Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks, walking the Stone Rows and Stone Circles of Dartmoor

Dartmoor Resource: Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities - Cairns

Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities - Missing Cairns

Jeremy Butler Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities Volume 1

Jeremy Butler Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities Volume 2

Jeremy Butler Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities Volume 3

Jeremy Butler Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities Volume 4

Jeremy Butler Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities Volume 5

The missing Butler cairns

The table below lists cairns listed in Jeremy Butler's classic 5-volume Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities published in the 1990s that do not appear on the HER.

This page is a work in progress. For an explanation see the comments on the inter-related Butler Cairns and Grinsell Cairns. Refining and coding the output of so many records is quite a major undertaking and this is the first version of this listing. Rows given a light blue background indicate sites that no longer exist, those with a light salmon background are duplicate records. There maybe cairns mentioned in Volume 5 not yet incorporated into this listing - checking this is an outstanding task. Curiously, there are over 100 such records which suggest that 100 records listed by Butler are not in the HER.

The table currenly alternates between grey and white to make it easier to view as is the style for this website. The light blue rows are those records that have been marked in the database as either no longer existing or of doubtful existence. The listings on this site prior to the addition of these new records (see Prehistoric Dartmoor Map) only included known existing sites that could be visited and seen. The new cairn records added include many dubious records. For example there are 120 sites listed by Butler which would appear to be from aerial photography in the 1980s but appear nowhere else. Are these lost records? Or have they subsequently been dismissed as not archaeological sites? I have as a temporary work around introduced new categories for site types Reported cairn and Clearance cairn. Ideally the Reported cairn records should eventually be re-assigned in some way to something more definite however that could entail years of fieldwork to clarify what they are. The Clearance cairn type relates to all mounds that are not prehistoric cairns - I may rename to something like "Historic period mound" because they are not actually all clearance cairns. This website is not about categorising historic period sites so breaking them down into more specific categories is beyond the scope of the website.

The Butler records below have been indexed and numbered by PDW. The ID entries are as follows:

Volume 1: records 1 - 102
Volume 2: records 103 - 375
Volume 3: records 376 - 659
Volume 4: records 660 - 906
Volume 5: records 907 - 931

Please contact the author if any errors are seen.

Contact email: info@dartmoorwalks.org.uk

Bibliography & references

Butler, Jeremy, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, vol.1: The East, (1991)
Butler, Jeremy, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, vol.2: The North,(1991)
Butler, Jeremy, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, vol.3: The South-West, (1994)
Butler, Jeremy, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, vol.4: The South-East, (1993)
Butler, Jeremy, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Vol. 5. - The Second Millennium B.C. (Devon Books, 1997)
Grinsell, L.V., Dartmoor Barrows, Devon Archaeological Society Proceedings No. 36 (1978)
Turner, J.R., Ring Cairns, stone circles and related monuments on Dartmoor, D.A.S.P. No. 48 pp. 27-86 (1990)
Worth, R.H. Worth's Dartmoor (David & Charles, 1971)

ID	Butler	Grinsell	PDW #	Site Name	OSX	NMR	HER
11	2.5.6		1011	Black Hill 6 Reported Cairn	SX7617578642	n/a	n/a
12	2.5.7		1012	Black Hill 7 Reported Cairn	SX7619078960	n/a	n/a
13	2.5.8		1013	Black Hill 8 Reported Cairn	SX7617078950	n/a	n/a
14	2.5.9		1014	Black Hill 9 Reported Cairn	SX7615078660	n/a	n/a
15	2.5.10		1015	Black Hill 10 Reported Cairn	SX7610278655	n/a	n/a
17	2.5.12		1017	Black Hill 12 Reported Cairn	SX7616778676	SX 77 NE 4	n/a
42	9.9.2		1039	Wittaburrow 2 Reported Cairn	SX7335875201	n/a	n/a
49	10		1046	Buckland Common 1 Reported Cairn	SX7377273930	n/a	n/a
51	10.8		1048	Buckland Common 3 Reported Cairn	SX7358873559	n/a	n/a
52	10.8		1049	Buckland Common 4 Reported Cairn	SX7358773556	n/a	n/a
56	11.1.2		1053	Brake Corner 2 Reported Cairn	SX7018071680	n/a	n/a
64	15.1		1061	Sherwell Reported Cairn	SX6838074550	n/a	n/a
67	15.4.3		1064	Corndon Tor S. Reported Cairn	SX6847073930	n/a	n/a
70	17.2		1067	Lower Cator Cairn	SX6840875803	n/a	n/a
73	18.2.7		1070	Riddon Corner Reported Cairn	SX6714076360	SX 67 NE 132	n/a
76	18.2.10		1073	Riddon Ridge E. Reported Cairn	SX6702077220	SX 67 NE 125	n/a
99	21	MAN 3a	1096	Hayne Down summit Reported Cist	SX7440080200	n/a	n/a
144	27.20.5		1141	Bellever Tor 5 Cairn Circle	SX6385975989	n/a	n/a
151	28.6		1148	Cock's Lake Cairn	SX6540074760	n/a	n/a
167	30.12	PET 41	1164	Langstone Moor Stone Row Reported Cairn	SX5504078850	SX 57 NE 18	n/a
182	31.1.9		1179	Cox Tor S.E.9 Cairn	SX5322876174	SX 57 NW 94	n/a
188	31.17		1185	Cudlipptown Down N. Reported Cairn	SX5337079460	n/a	n/a
217	32.2.6		1214	Nattor Down 6 Reported Cist	SX5428982990	SX 58 SW 135	n/a
226	32.20.2		1223	Hare Tor N.2 Reported Cairn	SX5509084460	n/a	n/a
267	36.4		1264	Central Settlement Reported Cairn	SX6570086240	n/a	n/a
300	40.6	ST 5b	1293	Cosdon Hill E. Reported Cairn	SX6430091500	n/a	n/a
323	41.5		1316	Hangingstone Hill N. Reported Cairn	SX6172086430	SX 68 NW 97	n/a
325	41		1318	Ramsley Hill (site of) Reported Cairn	SX6518693032	n/a	n/a
333	42.7.1		1326	Yes Tor N.W.1 Clearance Cairn	SX5723091000	SX 59 SE 145	n/a
334	42.7.2		1327	Yes Tor N.W.2 Clearance Cairn	SX5724091020	SX 59 SE 145	n/a
335	42.7.3		1328	Yes Tor N.W.3 Clearance Cairn	SX5728091000	SX 59 SE 145	n/a
338	42		1331	Okement Hill N. Reported Cairn	SX6030088000	SX 68 NW 42	n/a
342	43.7.1		1335	Great Nodden 1 Cairn Circle	SX5307986222	n/a	n/a
343	43.7.2		1336	Great Nodden 2 Cairn	SX5310186256	n/a	n/a
344	43.7.3		1337	Great Nodden 3 Cairn	SX5307886287	n/a	n/a
355	43.7.14		1348	Great Nodden 14 Reported Cairn	SX5369587564	n/a	n/a
359	43.7.18		1352	Great Nodden 18 Crop Mark	SX5345087230	n/a	n/a
360	43.7.19		1353	Great Nodden 19 Crop Mark	SX5341087130	n/a	n/a
372	43.14		1365	Green Tor Reported Cairn	SX5642086100	SX 58 NE 38	n/a
381	44.8.4		1374	Merrivale row 4 Reported Cairn	SX5535074580	n/a	n/a
382	44.8.5		1375	Spence Bate's Reported Cist	SX5530074500	SX 57 SE 9	n/a
388	44.8.11		1381	Merrivale 11 Reported Cairn	SX5580074940	n/a	n/a
396	44.9.2		1385	North Hessary Tor 2 Reported Cairn	SX5778074320	n/a	n/a
397	44.9.3	B:WAL 36	1386	North Hessary Tor 3 Reported Cist	SX5780074200	n/a	n/a
422	45.14.4		1411	Black Tor 4 Cairn	SX5696071310	SX 57 SE 238	n/a
437	46.3.7		3090	Raddick Hill W.7 Cairn	SX5745370724	SX 57 SE 88	n/a
448	46.7		1431	Cramber Tor S.1-11 Reported Cairn	SX5840070500	SX 57 SE 177	n/a
451	47.7.2,3		1434	Narrator Brookhead 2, 3 Reported Cairn	SX5864069310	n/a	n/a
452	47.7.4		1435	Narrator Brookhead 4 Reported Cairn	SX5910069370	SX 56 SE 261	n/a
453	47.7.5		1436	Narrator Brookhead 5 Reported Cairn	SX5926069440	n/a	n/a
458	47.12.2		1441	Hingston Hill Summit 2 Reported Cairn	SX5875369483	n/a	n/a
471	47.15.2		1454	Eylesbarrow 2 Reported Cairn	SX5998068580	n/a	n/a
472	47.15.3		1455	Eylesbarrow 3 Reported Cairn	SX6005068580	n/a	n/a
502	48.5	SHA 47a	1485	Shaugh Lake Reported Cairn	SX5580063600	SX 56 SE 158	n/a
508	49.5.1		1491	Gutter Tor 1 Reported Cairn	SX5752666748	n/a	n/a
530	49.19.7-9		1513	Foot of Giant's Basin (a-c) Reported Cairn	SX5919066930	SX 56 NE 205	n/a
538	49.19.19		1521	Drizzlecombe 19 Reported Cairn	SX5956067280	n/a	n/a
574	50.3		1557	Shavercombe Head (9+ cairns) Reported Cairn	SX6065064900	SX 66 NW 179	n/a
607	52.9		1590	Ranny Brook 22 Cairn	SX6193063430	SX 66 SW 30	n/a
609	52.9.2		1592	Ranny Brook N.2 Reported Cairn	SX6217063430	SX 66 SW 28	n/a
612	52.11		1595	Coombe Brook E. Reported Cairn	SX6255062510	n/a	n/a
615	52.13		1598	Watercombe Gate Reported Cairn	SX6251061860	n/a	n/a
618	52.14.3		1601	Penn Beacon S.3 Reported Cairn	SX5983062260	n/a	n/a
620	52.14.5		1603	Penn Beacon S.W.5 Cairn	SX5959062470	n/a	n/a
622	52.14.7		1605	Penn Beacon S.W.7 Reported Cairn	SX5948062570	n/a	n/a
624	52.14.9		1607	Penn Beacon S.W.9 Reported Cairn	SX5941062580	n/a	n/a
626	52.14.11		1609	Penn Beacon S.W.11 Reported Cairn	SX5934062740	n/a	n/a
627	52.14.12		1610	Penn Beacon S.W.12 Reported Cairn	SX5936062740	n/a	n/a
628	52.14.13		1611	Penn Beacon W.13 Reported Cairn	SX5930062870	n/a	n/a
629	52.14.14		1612	Penn Beacon W.14 Reported Cairn	SX5927062940	n/a	n/a
631	52.14.16		1614	Penn Beacon W.16 Reported Cairn	SX5926063010	n/a	n/a
635	52.15		1618	Dendles Waste N. Reported Cairn	SX6150062900	SX 66 SW 34	n/a
639	52.16.6	SPA 8a	1622	Crownhill Down Reported Cist	SX5700060000	n/a	n/a
660	53.1.1		1643	Addicombe 1 Reported Cairn	SX6497058110	n/a	n/a
781	56.13		1768	Glasscombe Ball S.1 Clearance Cairn	SX6593760181	n/a	n/a
857	60.26.1	HOL 6a	1840	Holne Ridge N.1 Reported Cairn	SX6700071750	SX 67 SE 57	n/a
919			570	Stalldown Row Terminal Cairn Circle	SX6317661737	n/a	n/a

Page last updated 11/12/21