4m long, 0.5m wide and 0.6m deep. Over this is a two tier pedestal of eight well trimmed blocks, of three different lengths; a further half buried block lies S of the monument. Upon this is a replacement socket stone and cross, cut at Holne in 1885". Lethbridge diagram p.93, photo p.94. Butler Vol. 4. Map 64.4 (diagram p.220).
Nearby sites: SX 62577 70299
Distance: 0.84km
OS Map: SX 62861 71177
HER: MDV6303
Megalithic Portal: 45677
PMD: Ter Hill N.
Alternate name: Ter Hill N.W.1 Cist
ShortName: CT FoxTorNew N
Butler map: 64.3.1
DPD page: 93
Grinsell: LYD 97
Barrow Report: 24 56
Notes: "The cist is 0.6m deep and 1.2m long, the NW end is 0.4m wide and SE end 0.6m wide; the NW end-slab, said by Burnard (1905)to be wedged in the bottom cannot be seen. The coverstone, resting on the NE side, is 1.6m by 1.3m at its extremeties". Lethbridge diagram (Cist A) and photo p.93. Butler Ter Hill N.W. 1 - Vol. 4. Map 64.3 (diagram p. 219).
Nearby sites: SX 62861 71177
Distance: 1.48km
OS Map: SX 62864 70964
HER: MDV6279
Megalithic Portal: 45678
PMD: Ter Hill S.
Alternate name: Ter Hill N.W.2 Cist
ShortName: CT FoxTorNew S
Butler map: 64.3.2
DPD page: 94
Grinsell: LYD 98
Barrow Report: 24 56
Notes: "The turf-covered cairn is, at maximum, 3.9m in diameter and 0.3m in height. The cist, oriented NW/SE, is approximately 1.3m by 0.55m, and 0.75m deep, and now almost hidden by the SW side stone which has fallen inwards. The NE end stone is not evident but an 0.7m high upright granite post retains part of the mound on this NE side. There is no trace of the coverstone". Lethbridge diagram p.93 (Cist B), top photos p.94. Butler Ter Hill N.W. 2 - Vol. 4. Map 64.3 (diagram p.219).
Nearby sites: SX 62864 70964
Distance: 1.36km
OS Map: SX 60780 70484
HER: MDV12967
Megalithic Portal: 24008
PMD: Whiteworks
ShortName: CT FoxtorMireW
Butler map: 64.6
DPD page: 97
Turner: E19
Notes: "Seven large orthostats of the retaining circle remain in situ on the south and south-east side (see plan). The cist is entirely below ground level to a depth of 0.7m and measures 1.0m by 0.6m. The two endstones and two sidestones are visible; a stone which may be the coverstone lies on the ground to one side". Lethbridge diagram p.93, photos bottom p.97. Butler Foxtor Mires W. - Vol. 4. Map 64.6 (diagram p.222). Cairn with kerb circle, visible on N, E & W sides, with a central cist.
Nearby sites: SX 60780 70484
Distance: 1.00km
OS Map: SX 61804 70321
HER: MDV6342
Megalithic Portal: 42707
PMD: Fox Tor Mires cairn
Alternate name: Goldsmith's Cross E.2 Ring Setting Cairn and Cist
ShortName: CT GoldsmithE2
Butler map: 64.5.2
DPD page: 95
Grinsell: LYD 95
Turner: D23
Notes: "West end stone of cist leans slightly inwards, otherwise a perfect cist measuring 0.75m NW-SE by 0.5m wide by 0.4m deep. Retaining circle of 7 stones averaging 0.4m high. No coverstone or barrow". Lethbridge diagram p.93, photo bottom right p.95 and on p.96. Turner D23 (Fox Tor Mire) - Proc Devon Arch Soc 48 (diagram p.45). Butler Goldsmith's Cross E. 2 - Vol. 4. Map 64.5 (Cairn 2 - diagram p.221).
Nearby sites: SX 61804 70321
Distance: 0.13km
OS Map: SX 61684 69872
HER: MDV5081
Megalithic Portal: 42708
PMD: Fox Tor Mires S 5
ShortName: CT Goldsmith S
Butler map: 64.5
DPD page: 97
Grinsell: LYD 100
Barrow Report: 46 56
Notes: "The remains of a cist lie some 80m E of the Whealam streamworks at SX 61666985, on gently sloping ground 50m S of the newtake wall. The remains consist of four granite slabs set into the ground, forming three sides of a trapezoidal structure. It measures 1.2m long and a maximum of 0.85m wide. The long side, unusually formed of two granite slabs, is oriented NW to SE. The maximum height which the stones protrude above the ground is 0.2m. The SW side of the structure is missing; there are no traces of a capstone or cairn". Lethbridge diagram p.93, text p.96, photo top p.97. Butler Goldsmith's Cross S. - Vol. 4. Map 64.5. (Cairn 4 - diagram p.221).
Nearby sites: SX 61684 69872
Distance: 0.34km
OS Map: SX 61871 70395
HER: MDV61775
Megalithic Portal: 45806
PMD: Fox Tor Mires E.
Alternate name: Goldsmiths Cross E.1 Cist
ShortName: CT:GoldsmithE1
Butler map: 64.5.1
Notes: "Clear remains of cairn with cist. One side and one end stone of cist are in place. The western side stone may be beneath the turf, but the southern end stone and cover stone are missing. The internal dimensions of the cist are approximately 0.53 x 0.58 x 0.45 meters (1 foot 9 inches x 1 foot 11 inches x 1 foot 6 inches). Immediately around cist there was a backing of comparatively large flat stones.". Butler Goldsmith's Cross E. 1. Vol. 4. Map 64.5 (Cairn 1 - diagram p.221). There is no NMR for this site. There is an HER entry MDV61775 which matches precisely with the OS reference given by Butler. Butler describes: "The mound 0.1m high at best surrounds a slightly wedge-shaped cist of which only the sides, one composed of two stones, and an end are visible. The missing slab is probably buried in place".
Nearby sites: SX 61871 70395
Distance: 0.23km
OS Map: SX 61741 70204
HER: MDV6343
Megalithic Portal: 45748
PMD: Goldsmith's Cross
Alternate name: Goldsmiths Cross E.3 Cist
ShortName: CT:GoldsmithE3
Butler map: 64.5.3
DPD page: 95
Grinsell: LYD 94
Barrow Report: 58
Notes: "The NW sidestone, 0.8m long by 0.2m wide and the NE endstone 0.6m long, 0.15m wide are the only recognisable cist stones though it is possible that the SW side was formed by the two small slabs still visible and depicted by Worth. There is no coverstone". Lethbridge diagram p.93, photo bottom left p.95. Butler Goldsmith's Cross E.3. - Vol. 4. Map 64.5 (Cairn 3 - diagram p.221).
Nearby sites: SX 61741 70204
Distance: 0.00km
OS Map: SX 61817 71957
HER: MDV6310
Megalithic Portal: 34957
Alternate name: Royal Hill E.1 Cairn
ShortName: CN:RoyalHill 1
Butler map: 65.5.1
Grinsell: LYD 93
Notes: "This impressive disturbed turf-covered cairn on the summit area of Royal Hill at 394m OD. It measures 16.4m (N-S) by 15.6m (E-W) with a maximum height of 1.8m. The flattish top has an off-centre pit 4.5m by 2.4m and 0.8m deep with some upcast material dumped around the top edge. Damage to the perimeter, reported in 1982 (8), has mostly been reinstated. The cairn is variously named Broken Barrow, Broken Barrows and Brokenborough"
Nearby sites: SX 61817 71957
Distance: 1.75km
OS Map: SX 62020 72091
HER: MDV6309
Megalithic Portal: 34958
PMD: Royal Hill SE.
Alternate name: Royal Hill E.3 Platform Cairn Circle and Cist
ShortName: CT RoyalHill 3
Butler map: 65.5.3
DPD page: 98
Grinsell: LYD 88
Turner: E31
Barrow Report: 27 47
Notes: "The cairn is 4.9m in diameter and 0.4m high with a flattish, platform, top. It is retained by a kerb of almost contiguous orthostats, the largest 1.1m long, 0.2m thick, and 0.6m high. A few are fallen or displaced. The central cist is oriented WNW to ESE, lacking both coverstone and N side slab. Internally it measures 1.35m by 0.75m by 0.55m deep." Lethbridge diagram p.97 Cist A, photo p.98. Butler Royal Hill E. 3 - Vol. 4. Map 65.5 (Cairn 3 - diagram p.233).
Nearby sites: SX 62020 72091
Distance: 1.91km
Page last updated 18/02/24