Guide to the Stone Rows of Dartmoor

Photo: The Dancers Cairn Circle and Stall Moor (Upper Erme) Stone Row

Perhaps the most distinctive and enigmatic of the prehistoric monuments on Dartmoor are the stone rows. Dartmoor has the largest concentrations of stone rows of any area in Britain. There are over seventy stone rows known on Dartmoor today (see listing below) although there were probably once considerably more. A small number of the rows recorded by antiquarians in the nineteenth century have disappeared either through destruction at the hands of road and newtake wall builders whilst others may have simply receded into the peat¹.

The stone rows consist of one or more roughly straight lines of standing stones many of which include structures such as cairn circles or large standing stones at either or both ends. The rows consist of a wide variety of size stones and a wide variety of lengths.

The single rows are typically 40 to 200 m in length² although there are four rows on the southern moor which are over 0.5 km in length (Burford Down, Stall Moor (Upper Erme), Stalldown and Butterdon Hill). Curiously these four rows are all very roughly north-south in orientation. The longest is the Stall Moor stone row which stretches for 3.1 km from The Dancers (Upper Erme) cairn circle over rough terrain with stones going up and down gullies all the way to a cairn on Green Hill.

There are many double and a few triple stone rows on Dartmoor. These rows are typically between 100m and 200m in length. Particularly fine examples of double rows include Merrivale, Hurston Ridge and the Assycombe stone rows. The Cosdon and Challacombe rows are the most impressive of the triple stone rows. At Corringdon Ball there is an odd complex variously described as a seven-fold stone row or a combination of two triple stone rows consisting of very small stones.

The double stone rows have often been referred to as stone avenues suggesting that they may have had some kind of ritual processional purpose. However whilst some have an average spacing of around 3.0m between the rows many have spacing less than 0.5m, some as narrow as 0.2m which is too narrow for a ritual pathway. The spacing of the stones within a row is very irregular as is the spacing in-between rows³. A good example is the Assycombe double stone row which has a distance between the rows that fluctuates wildly between 1.0m and 1.6m.

Hurston Ridge Stone Row

The stones of the rows vary in size with the majority consisting of stones less than 1m high for most of their length. Many of the rows consist of very small stones but often there will be a large terminal standing stone. The most impressive of these are the Drizzlecombe stone rows one of which has a terminal standing stone 4.2m high. Other notable examples include the Langstone Moor stone row, the Laughter Tor double stone row and the Shovel Down Longstone stone row. According to an account by Wilkinson in 1859 the Hart Tor double stone row was “terminated by a large monolith, now fallen, measuring about 25 feet long by 2 feet and 3 inches”, sadly this massive stone has long disappeared. A small number of the double rows have transverse blocking stones at the lower end, a good example being the Hurston Ridge row.

Cairns are also commonly associated as terminal features of the stone rows typically at the upper end. Fine examples include the Down Tor, Trowlesworthy East, Hart Tor and Ringmoor stone rows. In the case of single rows there is often a cairn at one end followed by a row of small stones ended by a large terminal stone a good example being the Drizzlecombe stone rows. Some of the rows have cairns and cists alongside them and in the case of one of the Merrivale double rows there is a large cairn actually within the row about midway along its length. A few of the rows form part of a ceremonial complex with other associated monuments such as stone circles, cists, cairns and standing stones such as at Merrivale, Fernworthy, Shovel Down and Drizzlecombe.

Perhaps the most impressive stone row still standing is the megalithic in proportion Stalldown stone row (see photo). This consists of massive blocks with mostly 1m to 1.5m high with four over 2m. The fallen stones of the Piles Hill stone row suggest it would have been even more striking with over 30 stones being between 2m and 3m in length. In 1994 a new stone row was discovered on Cut Hill which consists of massive fallen slabs over 2m in length. The Cut Hill row is the only row to have solid dating evidence, carbon dating of the peat surrounding the recumbent stones suggests a date “around the second half of the fourth millennium BC”.⁴ It is thought that most of the cairn circles and cists date to the early Bronze Age which would suggest a similar date for most of the stone rows but clearly the Cut Hill example is earlier dating back into the Neolithic. This suggests that the stone rows may have been constructed over a prolonged period of time through the late Neolithic and the early Bronze Age. It could be that the more megalithic in proportion rows are earlier but without firm evidence this is mere speculation. The association of many rows with cairns suggests that most of the stone rows are related to burial customs although care is needed when generalising to all stone rows as they are so varied in form. Also Emmett suggests it could be possible that these monuments could have had multiple phases of construction with cairns added later. To understand the stone rows better it is necessary to consider the environment at the time of construction.

Dartmoor Stone Rows in Context

The first thing that should be considered is the environment in which these structures were erected. Today it is largely open moorland but in the Mesolithic these upland areas were largely forested. The first farmers started to change the environment and a process of deforestation started to take place. Initially Mesolithic clearances would have started to cause forest recession on higher ground. Later there would have been clearings on lower land with otherwise continuous forest. Much of Dartmoor would have been forested at the time these monuments started to be erected.

Until recently the only stone row on Dartmoor to undergo a detailed archaeological dig was the Cholwich Town stone row which was excavated in 1961 prior to being buried underneath waste from the china clay works. The pollen evidence suggested it was constructed in a clearing of grassland or heath land within a forest of alder, oak and hazel.

The Cholwich Town example suggests that many of the stone rows would not have been constructed on open moorland as we see it today, instead they were constructed on the forest margins when the valley slopes and bottoms were still forested. The altitude and location of the stone rows, around the altitude of the then forest margins, is similar to those of the cairn circles but notably different to the location of the hut circles which came later largely on lower ground in the valleys. Emmett suggests that the clear implication “is that the rows are earlier than the ubiquitous, valley sited, later Bronze Age settlements, and roughly contemporary with the elusive earlier Bronze Age settlements, at a time when Dartmoor was still largely forested”.⁴ The recent dating of the Cut Hill stone row fits this general picture of the rows belonging to a period before the later Bronze Age settlement remains that can be seen today. In fact in this particular case the row, which is at a higher altitude than any other, is much earlier than previously thought for rows dating as it does to much earlier in the Neolithic.

There was a major study of 71 Dartmoor stone rows carried out by Emmett in 1979 (Stone rows: the traditional view reconsidered, D.A.S.P. No. 37 pp. 94-114). The orientation of the rows was largely random depending on the slopes they were sited on as the rows tend to gently ascend slopes. There was a very slight bias in the data to alignments in the NE quadrant but Emmett suggested this merely reflected a preponderance of rows in southern and eastern Dartmoor (there are very few in north-west Dartmoor). Giving a precise orientation was also impossible because many of them are not straight with bends and curves along the length. According to Butler a closer inspection of row orientation does also bring out a possible tendency towards orientation towards the cardinal points for some of the rows⁵.

The vast bulk of the rows have cairns at one end or sometimes at both ends. Emmett pointed out that it was impossible to say without excavations whether or not the cairns and the rows at each site were constructed at the same time. However, it seems likely that they were, which would suggest they are burial monuments. Claims for astronomical or solstice alignments for the vast majority of rows does not fit with their orientations and rough construction. The spacing of the stones within a row is very variable and for double and treble rows the spacing between the rows is very variable and the rows are generally “wriggly” with random kinks and curves along their length. According to Emmett:

“The obvious conclusion is that the exact stone position was irrelevant ... The general random nature of stone placing throughout, leads to the conclusion that rows were not precisely designed monuments, but structures built for an overall impression”.

Down Tor Cairn Cirlce and Stone Row

There has long been speculation that Dartmoor stone rows have an astronomical purpose. The evidence for most of the rows does not support such a theory. The astronomer Lockyer made claims in 1906 that Merrivale and a number of other sites had astronomical purposes. R.H. Worth was rather scathing about such suggestions. In the case of Trowlesworthy, which Lockyer claimed pointed to Arcturus in 2100 BC, Worth simply pointed out that one end of the row was not visible from the other as it went over a hill - so it could not possibly be used for such a purpose⁶. Jack Walker's book Dartmoor Sun has beautiful pictures of the stones of the Down Tor stone row at the summer and winter solstices casting their shadows along the line of the row⁷. It is of course not impossible that this is by design but a simpler explanation is that with over 70 stone rows with widely variant orientations it is not surprising that one may have by chance the right orientation for this to happen. There is no credibility to claims that Dartmoor stone rows have an astronomical purpose.

In contrast to the stone rows the cists do have a very obvious alignment as first noted by Worth⁸. About 94% of them have the long axis within the NW/SE quadrants skewed by about 5 degrees on average. It would appear that some rough orientation towards the sun was a factor in the orientation of cists. According to Butler this pattern is not repeated on Bodmin Moor where the orientation of cists “is too variable to be significant”. Clearly burial customs and monument construction had a local character in the prehistoric. It is interesting to note that there are very few stone rows on Exmoor in North Devon instead there are curious arrangements of very small stones in rectangular structures known as stone settings. There are a small number of stone rows elsewhere in North Devon and some on Bodmin Moor but they appear to be quite different to the Dartmoor rows. The greatest concentration of stone rows in the British Isles outside of Dartmoor are to be found on the upland fringes in counties Derry, Fermanagh and Tyrone in Northern Ireland. There are also sites consisting of very small stones known as stone fans in NE Scotland which apparently have similarities with the Corringdon Ball stone rows.

The Exploration and Restoration of Dartmoor Stone Rows

One of the earliest accounts of a “stone avenue” on Dartmoor appears in Richard Polwhele's 1793 book Historical Views of Devonshire. This was actually written by Rev. John Swete and is a description of a supposed “druid way” near Spinsters Rock. Whilst there are still some “conical pillars” near Spinsters Rock these remains may no longer exist although a dig on Shilstone Common by Tyler in 1930 probably rediscovered cairn circles associated with these old reports. Polwhele in his descriptions of monuments in Devon, and his contemporary Borlase in his writings on Cornwall, attributed monuments and natural features such as rock basins as being the temples and places of worship of the Druids. This tradition of association of prehistoric monuments to the Druids was continued by Samuel Rowe in his classic 1848 work A Perambulation of Dartmoor. This was based on an earlier article Antiquarian Investigations in the Forest of Dartmoor, Devon published in 1830 in the Transactions of the Plymouth Institute. He introduces his paper by saying that the remoteness of Dartmoor has prevented the destruction of ancient remains but they are at risk, he stated:

“In these districts, therefore, the antiquary naturally looks for the vestiges of this people and their times; and as many of the most interesting relics are in hourly danger of spoliation, the notices in the following paper have been collected and published, with the hope that some may escape impending destruction, and that others may be preserved from that oblivion which appears to endanger the very memory of their existence”.⁹

These sentiments were reflected later in the concerns of the Dartmoor Preservation Society and the activities of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee. In the early nineteenth century stones from monuments were being plundered by road builders and there was an active campaign to make land productive for agriculture and as a consequence stones were being utilised for new buildings and new-take walls. This was also a period of industrial development on Dartmoor with leats, tramways associated with mining and railways starting to be built.

Rowe's 1830 article was one of the first to give descriptions of stone rows on Dartmoor. He gives accounts of Merrivale, Black Tor (Hart Tor), Challacombe, Watern Hill (Hurston Ridge - later claimed as being discovered by George French and the Dartmoor Exploration Committee) and the Shovel Down stone rows. A Perambulation of Dartmoor was majorly revised in a third edition in 1895 by Rowe's nephew J. Brooking Rowe although he rejected the Druid views of Samuel Rowe. R. N. Worth felt it necessary in 1880 to put the issue to rest by penning the rather scathing article Were There Druids in Devon? which pointed out that the theories of Polwhele and Borlase had no basis in fact.¹⁰

From the mid-nineteenth century there was a flourishing of interest in Dartmoor antiquities. Authors such as Ormerod revisited earlier accounts and made new observations. The Egyptologist Gardener Wilkinson wrote a major article on British Remains on Dartmoor in 1862. Spence Bate carried out an excavation of the terminal cairn of the Penn Beacon row and W. C. Lukis made plans of many sites on Dartmoor in 1879. In 1892 Richard Nichols Worth, father of Richard Hansford Worth, started the first in a series of five articles in the Transactions of the Devonshire Association on The Stone Rows of Dartmoor¹¹. The first of these documented the 27 known stone rows at the time but the pace of discovery of new rows was illustrated by the inclusion of a last minute footnote from Robert Burnard about the discovery of the Assycombe stone row. This was the golden age of exploration and each annual report included descriptions of newly discovered stone rows. After R. N. Worth's death his son R. H. Worth continued the reports until 1911 and a total of 62 stone rows were listed in his collated writings on the subject in Worth's Dartmoor first published in 1953. To this day new stone rows are still periodically discovered such as the Cut Hill row in 2004 and the Tottiford row in 2009.

A number of the stone rows were restored by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee (notably by Sabine Baring-Gould, Robert Burnard and R. H. Worth). There has been much criticism of these restorations. There are many accounts in the reports to the Devonshire Association which give a sense of why it was considered so important to intervene to protect the sites. For example the report of the restoration of the Cosdon Row makes it clear that the Dartmoor Exploration committee were deeply concerned that failure to intervene would lead to the potential destruction of the site, see Extract from the Third Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee. R.H. Worth was very critical of some of the restorations, notably at Ringmoor Down and on the summit of Lakehead Hill due to a lack of accuracy in the restorations, but he was himself actively involved in the restorations as an act of preservation from further despoliation. Whatever criticisms we may have of the restorations we should be grateful that the process of destruction of sites was largely ended by the efforts of the restorers.

The following is a list of some of the more significant excavations and restorations of Dartmoor stone rows or associated cairns and menhirs:

• Merrivale B Cairn excavated (row no. 28). My Bray. 1802. The cairn midway along this double row was excavated by Mr Bray in 1802¹². There were no finds.
• Penn Beacon Cairn excavated (row no. 9). Spence Bate. 1872. The cairn at the north end of the row, approximately 52 feet in diameter and 6 foot high, was excavated and a cist was discovered. Fragments of a wide mouthed jar were found and a slate implement, thought to be used for fashioning clay vessels¹³.
• Drizzlecombe terminal menhirs re-erected (row nos. 17, 18, 19). Baring-Gould, Robert Burnard, R.H. Worth and William Gray. 1893. The site was first described in detail by Worth in 1889. At this time the rows were well preserved but the terminal menhirs were found lying flat. The terminal stones were re-erected in 1893 in their original sockets.¹⁴
• Langstone Moor Menhir re-erected (row no. 30). D.E.C (?). 1893. The large terminal menhir was restored in its original socket.¹⁵
• Challacombe Down Stone Row restored (row no. 46). Baring-Gould, Robert Burnard. 1893. A few stones were re-erected within the rows by Burnard and Baring-Gould in 1893.¹⁶ One of these is set incorrectly across the middle row near its downhill end. Another 14 stones were re-erected where they were found outside of the rows near this which has created the rather strange arrangement towards the bottom of the hill as can be seen today. Worth comments that despite an attempt to "to re-erect these in the places 'they should have been' ... nothing coherent came out of that".¹⁷
• Laughter Tor Menhir re-erected (row no. 50). Robert Burnard. 1893. The standing stone was re-erected in 1893 and again in 1911 and the cairn was excavated in 1903 - it contained "a great quantity of charcoal and peat ashes".¹⁸
• Assycombe Stone Row blocking stone re-erected (row no. 43). Baring-Gould. 1894. The blocking stone at the west end of the row was re-erected and possibly other stones, Butler suggests the menhir near the cairn at the eastern end had been re-erected due to the presence of packing stones.¹⁹
• Hurston Ridge Stone Row restoration (row no. 44). Baring-Gould and Robert Burnard. 1894. A number of the stones were restored to their original sockets. A broken hand axe was discovered in the pit in which one of the stones had stood near to the menhir next to the cairn.²⁰
• Hingston Hill (Down Tor) Stone Row restored (row 20). Baring-Gould, Rev. W. Gray and Robert Burnard. 1894. The westernmost stone (largest near the cairn circle) and an unknown number of others, were re-erected in their original sockets.²¹
• Lakehead Hill 4 (E or Summit) Stone Row and Cairn restored (row no. 51). Robert Burnard and Sabine Baring-Gould. 1895. The remains were discovered and restored in 1895.²² The reconstruction was undoubtedly flawed, as Worth points out, the stone row begins within the retaining circle and it is peculiarly one of the only curved stone rows on Dartmoor.²³ The height and overall appearance of the cist is also doubtful. Despite Worth's criticisms, Hemery concludes: "My own feeling is one of profound thankfulness to the restorers that the monument survives at all".²⁴
• Cosdon Hill Stone Row restored (row no. 33). R.H. Worth and Sabine Baring-Gould. 1896. Stones were re-erected and the cairn was partially excavated. Two cists were found in the cairn one of which was intact but the other had been robbed of the cover stone and two side stones.²⁵
• Stalldown Stone Row restored (row no. 7). Sabine Baring-Gould. 1897. The row was in a ruinous state with most of the stones lying flat when it was restored by Baring-Gould in 1897.²⁶ The restoration claimed to only use the original sockets for the stones but Worth claims that the row would not have originally aligned to the small circle of stones making the cairn just over the crest of the hill heading south.²⁷
• Ringmoor Down Stone Row and Cairn Circle restored (row no. 16). Baring-Gould. 1909 (?). Most of the stones in the first 300m. were not standing before restoration. The 7 stones closest to the cairn were restored where they were found and are out of alignment to the west with a long gap before the next stones. Only one of the cairn circle stones was still standing when restored and another four were lying in position with six socket holes visible. According to Butler, R.H. Worth was partially involved in the restoration of the row but disowned Baring-Gould's work on the circle which included importing stones from up to half a kilometre away to reconstruct the circle. ^{28 29 30}
• Yellowmead Four-fold Circle restored (row no. 66). Rev. Hugh Breton. 1921. A group of four concentric stone circles of which the innermost one is considered to be a cairn circle. Three stones were standing in 1921 when all the fallen stones were raised during restoration. There also appears to have been a stone row leading away from the stone circles. According to Butler all but 3 stones were re-erected in a restoration job that R.H. Worth described as being 'very faithfully done'. In 2008 Kayt Armstrong and a team from Bournemouth University carried out a geophysics survey of the site which was followed up with shallow ground truthing excavations. This investgation concluded that the site consisted of a central cairn with four concentric rings which appeared to have been very accurately reconstructed, there was also evidence that tended to confirm the presence of one stone row. ³¹
• Cholwich Town Stone Row and Cairn Circle excavated (row no. 10). George Eogan. 1961. Excavated prior to being covered by china clay waste. The sockets of many missing stones were found, also a pit 8ft. in diameter in the centre of the circle. Pollen analysis suggested the row was originally in a clearing of a wooded area.
• Cut Hill Stone row dating (row no. 88). Greeves and Fyfe. 2007. The row was discovered in April 2004. In 2007 a ninth buried stone was discovered and peat samples were carbon dated suggesting a date of around 3,500BC.
• Tottiford Stone Rows excavation (row no. 89). Time Team. 2011. The Tottiford monuments (stone circle, rows and cairns) were discovered in 2009 when water levels at the reservoir were low. The Time Team carried out an excavation of the site including the single and double rows. No dating evidence was found for the rows.

Bibliography & references

¹Butler points out that a number of monuments have disappeared under the peat and that this is likely to happen soon to the remaining sections of the Holne Moor triple row and the east end of the Cosdon rows. Butler (1997) p. 18.
² Emmett (1979)
³ Emmett (1979)
⁴ Fyfe, Ralph M. & Greeves, Tom (2010)
⁵ Butler (1997) pp.239-243
⁶ Stone Rows and Astronomical Theory reproduced as Appendix IV in Worth (1971) pp.452-457
⁷ Walker (2005)
⁸ Worth R. H. (1971) pp.176-180
⁹ Rowe (1830) p.180
¹⁰ Worth R.N. (1880)
¹¹ For a full listing of The Stone Rows of Dartmoor articles in the T.D.A and the reports of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, see the listing of : Articles
¹² An account of this is reproduced in Mrs Bray's The Borders of the Tamar and the Tavy, vol.1, (1844)
¹³ Bate (1872)
¹⁴ See Twelfth Report of the Barrow Committee (1890) and Transactions of the Plymouth Institute Vol. X 1889-1990 , and The Stone Rows of Dartmoor - Part 1, T.D.A. Vol. 24. The restoration of the menhirs is described in The Stone Rows of Dartmoor - Part 2, T.D.A. Vol. 25 (1893).
¹⁵ See Second Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee T.D.A. Vol. 27, (1895)
¹⁶ See Second Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee T.D.A. Vol. 27, (1895)
¹⁷ Worth R. H. (1971) p.226
¹⁸ See Twenty-Second Report of the Barrow Committee T.D.A Vol. 35 (1903)
¹⁹ Baring-Gould's field notes clearly refer to the blocking stone down hill being prone, see The Stone Rows of Dartmoor - Part 1 T.D.A. Vol. 24 p.389 (1892). Butler states the terminal stone at the other end was also restored, see Butler Vol. 2 p.166 (1991)
²⁰ See The Stone Rows of Dartmoor - Part 3, T.D.A. Vol. 26 (1894)
²¹ See The Stone Rows of Dartmoor - Part 3, T.D.A. Vol. 26 (1894) and for a detailed account of the restoration see Burnard's Dartmoor Pictorial Records (originally published in 1894) pp. 68-70
²² See Third Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. Vol. 28 (1896)
²³ Worth R. H. (1971) pp.229-230
²⁴Hemery (1983) p483
²⁵ See Extract from the Third report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. Vol. 28 (1896)
²⁶ See Fourth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, T.D.A. Vol. 29 (1897)
²⁷ Worth R. H. (1971) pp.206-7
²⁸ The date of this restoration is typically referred to as being 1909 but may have been a subsequent summer. The Twenty-ninth Report of the Barrow Committee, T.D.A. Vol. 42 (1910) states that Brisworthy stone circle had been restored but the work on the row is not mentioned although it is stated that it had been included on the OS map. Breton (1911) refers to restoring the Brisworthy stone circle alongside R.H. Worth in the summer of 1909 and then later in reference to Ringmoor writes "we hope all these remains will be restored during the coming summer".
²⁹ Worth R. H. (1971) pp.209, the original plan before restoration can be seen in T.D.A. Vol 73 p.234
³⁰ Butler Vol 3 (1994) pp.142-3
³¹ See Katy Armstrong's thesis Archaeological geophysical prospection in peatland environments (2010) pp.206-241. See also, Armstrong, K, 2009b. Archaeological excavations at Yellowmead Stone Circles, Dartmoor Matters, The Dartmoor Preservation Association, Spring 2009, pp.10-11 and Armstrong, K, 2009c. Yellowmead stone circles, Sheepstor, Dartmoor Magazine. 94, pp.35-6.

Baring-Gould, S, A Book of Dartmoor, (1900), (Halgrove reprint 2002)
Bate, C Spence, Researches into Some Antient Tumuli on Dartmoor, T.D.A. Vol. 5 pp.549-58 (1872)
Bray, Anna Eliza, The Borders of the Tamar and the Tavy, vol.1, (1844)
Breton, Henry Hugh, Beautiful Dartmoor And Its Interesting Antiquities, (1911, republished in 1990)
Burnard, Robert, Dartmoor Pictorial Records, (1986)
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. 5. - The Second Millennium B.C. (Devon Books, 1997)
Emmett, D.D. Stone rows: the traditional view reconsidered, D.A.S.P. No. 37 pp. 94-114 (1979)
Fyfe, Ralph M. & Greeves, Tom The date and context of a stone row: Cut Hill, Dartmoor, south-west England Antiquity Vol 84, No. 323 pp55-70. (2010). The article can be read on line here: The date and context of a stone row: Cut Hill, Dartmoor, south-west England
Lukis, W.C, Report on the Prehistoric Monuments of Devon and Cornwall and Report on the Monuments of Dartmoor, Proceeding of the Society of Antiquaries Vol. 8 (1881)
Newman, Phil The Field Archaeology of Dartmoor (English Heritage, 2011)
Hemery, Eric. High Dartmoor (Robert Hale, 1983)
Rowe, Samuel, Antiquarian Investigations in the Forest of Dartmoor, Devon, Transactions of the Plymouth Institute Vol. 1, pp.179- 212 (1830)
Rowe, Samuel, A Perambulation of Dartmoor (3rd Edition), (1896)
Walker, Jack, Dartmoor Sun, (2005)
Wilkinson J. Gardner, British Remains on Dartmoor, Journal Brit. Arch. Assoc. xviii. pp.22-53, 111-133. (1862)
Worth, R.H. Worth's Dartmoor (David & Charles, 1971)
Worth, R. N., The Stone Rows of Dartmoor - Parts 1-5 (1880)
Worth, R. N., Were There Druids in Devon?, Transactions of the Devonshire Association Vol. 12, pp.228- 242 (1880)

Database Listing of the Stone Rows of Dartmoor

Introduction

There are 76 stone rows listed by Butler ( Vol. 5 pp.213-14) and with one exception (see note on Shoveldown) they are all listed below with links to their location on the OS map, to their National Monument Records (NMR) and to any coverage on this website. Please note that external links open in a new page. Some of these rows were reliably reported in the past but on the National Monument Record are described as no longer in existence or otherwise untraceable (e.g. destroyed by quarrying or sunken in the peat or in the case of the Soussons Down Triple Stone row destroyed by plunder and afforestation). Worth listed 62 stones rows as republished in Worth's Dartmoor. This listing was increased to 71 rows by Emmett in his 1979 study although Emmett mentions "42 sites, some with rows of doubtful authenticity which are excluded". Since Butler's list a stone row on Cut Hill has been discovered. The Time Team dig at Tottiford Reservoir discovered two more stone rows which are included once in the listings. These 2 additional inclusions, less one Shoveldown row, brings the total of rows to 77.

Doubtful rows

There are numerous alignments of stones in existence today or reported to have once existed which have been described as stone rows or as possible stone rows. It is likely that many of these are in fact remains of reaves or walls or other structures from the historic period and some are just geological features. Some of these are discussed by Butler (Vol. 5 pp 214-19). Emmett refers to 42 sites of "doubtful authenticity" which he excluded from his study.

Prehistoric Monuments of Dartmoor list of Stone Rows

Academics and researchers will find the very comprehensive listing of 117 sites on Bill Radcliffe's Prehistoric Monuments of Dartmoor (PMD) website very useful. Each entry has a link to any related NMR and HER (Historical Environment Record) records along with useful bibliography and other details. The listing has a useful interface which gives listings by OS grid squares. It covers doubtful rows and those rows once reported by early explorers but now lost, destroyed, or otherwise untraceable.

The listing below covers most of the confirmed stone rows that can be seen today although it should be emphasised that some are insignificant and potentially very difficult to find!

Each record has a link to corresponding NMR and PMD records, a link to the location on the Ordnance Survey map, a photo (if available) and a link to relevant coverage on Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks and a link giving a listing of nearby sites. The HER records are not included as they do not yet have much information but they can be looked up via the PMD records. The author would like to thank Bill Radcliffe for the helpful correspondence whilst checking records. See also: Database and Web Search Tools

• NMR=Pastscape National Monument Record
• PMD=Prehistoric Monuments of Dartmoor Record

Note on nomenclature

The naming and numbering systems for stone rows used by different authors and authorities are not consistent. The listings by Worth are perhaps best well known so aspects of Worth's nomenclature will be used in these listings. Where there are 2 or more rows in the same location they maybe referred to using letters A,B,C ...or by numbers 1,2,3 ... where possible we use compass bearings as there can be no ambiguity with these e.g. N, E or S.E etc sometimes combined with Worth's lettering.

Note on Shoveldown

Different sources report different numbers of stone rows on Shovel Down. These vary from 5 to 10 rows. Worth describes 3 double rows (NMR Rows A,B,C) and one single row with an additional double row south of the Longstone. He speculates on whether the double row heading south from the Longstone to the Three Boys might be a continuation of the double row to the north of the Longstone with the Longstone in the middle. Butler treats these as two separate rows. The most recent update to the NMR record suggests that they are one and the same row (NMR Row E-F). The NMR records also mention accounts which suggest a total of up to 10 rows but later accounts suggest that there is one long single row broken into several sections (NMR Row D-G-H-F) which give the appearance of separate rows. This leaves a total of 4 double rows and one single row. Unfortunately, the NMR, Butler and Worth all use different systems for labelling the Shoveldown rows. Worth confusingly uses two letters per double row so there is a row A (presumably A & B) then a row C (C & D) etc. We will adopt the labelling used in the NMRs.

• NMR Row A = Butler Rows 3 = Worth Row E - double row (No special feature marks either end.)
• NMR Row B = Butler Rows 2 = Worth Row A - double row (South end of row ends in Fourfold circle.)
• NMR Row C = Butler Rows 4 = Worth Row C - double row (Terminates at southern end in a cairn.)
• NMR Row D-G-H-J = Butler Row 1 = Worth Row H - single row
• NMR Row E-F = Butler Rows 5 & 6 = Worth Row G - double row (Longstone at centre)

A table of these rows without photos and additional notes is available: Table of Dartmoor Stone Rows

Default listing is by Worth number. Click here to order instead by: Site Name, OS, Worth Number

1. Stall Moor (Upper Erme) Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Upper Erme Stone Row & Cairn Circle
OS Map: SX63516444
NMR record: SX 66 NW 20
PMD: Stall Moor Stone Row
Notes: Worth: Stall Moor. Butler: Upper Erme. The longest stone row on Dartmoor. "A single stone row running for approximately 3.1km from a cairn on Green Hill to a stone circle on Stall Moor."
Nearby sites: SX63516444

2. Butterdon Hill Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Walk: The stone rows of Butterdon Hill, Piles Hill & Glasscombe
OS Map: SX65635880
NMR record: SX 65 NE 17
PMD: Butterdon Stone Row
Notes: "The northern part of the Butterdon stone row has been surveyed from Hangershell Rocks cairn at SX 65645941 to Hobajons Cross at SX 65506045." and "For the 1050m of this part the majority of the several hundred stones are from 0.1m to 0.4m high and form an irregular line. There is a gap of 70.0m on the north side of Hangershell but otherwise the row is fairly continuous. The area is not entirely free of natural surface stones and while some can be immediately discounted occasionally there is a short double or triple row where all the stones are alike and these which formed the original row cannot now be determined. Barely two dozen stones are 0.5m high or higher, Hobajons Cross at 1.2m being the highest. It is possible that this was at some stage a terminal stone since it appears to have cup marks on the south face and the extension onwards, to the Longstone, is on an entirely different alignment."
Nearby sites: SX65635880

3. Burford Down Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Burford Down stone row and cairns
OS Map: SX63706017
NMR record: SX 66 SW 57
PMD: Burford Down Stone Row
Notes: "This single stone row on a slight north slope extends from a crest at 260m OD to a col at 255m OD. It can be traced from its south terminal, marked by a cairn, at SX 63706017 for 336m, bearing 1o, to a possible blocking stone at SX 63706051 and of different character for a further 120m to SX63706062. The recumbent stone, considered ... to be the north terminal lies yet a further 47m distant at SX 63706067."
Nearby sites: SX63706017

4. Brown Heath (Hook Lake) Stone Row

OS Map: SX64106531
NMR record: SX 66 NW 48
PMD: Brown Heath Stone Row
Notes: Worth: Brown Heath, Butler: Hook Lake. "On the southwest slopes of Brown Heath a double stone row 182.0m. long runs from a cairn circle at its northern and higher end to the east side of the enclosure (SX 66 NW 50) where it is overlaid by the enclosure wall. The point at which the southern end of the row ended is therefore not easily determined. The row does not point exactly to the centre of the cairn, but to about 2.0m. to the East. The eastern part of the row contains more stones than the western part, in which there are notable gaps. There are a few large stones, the largest being 1.0m. high and measuring 1.0m. x 0.7m., but most are relatively small, their average height being 0.5m."
Nearby sites: SX64106531

5. Spurrell's Cross Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Walk: The stone rows of Butterdon Hill, Piles Hill & Glasscombe
OS Map: SX65855986
NMR record: SX 65 NE 16
PMD: Spurrells Cross Stone Row
Notes: "The row has apparently been double, but since only seven stones still stand, which together with six sunken stones form the fixed points now determinable, it is difficult to ascertain the original spacing. The lines were probably about 3 feet 6 inches apart and the spacing between the stones about 3 feet. The length of the row is 370 feet as measured from the centre of the cairn and the direction of length is N 20o W. The largest standing stone is 2 feet in height. The cairn, at the south end of the row is 50 feet in diameter with only two stones remaining of the retaining circle"
Nearby sites: SX65855986

6. Glasscombe Ball N. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Walk: The stone rows of Butterdon Hill, Piles Hill & Glasscombe
OS Map: SX65786049
NMR record: SX 66 SE 59
PMD: Glasscombe Ball Stone Row
Notes: "A single stone row on the northern verge of Glasscombe Ball lies a little west of north from the row near Spurrell's Cross (SX 65 NE 16) and about a third of a mile from it" ... "A stone row extending between two cairns. The north-east cairn is 0.6m high and is now elongated north-west to south-east to 6.0m. by 4.0m, and is turf-covered. The south-west cairn, 4.0m. in diameter and 0.8m. high is of close-packed stones and turf-covered."
Nearby sites: SX65786049

7. Stalldown Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Stalldown Stone Row [Photo Set 1]
OS Map: SX63216207
NMR record: SX 66 SW 17
PMD: Staldon Stone Row
Notes: "Bronze Age stone row and cairn circle on stall down. The stone row runs north -south for 500m. It is associated with three cairns (one either side) and a cairn circle. The stones are mostly 1m to 1.5m high with four over 2m."
Nearby sites: SX63216207

8. Penn Beacon S. Stone Row

OS Map: SX59916255
NMR record: SX 56 SE 65
PMD: Penn Beacon Stone Row
Notes: "A single stone row, sixty-six feet long, the largest stone being about 2 1/2 feet high. This row is no more than a remnant".
Nearby sites: SX59916255

9. Penn Beacon S.W. Stone Row

OS Map: SX59526247
NMR record: SX 56 SE 62
PMD: Penn Beacon Cairn Stone Row
Notes: "A short double stone row 24ft. long and nearly 2ft. wide consisting of two pairs of stones on the southern slope of Penn Beacon. To the north end of the row there is a cairn approximately 52 feet in diameter and 6 foot high. It was excavated in 1872, a cist was discovered, though the Capstan stone had collapsed at one end. Fragments of a wide mouthed jar were found and a slate implement, thought to be used for fashioning clay vessels."
Nearby sites: SX59526247

10. Cholwich Town Stone Row

OS Map: SX58456224
NMR record: SX 56 SE 33
PMD: Cholwich Town Stone Row
Notes: "This ring and stone row is now covered by china clay waste. A stone row and circle on top of a low ridge, between Tory Brook and a tributary of the Yealm, near Cholwich Town. The row, extending over 700ft, consisted of uprights 2-3ft. high and 3ft. apart, the circle, at the northern end of the row, was 15ft. in diameter with seven upright stones. The site was excavated in 1961, and the sockets of many missing stones were found, also a pit 8ft. in diameter in the centre of the circle." Pollen analysis suggested the row was originally in a clearing of a wooded area.
Nearby sites: SX58456224

11. Collard Tor W. Stone Row

OS Map: SX55846203
NMR record: SX 56 SE 53
PMD: Collard Tor W Stone Row
Notes: Butler Collard Tor 2. Described in entry for Collard Tor E.
Nearby sites: SX55846203

12. Collard Tor E. Stone Row

OS Map: SX55856203
NMR record: SX 56 SE 53
PMD: Collard Tor E Stone Row
Notes: Butler Collard Tor 1. "Two stone rows each headed by a cairn lie on a gentle clitter-covered south-facing hillslope between 239m and 259m above OD. The rows which are oriented approximately north-south, diverge from their northern ends and are from 17m to 19 apart; a field bank interrupts the course of the east row. The precise lengths of the rows are difficult to determine partly because they appear to have been slighted and partly because of the presence of clitter and earthfast stones which hamper identification of the individual stones. The deduced lengths of these rows (excluding the cairns) are 75.4m and up to 97.2m respectively however because of the disturbed nature of each row these measurements are by no means certain. A count of the upright and clearly definable stones revealed 10 in the west row and 13 in the east row , but these figures provide a totally misleading picture of the somewhat jumbled and chaotic distribution of moorstones in each alignment. The heights of the uprights range from 0.3m to 0.9m with one very large damaged stone 1.3m high. Both cairns have been badly disturbed: the western mound is 8m across and 0.6m high and the eastern mound is 8.5 m across and 0.6m high."
Nearby sites: SX55856203

13. Shaugh Moor Stone Row

OS Map: SX55436342
NMR record: SX 56 SE 45
PMD: Shaugh Moor Stone Row
Notes: "A single stone row 587 feet long, the spacing of the stones varies between 3 feet and 5 feet, centre to centre. At the Southwest end there is a retaining circle 50 feet in diameter. The stones of the row are very small and sunk into the peat, making them hard to find. A stone row 164m long aligned SW-NE over the brow and down the south side of the valley. The terminals are not intervisible. It is composed of small stones, normally between 35 and 10cm high, the tallest (65cms) being at the apparent northern terminal. Where the stones have been removed their original positions can be identified from depressions in the turf."
Nearby sites: SX55436342

14. Trowlesworthy E. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Trowlesworthy, Settlements, Stone Row & Cairn Circle
OS Map: SX57646398
NMR record: SX 56 SE 38
PMD: Trowlesworthy E Stone Row
Notes: Butler Trowlesworthy 1. "A Bronze Age stone alignment comprising a double stone row consisting of 99 upright and 8 recumbent stones running south-south-west from a possible stone circle near the foot of the south flank of Little Trowlesworthy Tor. The surviving length of the row is about 129 metres, it is bisected by a leat. The better preserved element of the row is down the slope from the leat. The circle comprises 8 main orthostat stones in a "kidney-shaped" plan. The south-west orthostat in the ring is surrounded by a number of smaller stones". See also, Legendary Dartmoor: The Pulpit
Nearby sites: SX57646398

15. Trowlesworthy W. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Trowlesworthy, Settlements, Stone Row & Cairn Circle
OS Map: SX57556397
NMR record: SX 56 SE 15
PMD: Trowlesworthy W Stone Row
Notes: Butler Trowlesworthy 2. "A single stone row consisting of 35 upright and 13 recumbent stones running in an E to W line from the site of a possible ring cairn at the foot of the SW flank of Little Trowlesworthy Tor. The cairn at the head of the row is marked by a circle containing one upright and eight fallen small slabs and boulders. Within these is a slightly raised area, perhaps the remains of a cairn."
Nearby sites: SX57556397

16. Ringmoor Down Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Ringmoor Stone Row & Cairn Circle
OS Map: SX56326580
NMR record: SX 56 NE 60
PMD: Ringmoor Down Stone Row
Notes: "A stone row, 1740 feet long, mainly single but double in parts. At its southern end is a cairn circle with a diameter of 40ft. 6ins. In 1909 the circle was restored and five of the present stones were introduced from elsewhere. Prior to restoration one stone was standing, four had fallen and the presumed sites of six other stones were represented by pits. A 4ft long fallen stone terminated the stone row at its northern end"
Nearby sites: SX56326580

17. Drizzlecombe A (S.) Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Drizzlecombe Ceremonial Complex (Photos 1)
OS Map: SX59166696
NMR record: SX 56 NE 46
PMD: Drizzlecombe A Stone Row
Notes: Butler Row 1, NMR Row 3, Worth Row A. See notes for Drizzlecombe B (N.W.) row.
Nearby sites: SX59166696

18. Drizzlecombe B (N.W.) Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Drizzlecombe Ceremonial Complex (Photos 1)
OS Map: SX59256707
NMR record: SX 56 NE 43
PMD: Drizzlecombe B Stone Row
Notes: Butler Row 3, NMR Row 1, Worth Row B. The NW and S terminal stones have their broad face parallel to the row. The NW row is single for half of its 149.5m length uphill then double for 47m before becoming single again for the last 28m to the cairn. This arrangement appears to be the original design. The other two stone rows are single throughout. The S row is exactly the same length as the NW row but with smaller stones. The average interval between the stones is almost identical and the orientation of the row is such that it gently curves southwards downhill bringing the lower part of the row parallel to the S row. This shift of 7 degrees in alignment of the NW row from top to bottom to line up with the S row would suggest it was constructed later to match the S row. The height of the terminating stones for S and NW rows are 3m and 2.3m respectively.
Nearby sites: SX59256707

19. Drizzlecombe C (N.E.) Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Drizzlecombe Ceremonial Complex (Photos 1)
OS Map: SX59266705
NMR record: SX 56 NE 42
PMD: Drizzlecombe C Stone Row
Notes: Butler Row 2, NMR Row 2, Worth Row C. Terminated by the tallest standing stone on Dartmoor. It is 4.2m in height with a distinctive bulging profile at the top the broad face is across the row unlike the other two Drizzlecombe rows. Interestingly this stone is photographed in Worth's Dartmoor prior to being re-erected. Worth suggests it was probably dragged here from Higher Hartor Tor about 1km away. This standing stone has 3 smaller cairns in close proximity. This is the shortest of the three rows at 83.2m but has larger slabs set further apart with the largest near the cairn.
Nearby sites: SX59266705

20. Hingston Hill (Down Tor) Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Down Tor Stone Row and Cairn Circle
OS Map: SX58696926
NMR record: SX 56 NE 29
PMD: Down Tor Stone Row
Notes: "A stone alignment and cairn, situated on a saddle 620 metres east of Down Tor. The alignment is orientated east-north-east to west-south-west, running for 316 metres and containing at least 174 stones, with the tallest at either end. The westernmost stone stands 2.8 metre high, the easternmost stone stands 1.6 metres high, and the remainder vary between 1 metre and 0.2 metres in height. The westernmost stone, and an unknown number of others, were re-erected by Baring-Gould and Burnard in 1894. The cairn lies 4 metres west of the western end of the alignment. The cairn mound measures 8 metres in diameter and 0.7 metres high. It is surrounded by a kerb made up of 24 orthostats, standing between 0.3 and 1 metre high, forming a ring with a diameter of 11.5 metres. A hollow in the centre of the mound suggests partial early excavation or robbing. Two tin prospecting pits lie immediately against the edge of the kerb. The alignment is in direct line with another cairn to the north-east (438589)."
Nearby sites: SX58696926

21. Black Tor (Stanlake) Stone Row

OS Map: SX57107140
NMR record: SX 57 SE 35
PMD: Black Tor Stanlake Stone Row
Notes: "A Bronze Age Stone Row lies just inside, and is partly buried by, a substantial field boundary. The row extends from SX57217155 to SX57007137, some 294m long and includes at least 57 visible stones. Its north-eastern end is denoted by a substantial blocking stone and its lower south-western end by three funerary cairns. The row can be seen as three distinct parts forming the whole. The northern part includes 39 stones, the central group of 8 stones is separated from the northern row by a 66.2m wide gap whilst the southern group is on a slightly different alignment to the others. The row is unusual in that the blocking stone is at the upper end and a cairn lies at the lower end."
Nearby sites: SX57107140

22. Hart Tor North Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Hart Tor Stone Row & Cairn Circle
OS Map: SX57707170
NMR record: SX 57 SE 32
PMD: Harter N Stone Row
Notes: Butler Row 1. There are two cairns close by on the lower slopes of Hart Tor. One has an associated single stone row and the other has an associated double stone row - they diverge at an angle of 18 degrees. The double row consists of 93 stones and is much longer, around 122m in length [Gerrard], and extends all the way down to the River Meavy in the valley below. This row is fairly well preserved although it is crossed by a tinners ditch about a third of the way down its length and again by a leat a third of the way from the lower end. The structure was planned by Wilkinson in 1859 who states that the row is "terminated by a large monolith, now fallen, measuring about 25 feet long by 2 feet and 3 inches". Sadly this stone has long since disappeared. The row has pairs of stones which are spaced fairly accurately 1.9m apart along the rows, the rows being at a constant 1.7m separation. The cairn circle is 9.3m across and consists of 14 tall slabs some of which have fallen. Detailed survey of site in Hart Tor Stone Rows & Cairns, Meavy Valley Archaeology. Site Report No.9 - Sandy Gerrard (1999)
Nearby sites: SX57707170

23. Hart Tor South Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Hart Tor Stone Row & Cairn Circle
OS Map: SX57717169
NMR record: SX 57 SE 32
PMD: Harter S Stone Row
Notes: Butler Row 2. The single row consists of 16 stones and is 56.4m long, although Gerrard suggests it was probably once much longer. The single row leads to a cairn which does not have a retaining circle. The cairn which has been robbed measures 7.4m in diameter and up to 0.75m high. For early description of both rows and the now missing menhir, see: Wilkinson J. Gardner, British Remains on Dartmoor, Journal Brit. Arch. Assoc. xviii. pp.22-53 (1862). Detailed survey of site in Hart Tor Stone Rows & Cairns, Meavy Valley Archaeology. Site Report No.9 - Sandy Gerrard (1999). See also notes for Hart Tor North Stone Row.
Nearby sites: SX57717169

24. Sharpitor N.W. 1 Stone Row

OS Map: SX55667061
NMR record: SX 57 SE 49
PMD: Sharpitor Summit N Stone Row
Notes: "The double stone row is in poor shape. Both terminals have survived fixing its length at 113m from the blocking stone to the centre of the cairn. The cairn (4.5 x 0.3) has lost its retaining circle and has been dug into in the centre. The other end of the row is well defined by a pair of larger slabs in the line of the rows followed by a central cross-set blocking stone 1.2m long that has been tipped backwards and is partly overgrown. The stones seemed to have increased in size nearer the cairn. Unusually the highest point on the ground is not at the cairn end but near the centre of the rows as they cross the summit of the ridge"
Nearby sites: SX55667061

25. Sharpitor N.W. 2 Stone Row

OS Map: SX55777064
NMR record: SX 57 SE 118
PMD: Sharpitor Summit S Stone Row
Notes: "A BA single stone row oriented NE - SW at a very slight angle to the north-east end of the adjacent double stone row. The large scale survey dated 1980 shows a total of thirty stones whilst in 1994 it was reported that only about 10 stones can be identified with certainty and half of these are either buried or just showing. The row is partially obscured by moorland grass and the area is heavily disturbed by grazing animals and walkers tracks. The extent of the row is unclear and there is no ground evidence of an associated cairn or a blocking stone. Heavy wear and tear of the fragile peat cover has caused many natural moorland stones to be exposed on the line of the row"
Nearby sites: SX55777064

26. Sharpitor E. Stone Row

OS Map: SX56147078
NMR record: SX 57 SE 46
PMD: Sharpitor E Stone Row
Notes: Described by Worth as "Sharpitor, foot of eastern slope". Listed by Butler as Sharpitor N.E. (which can be confused with another alleged row). "A stone row, with a cairn at the west end at SX 56147078, extends almost due west for 26.0m. to SX 56167078. The cairn, mutilated and amorphous, is now approximately 6.7m in diameter and 0.3m. high at its maximum. There are nine stones in the row, including three pairs, with an additional stone which seems to be displaced, all between 0.1m. and 0.3m. high. The east end of the row is terminated by a reave (SX 67 SE 91) which has cut across and evidently destroyed any westward extension."
Nearby sites: SX56147078

27. Merrivale A Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Merrivale Ceremonial Complex [Photo Set 1]
OS Map: SX55557482
NMR record: SX 57 SE 12
PMD: Merrivale A Stone Row
Notes: Worth Merrivale A. Butler Merrivale 1. "Two Bronze Age double stone rows and associated cairns are located on open moorland. The rows are oriented roughly east to west and are almost parallel, being 25 metres between centres at their eastern ends increasing to 32 metres at the west. A leat still used to convey water to Hillside Stables separates the two monuments and flows to within 2 metres of the northern row. A single row (see SX 57 SE 115) runs roughly south-west from a small cairn at SX 55397476, some 4.75 metres south of the south row."
Nearby sites: SX55557482

28. Merrivale B Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Merrivale Ceremonial Complex [Photo Set 1]
OS Map: SX55447478
NMR record: SX 57 SE 12
PMD: Merrivale B Stone Row
Notes: Butler Merrivale 2. Worth Merrivale B. For description see Merrivale A
Nearby sites: SX55447478

29. Merrivale C Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Merrivale Ceremonial Complex [Photo Set 1]
OS Map: SX55397475
NMR record: SX 57 SE 115
PMD: Merrivale C Stone Row
Notes: Butler Merrivale 3. Worth Merrivale C. "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."
Nearby sites: SX55397475

30. Langstone Moor Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Langstone Moor Stone Circle, Stone Row & Settlements
OS Map: SX55027886
NMR record: SX 57 NE 18
PMD: Langstone Moor I Stone Row
Notes: "A single stone row stands on Launceston (Langstone). Moor circa 330 feet in length, probably longer when complete. There are now only 18 stones, the largest of which stands only 18 inches above ground. At the north end are the remains of a barrow, now reduced to little more than a rubble ring. At the south end is the standing stone known as the 'Langstone', from which the moor probably takes its name. The stone was re-erected in 1893 and
stands to a height of 9 feet 3 inches."
Nearby sites: SX55027886

33. Cosdon Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Cosdon Hill Triple Stone Row
OS Map: SX64329159
NMR record: SX 69 SW 17
PMD: Cosdon Stone Row
Notes: "A triple stone row lies near the summit of Cosdon Hill and is 447 feet in length measured from the centre of the circled cairn which stands at the west end. At 225 feet from the west end there is a slight change in direction and the rows turn somewhat northward. This change of direction may be said to divide the row into western and an eastern section. Overall width, western part is 8 feet 10 inches, eastern part 10 feet 8 inches. The cairn is 26 feet in diameter and contains the remains of two cists; the retaining circle is very irregular. There is no formal feature to mark the termination of the rows at their eastern end"
Nearby sites: SX64329159

34. Shoveldown B Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Shovel Down Ceremonial Complex
OS Map: SX65958601
NMR record: SX 68 NE 16
PMD: Shovel Down A-B Stone Row
Notes: Worth Row A. Butler Rows 2.

('B' SX 65968615 to SX 65968601) Double row to the east. Length 596 ft. Rows 3 ft 6in apart. Row is near Batworthy enclosure and has been much robbed; now just 12 pairs of stones and 15 single. Spacing of stones along the rows is around 6 ft. Two fallen stones next to the circle are much the largest in the row; one is 11 ft 6in, in length. and the other 7ft 4 in. The southern end of the row terminates in the Fourfold Circle (SX 68 NE 17).
Nearby sites: SX65958601

35. Shoveldown A Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Shovel Down Ceremonial Complex
OS Map: SX65938604
NMR record: SX 68 NE 16
PMD: Shovel Down E-F Stone Row
Notes: Worth Row E, Butler Rows 3.

('A' SX 65898616 to SX 65938605)
Double row to the west of row B. Length 476 ft. Rows just over 4 ft apart but distance varies considerably along length. No special feature marks either end. Much robbed and single now along much of its length.
Nearby sites: SX65938604

36. Shoveldown C Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Shovel Down Ceremonial Complex
OS Map: SX65998590
NMR record: SX 68 NE 16
PMD: Shovel Down C-D Stone Row
Notes: Worth Row C, Butler Rows 4.

"('C' SX 65948601 to SX 65998590) A double row, 380 feet long, with an average distance of five feet between the rows. Most of the pairs of stones are complete and the southern end terminates in a barrow (SX 68 NE 34). No special feature marks the northern end."

"C: SX 65998592 to SX 65938602. A double row (83 stones visible July '78), with minor breaks; at 40 metres from the northern end it is overlain and mutilated by a reave and later hollow-way. The row terminates at the southern end on a cairn with the remains of a cist (SX 68 NE 34). The apparent north-westward extension as a single stone row, is a denuded probable Bronze Age reave (SX 68 NE 63)."
Nearby sites: SX65998590

37. Shoveldown E-F Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Shovel Down Ceremonial Complex
OS Map: SX66028567
NMR record: SX 68 NE 16
PMD: Shovel Down G Stone Row
Notes: Worth Row G, Butler Rows 5 & 6

('E')SX 66028581 to SX 66028567) A double row, 485 feet long with 3 1/4 feet between the rows which run almost due north and south, and terminates in a standing stone known as the Longstone (SX 68 NE 39). Fairly complete at the northern end but more ragged towards the south.

('F' SX66028567 to SX 66038549) A double row continuing on almost the same alignment as ('E'), 555 feet long and terminating in a single standing stone, the sole survivor of the Three Boys (SX 68 NE 40). Only a few set stones survive but Ormerod (a) states that in 1858 the pits left by the removal of the other stones of the double row could still be seen.
Nearby sites: SX66028567

39. Shoveldown D-G-H-J Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Shovel Down Ceremonial Complex
OS Map: SX66018586
NMR record: SX 68 NE 16
PMD: Shovel Down H-K Stone Row
Notes: Worth Row H, Butler Row 1. This row is considered to be one long partially robbed row - previously listed as four separate rows:-

"D: SX 66028583 to SX 66048568. A single row (47 stones visible July '78) 149.0m long, with no terminal features; it curves slightly to the south west Worth (2) extends it as a reave for a further 50.0m to the north but this extension is straight, on a different alignment, and almost certainly a separate row (see G)."

"G: SX 66008591 to SX 66028585. A single row (25 stones visible July '78), 60.0m long; two gaps (? stone robbing) of 6.0m & 8.0m occur towards the north end. The north penultimate stone (now recumbent) is of much larger slab-like proportions and may have originally served as a blocking-stone."

"H: SX 65998599 to SX 65998595. A single row (24 stones visible July '78), 51.0m long with three gaps of from 5.0m to 8.0m recorded by Pettit (3), but not Worth (2)."

"J: SX 65978625 to SX 65988603. A single row (46 stones visible July '78), 228.0m long, there are no special terminal features. Many gaps of from 3.0m to 47.0m occur throughout the entire length of the row. The southern end has probably been overlain by a later reave (SX 68 NE 63). The northern end most probably extended further northward, and it would appear to have been destroyed by a mining 'rake' of circa 19th century date, and stone robbing? for the nearby Batworthy enclosure walls."
Nearby sites: SX66018586

40. Fernworthy S.W. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Fernworthy Stone Circle
OS Map: SX65488410
NMR record: SX 68 SE 59
PMD: Fernworthy A Stone Row
Notes: Butler Row 3. "A disturbed double stone row is centred SX 65488408. It is 21m long and is oriented N to S. At the N end is a cairn (SX 68 SE 58) offset slightly W of the alignment of the row. Beyond this to the N is Fernworthy Stone Circle (SX 68 SE 56). The S end of the row is not very well preserved. The plan of 1898 depicts it terminating at a stone in the face of a wall, although the wall has since been removed. The stones in the row average 0.5m to 0.6m tall and lie in an area of amorphous modern earthworks up to 0.3m deep."
Nearby sites: SX65488410

41. Fernworthy N. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Fernworthy Stone Circle
OS Map: SX65538429
NMR record: SX 68 SE 55
PMD: Fernworthy B Stone Row
Notes: Butler Row 1. "To the N of Fernworthy stone circle is a double stone row. At its N end are the disturbed remains of a barrow. The row survives well for 125m although beyond this (to the N) it has been heavily disturbed by forestry activity as far as the barrow. The plan of 1898, made prior to afforestation, shows the N end of the double row as already `buried or lost'. The surviving part of the double row contains paired, low stones 0.8m to 1.4m apart, averaging 0.3m high, although many are flush with the ground. The tallest stones are at the S end. The alignment of the row is tangential to the circle (SX 68 SE 56). The barrow at the N end of the row measures 6m in diameter, although it is very amorphous due to tree planting. there is a large proportion of stone in the centre of the low mound, as well as some amorphous scarping and one large upright slab."
Nearby sites: SX65538429

42. Fernworthy S.E. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Fernworthy Stone Circle
OS Map: SX65518407
NMR record: SX 68 SE 93
PMD: Fernworthy C Stone Row
Notes: Butler Row 2. "Centred at SX 65518404 is a cairn. 45m to the N at SX 65508409 is a barrow containing the remains of a cist. Between the two are the very fragmented remains of an alleged double stone row running N to S parallel to another row (SX 68 SE 59) which leads towards Fernworthy Stone Circle. The row, barrow and cairn have all been comprehensively damaged by afforestation and the digging of the adjacent drainage channels. Seven stones survive of an alignment but there is little evidence that it was a double row. The barrow at the N end of the row measures up to 6m in diameter and is 0.4m high, although its shape is obscured by drainage channels. The cist in the centre is represented by two stones set at right angles, 0.4m tall internally. The cairn at the S end of the row measures 7.3m N to S by 8.5m and is 0.5m high. There is a large amount of surface stone on and around it."
Nearby sites: SX65518407

43. Assycombe Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Assycombe Double Stone Row
OS Map: SX66058260
NMR record: SX 68 SE 4
PMD: Assycombe Stone Row
Notes: "Bronze Age stone row and cairn, Assycombe. The double stone row is 120m long terminating in the cairn at the North-East end. The South-West end is blocked by a stone 2.0m high, re-erected there by Baring-Gould. The cairn is 8.4m in diameter and 0.6m high. Scheduled." Also from Burnard's 1892 field notes: The row, which starts from a ruined cairn, consists of 84 standing stones, and extends 800 feet E. and W., running in two rows down the hill towards Assycombe. It terminates towards the W. in a stone lying prone, 5' 9" long. 2'' wide. The avenue is from 5' to 6' wide, inner measurement. The stones composing the row are 18" high, and down to 6".
Nearby sites: SX66058260

44. Hurston Ridge Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Hurston Ridge Double Stone Row
OS Map: SX67298249
NMR record: SX 68 SE 10
PMD: Hurston Ridge Stone Row
Notes: .Worth: Watern Hill. "A stone alignment which includes two parallel lines of upright stones leading downslope for 143 metres from a round cairn. The lower end of the alignment is denoted by a blocking stone. Midway along the alignment a length of later enclosure walling crosses the row. The cairn at the upper end of the alignment measures 5.9 metres in diameter and stands up to a height of 0.6 metres. A large slab denoting the north eastern edge of the cairn may represent a second blocking stone of the associated alignment. A cinerary urn was found in the cairn." A number of the stones were restored to their original sockets in 1894. A broken hand axe was discovered in the pit in which one of the stones had stood near to the menhir next to the cairn.
Nearby sites: SX67298249

45. White Ridge Stone Row

OS Map: SX65408156
NMR record: SX 68 SE 22
PMD: White Ridge Stone Row
Notes: "A double stone row, 620 ft in length from the centre of a cairn at the north end, running nearly due south and slightly downhill. Well preserved at the north end for a short distance but becoming more dilapidated as it approaches the newtake wall at the south end"
Nearby sites: SX65408156

46. Challacombe Down Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Challacombe Down Triple Stone Row
OS Map: SX68968086
NMR record: SX 68 SE 28
PMD: Challacombe Stone Row
Notes: "Bronze Age triple stone row well marked and wider apart at the north, drawing nearer to the south where they meet a blocking stone of unusual size. The stones have suffered little in their restoration except that a stone in the middle row was turned to form a blocking stone for that row. The loose stones scattered to the west of the north end have been suggested to form a stone circle and additional rows but may be stones excavated from the north end of the stone row."
Nearby sites: SX68968086

48. Trendlebere Down Stone Row

OS Map: SX76627924
NMR record: SX 77 NE 2
PMD: Trendlebeare Down Stone Row
Notes: "A stone row 100ft. to the north of the Haytor-Manaton road." 18 stones of the stone row can be identified of which 9 are fallen and 9 upright stones. The fallen stones vary in length between 3'4" and 4'6"; the upright ones between 6" and 2'4".
Nearby sites: SX76627924

49. Yar Tor Stone Row

OS Map: SX68177385
NMR record: SX 67 SE 10
PMD: Yar Tor Stone Row
Notes: "The remains of a probable triple stone row with a cairn and cist at its south end and a barrow at its north. The row comprises stones set 2m apart and standing to a height of 0.3m. Some are concealed beneath the turf. The cairn measures 11m in diameter and 0.3m high with a central cist surrounded by a kerb. The barrow is 6m in diameter and 1m high."
Nearby sites: SX68177385

50. Laughter Tor E. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Laughter Tor Stone Row
OS Map: SX65217539
NMR record: SX 67 NE 28
PMD: Laugh Tor I Stone Row
Notes: Butler Laughter 1. Double row interrupted by a new-take wall. row is robbed near wall. "Bronze Age standing stone 2.65 metres high, 0.7 metres wide and 0.52 metres thick, set into a small cairn. About 18 metres to the south east is a double stone row orientated north west to south east and consisting of at least 23 upright stones and a further 9 displaced ones averaging about 1.7 metres apart. The standing stone was re-erected in 1893 and again in 1911 and the cairn was excavated in 1903"
Nearby sites: SX65217539

51. Lakehead Hill 4 (E or Summit) Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Lakehead Hill
OS Map: SX64497760
NMR record: SX 67 NW 32
PMD: Lakehead Great Cairn Stone Row
Notes: "A stone alignment and a cairn with cist lying on a gentle slope near the summit of Lakehead Hill. The stone alignment survives as a single row of at least 11 stones leading westward towards the cairn and cist. The cairn measures 6.7 metres in diameter and is defined by several edge set stones, which in turn surround a large restored cist formed by five substantial upright slabs supporting a capstone measuring 2.2 metre long by 1.55 metres wide and 0.3 metres thick." (E. Dart)
Nearby sites: SX64497760

52. Lakehead Hill Summit Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Lakehead Hill
OS Map: SX64387765
NMR record: SX 67 NW 64
PMD: Lakehead Hill 3 Stone Row
Notes: "A stone alignment lying on a gentle slope near the summit of Lakehead Hill. It includes a 22 metre long, single row of at least 12 stones standing up to 0.75 metres high, aligned east to west." (E. Dart)
Nearby sites: SX64387765

53. Lakehead Hill S.W. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Lakehead Hill
OS Map: SX64187730
NMR record: SX 67 NW 13
PMD: Lakehead Hill 6 Stone Row
Notes: "Alleged Stone row recorded in 1946 but covered by a forestry plantation in 1979. At that time, 3 stones were visible, but it was uncertain whether they were part of the stone row. It may have been destroyed or covered by humus." (River: Dart/Cherry Brook)
Nearby sites: SX64187730

55. Conies Down Stone Row

OS Map: SX58567905
NMR record: SX 57 NE 5
PMD: Conies Down Stone Row
Notes: "The Conies Down stone row is oriented a few degrees west of north-south and is 145m long. Originally a double alignment of stones, only three pairs of upright stones now survive. There are a total of 17 upright and 15 recumbent stones. The average gap between stones is 10m and between the pairs the gap is some 1.4m wide"
Nearby sites: SX58567905

56. Black Tor (Avon) Stone Row

OS Map: SX67806350
NMR record: SX 66 SE 73
PMD: Black Tor Avon Stone Row
Notes: "A stone row is alleged at this location but could not be found during field investigation" and "A stone row running north west - south east seen on the plateau west of Black Tor by Masson-Phillips, Commander & Mrs. Woolner and Mr. Malcolm Spooner is not the same as that found in 1932 by R.W.Worth which was aligned east to west."
Nearby sites: SX67806350

57. Corringdon Ball A Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Corringdon Ball Chambered Tomb & Stone Rows
OS Map: SX66666120
NMR record: SX 66 SE 43
PMD: Corringdon Ball A Stone Row
Notes: "A cairn visible as a turf-covered mound of stones with a diameter of 6.8m and 0.4m in height and with two stones of its retaining circle still visible on the south west side. A single row of stones (A) runs directly towards the centre of this cairn, its length being 133.0m from end-stone to end-stone. The retaining circle has a diameter of 11.5m, with six of its stones still standing and one recumbent on the south - the largest stone is 0.3m x 0.3m and 0.5m high. Running approximately in direction of the north and south sides of this circle respectively are two triple stone rows. It appears that both these triple rows are much longer than previously thought, one is 123.5m from the centre of the retaining circle and the other 116.5m."
Nearby sites: SX66666120

58. Corringdon Ball B Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Corringdon Ball Chambered Tomb & Stone Rows
OS Map: SX66646119
NMR record: SX 66 SE 43
PMD: Corringdon Ball B Stone Row
Notes: Described in entry for Corringdon Ball A.
Nearby sites: SX66646119

60. Brent Fore Hill Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Walk: The Neolithic tombs of Cuckoo Ball & Corringdon Ball
OS Map: SX66746126
NMR record: SX 66 SE 44
PMD: Brent Fore Hill Stone Row
Notes: "The remains of a stone row and cairn on Brent Fore Hill. The row is crossed by two leats, one of which is now disused. The cairn is visible as a low mound of turf-covered stones of 13.5 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres high."
Nearby sites: SX66746126

61. Glasscombe Corner Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Walk: The stone rows of Butterdon Hill, Piles Hill & Glasscombe
OS Map: SX66106080
NMR record: SX 66 SE 49
PMD: Glasscombe Corner Stone Row
Notes: "A stone row partly double and partly single ending on the remains of a cairn circle. The length of the double row is 111.0m. and of the single row 61.0m, the total length to the centre of the cairn circle being 177.0m."
Nearby sites: SX66106080

62. Cantrell Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Cuckoo Ball Chambered Tomb
OS Map: SX65675714
NMR record: SX 65 NE 44
PMD: Cantrell Stone Row
Notes: "A double stone row, with a cairn at the north-east end, lies near the moor gate at Cantrell, Ugborough Moor. The southern row consists of nine stones, one of which is almost buried and one has fallen. The length of the row from the centre of the cairn is 153 feet and the alignment is N44o 20' E. The rows are from 7 to 12 feet apart and the stones are about 5 feet 6 inches apart, centre to centre. The cairn has a diameter of 22 feet and encloses what may be the remains of a cist"
Nearby sites: SX65675714

65. Soussons Down (Red Barrows) Stone Row

OS Map: SX67677998
NMR record: SX 67 NE 233
PMD: Red Barrows Stone Row
Notes: Triple row destroyed in 1946 Butler Vol. 5 p38, Vol. 3 Map 24.2 p.19. The row was associated with a cairn about 300m north of the four Red Barrow cairn group (SX 67 NE 3).
Nearby sites: SX67677998

66. Yellowmead Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Yellowmead 4-fold Cairn Circle
OS Map: SX57496784
NMR record: SX 56 NE 18
PMD: Yellowmead Stone Row
Notes: "A group of four concentric stone circles of which the innermost one is considered to be a cairn circle. Three stones were standing in 1921 when all the fallen stones were raised during restoration. There also appears to have been a stone row leading away from the stone circles." and "The double row as planned by Worth except that one stone is now missing. It is 6.9m long with mostly small line slabs, set on edge. They are about 0.3m long and 0.3m high, the intervals between stones and between the rows being 0.8m."
Nearby sites: SX57496784

67. Sharpitor W. (Peek Hill) Stone Row

OS Map: SX55057074
NMR record: SX 57 SE 72
PMD: Peek Hill Stone Row
Notes: Butler: Sharpitor W, Worth: Peek Hill. "BA stone row and cairn. The 132m long row has 47 upright stones and the low cairn is 8.4m in diameter. Both monuments lie under dense bracken cover; gorse vegetation has obscured part of the row"
Nearby sites: SX55057074

70. Piles Hill Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Piles Hill Double Stone Row and Cairns
OS Map: SX65056110
NMR record: SX 66 SE 86
PMD: Piles Hill Stone Row
Notes: "The double stone row formed by 139 stones, 7 of which lean; the others are either stumps with drill marks, cleanly snapped off stones, or recumbent posts, whole or split by drilling. Some 30 stones exceed 2.0m. in length with a maximum of 3.0m. A few take the form of slabs or boulders but the majority are of post-type up to 0.6m. square in section, with an angled top created by a single 'chamfer'. The rows in the main alignment are from 21.0m. to 30.0m. apart and within them the gaps between stones vary from 3.0m. to 30.0m. At each end the rows are close, 12.0m. to 17.0m. apart with fewer large gaps between stones"
Nearby sites: SX65056110

71. Higher White Tor Stone Row

OS Map: SX61947842
NMR record: SX 67 NW 6
PMD: Higher White Tor Stone Row
Notes: "A Late Neolithic stone alignment on Higher White Tor, surviving as two parallel rows of stones aligned roughly north-south. The alignment is 95.4 metres long and contains twelve upright stones and 24 recumbent ones."
Nearby sites: SX61947842

72. Shell Top S.W. Stone Row

OS Map: SX59466315
NMR: No record found
PMD: Shell Top Stone Row
Notes: Not listed in NMR. HER record MDV48897. Covered in Butler Vol. 3 Map 51.9. Oval cairn at the higher end. Orientated just west of north and 73.5 m from the cairn is a massive fallen longstone 2.7 m long which is probably the terminal stone of the row. There are 31 of 47 original stones visible in the row, all but a few either flat or leaning.
Nearby sites: SX59466315

73. Holne Moor Stone Row

OS Map: SX67437105
NMR record: SX 67 SE 72
PMD: Holne Moor Stone Row
Notes: "A standing stone and triple stone row lying in a secluded position, across the head of a shallow, north facing valley. It measures 147 metres long with rows on average 1.5 m apart. The stones, fifty three of which were located, have a maximum height of 0.2 m and are spaced about 1.1 m apart, each opposite the stone of the adjacent row. There is also a possible former standing stone which is now recumbent."
Nearby sites: SX67437105

75. Merrivale (Menhir 1) Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Merrivale Ceremonial Complex [Photo Set 1]
OS Map: SX55357458
NMR record: SX 57 SE 9
PMD: Merrivale Menhir I Stone Row
Notes: Butler Row 4. Prehistoric Monuments of Dartmoor website Menhir 1. "Stone row 4 is now a trivial affair [Butler] of 3 small slabs aligned towards a squarish block near the base of the standing stone. This area has suffered some damage over the past century. There were 5 stones in 1895, the missing one presumably accounted for by the pit which has appeared between the upper stones. This may well be the site of the cairn, C4, at the head of the rows recorded by Rowe but not included in the plans of Lukis or Worth. Nor is there much surviving from the circle of slabs around the menhir depicted in Bray's plan and recorded by Spence Bate in 1871, or the nearby cist which he excavated, C5. The Exploration Committee excavated at both ends of the row but no more socket holes were found and they concluded that this short alignment was complete."
Nearby sites: SX55357458

76. Leeden Tor Stone Row

OS Map: SX56547146
NMR record: SX 57 SE 104
PMD: Leeden Tor Stone Row
Notes: "BA cairn and stone row. The scrappy remains of a single stone row now 165m long descend from a badly battered cairn on the south-east slopes of Leeden Tor. The cairn is about 6m across with a large central pit and partial retaining circle. At least 14 stones remain in a line, four only still earthfast and the rest either flat or buried. Stone pits record the loss of some of the stones."
Nearby sites: SX56547146

77. Butter Brook 1 Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Walk: The Neolithic tombs of Cuckoo Ball & Corringdon Ball
OS Map: SX65115989
NMR record: SX 65 NE 71
PMD: Butter Brook 1 Stone Row
Notes: "A stone row about 42 metres long is situated on south sloping ground at SX 65145995, just north of the marshy Butterbrook valley. It is aligned south south west/north north east, and terminates at the south end in a hollow-centred ring of turf and stones of 2.5 metres diameter east/west, 3.2 metres north/south. The first stone in the row is 10.35 metres from the centre of the terminal, thereafter the spacing becomes about 3 metres. The maximum height of the stones is 0.67 metre. The row becomes double for about 12.5 metres (four to five pairs of stones), with a distance of 0.4 to 0.5 metre between rows, after which only the second row appears to continue."
Nearby sites: SX65115989

78. Butter Brook 2 Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Walk: The Neolithic tombs of Cuckoo Ball & Corringdon Ball
OS Map: SX65205998
NMR record: SX 65 NE 71
PMD: Butter Brook 2 Stone Row
Notes: Continued notes from Butter Brook 1. "At 73 metres from the terminal there is a single orthostat 0.5 metre high, standing 3.25 metres off centre south from the projection of the rows, at the edge of a small clitter of broken stones. A third row, irregularly spaced and not showing much above ground,
meets the double section of the rows at an angle of about 10o on the north-west side, extending westward to about level with the terminal. Visual projection east-ward along the third row appears to be in line with the orthostat".
Nearby sites: SX65205998

79. Lakehead Hill S.E. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Lakehead Hill
OS Map: SX64717739
NMR record: SX 67 NW 35
PMD: Lakehead Hill 2 Stone Row
Notes: "The cist was examined in 1895/6 but nothing was found. It was surrounded by a double retaining circle and a stone row lead from it north west, of which ten stones remained, but these had sunk into the bog leaving only their tops showing". "The stone row which falls in an afforested area could not be
identified and has probably been destroyed."(1979) (E. Dart).
Nearby sites: SX64717739

81. Treeland Brake Stone Row

OS Map: SX67276141
NMR record: SX 66 SE 120
PMD: Treeland Brake Stone Row
Notes: Notes from the NMR record: "Treeland Brake Stone Row. The only record of the row is a photograph taken by Mr HG Hurrell in the late 1950s. Mr Hurrell remembers about five erect stones and about five fallen, aligned north-east to south-west. The row has been destroyed by agricultural activity by 1977. (Photograph is in the possession of S & M Register)." Also: "A colour print taken by Mr Hurrell from approximately SX 67206130 shows the stones aligned to a field corner at SX 67296147. Approximate centre of row, SX 67276141; the area is now under pasture."
Nearby sites: SX67276141

82. Laughter Tor W. Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Laughter Tor Stone Row
OS Map: SX65197539
NMR record: SX 67 NE 94
PMD: Laugh Tor II Stone Row
Notes: Butler Laughter 2. "A double stone row at about 395m OD cuts across the gentle SW projecting spur of Laughter Tor in an area of heather and rough grass some 12m WSW of the standing stone 'Laughter Man'. The stones, although all relatively small in size, form two good slightly curving rows oriented about 295 degs. and 0.7m to 1.2m apart, consisting of thirteen stones extending from SX 6519075381 some 15m ESE to SX 6520475375. Now visible are six stones in each row with a single stone at the NW end. Originally there may have been at least ten in each row at intervals of about 1.2m."
Nearby sites: SX65197539

83. Scorhill Stone Row

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Site: Scorhill Stone Circle
OS Map: SX65478720
NMR record: SX 68 NE 26
PMD: Scorhill Stone Row
Notes: N. Teign. Claimed by Butler. Not mentioned on NMR.
Nearby sites: SX65478720

84. Stannon Newtake Stone Row

OS Map: SX65348108
NMR record: SX 68 SE 125
PMD: Stannon Newtake Stone Row
Notes: Possible extension of the White Ridge Stone Row. "Standing stones, possibly a stone row. Forty-six feet S. of the cairn (SX 68 SE 23) are two standing stones, two and a half feet high, their broad planes facing the monument. These, and two others in line, suggest the remains of a stone row, destroyed for materials for an ancient hedge. If a row, it does not point to the centre of the cairn. "
Nearby sites: SX65348108

85. Holne Ridge Stone Row

OS Map: SX66737108
NMR record: SX 67 SE 60
PMD: Holne Ridge Stone Row
Notes: "One or two cairns and a short probably unfinished stone row lie in the north west facing hollow above Horse Ford on the O Brook. The cairn described by Authority 2 lies at the south end of the site with the surviving stones of the stone row to the north. As so few stones survive the exact form and extent of the rows is impossible to determine but there may have been as many as three parallel rows approximately 1.0 metre apart. Overlying or abutting the east row at SX 6672 7109 is a low turf covered mound 3.0 metes in diameter and 0.4 metres high. It is not clear whether this feature forms part of the monument or if it is associated with the shallow turf cuttings to the east."
Nearby sites: SX66737108

86. Hameldown N.E. Stone Row

OS Map: SX71488008
NMR: No record found
PMD: Berry Pound Stone Row
Notes: No NMR listing. HER record MDV18865. Described in Butler Volume 1 Map 20.3. To the south of Berry Pound is a small longhouse. "Within the abandoned field 250m south of the longhouse are the probable remains of a single row first recorded in 1983. Five or six stones remain in line up to 206m apart, the rest having been removed or buried when the field was ploughed."
Nearby sites: SX71488008

87. Sherberton Stone Row

OS Map: SX63887335
NMR: No record found
PMD: Sherberton Common Stone Row
Notes: The Sherberton double row was discovered in 1997. It is an unimpressive double row of small stones a short distance north-west of the Sherberton Circle. For a plan see Butler Vol. 5 p. 210-12.
Nearby sites: SX63887335

88. Cut Hill Stone Row

OS Map: SX59928275
NMR record: SX 58 SE 84
PMD: Cut Hill Stone Row
Notes: Discovered in 2004. Prehistoric stone row of 6-7 large granite slabs near the summit of Cut Hill. All the slabs are recumbent with one buried. The row is thought to date back earlier than 3,500BC. For more information, see: Prehistoric Society - Past No. 47 and Legendary Dartmoor
Nearby sites: SX59928275

89. Tottiford 1 & 2 Stone Row

OS Map: SX81008270
NMR: No record found
PMD: Tottiford Reservoir Stone Rows
Notes: Not yet listed on the NRM. Excavated during the Time Team dig in 2011. Will be normally covered by the Tottiford Reservoir. See Wessex Archaeology report Tottiford Reservoir: Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results. See also Legendary Dartmoor - Time Team at Tottiford.
Nearby sites: SX81008270