Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks, walking the Stone Rows and Stone Circles of Dartmoor
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Dartmoor Resource: Search for Sites Nearby

Prehistoric sites within 2km of SX 53300 63600

Guidance for walkers: The monuments featured in this database are archaeological treasures and need to be protected and preserved - please do not disturb any sites. Please check access and firing times before visiting sites, not all sites listed are on open access land. Firing ranges and boundaries of open access areas are marked on the OL28 OS Dartmoor Explorer map. Please stick to the country code and consider giving support to the numerous agencies that help to keep Dartmoor a fabulous natural and historic environment!



Search for sites near-by OS Grid Reference

About the database listings: In all listings clicking on the photo or the site name will open a page for the site with a larger photo and further details from the database. The database now has over 6680 records covering nearly all publicly listed sites on Dartmoor including around 4800 round houses. This level of detail is of interest to archaeologists but tends to swamp listings of sites more likely to be of interest for walkers. For this reason, the listings default to around 550 core sites only. These are the stone circles, stone rows and the ring cairns listed by Turner. The default search radius is 2 km. The controls below the map can be used to start a new search by entering a 6- or 8-digit reference (without the prefix "SX"). The search radius can be specified and you can add incremental Display layers of detail on top of the core sites. If using a more detailed layer you will need to decrease the search radius to avoid getting hundreds of search results.

These listings have incorporated, matched up and merged all of the records from all of the major archaeological listings including: Worth, Grinsell, Turner, Butler, Bill Radcliffe, Sandy Gerrard, Megalithic Portal, the National Monument Records and the Historic Environment Records. The author would like to thank Bill, Sandy, the lovely people both at Megalithic Portal (especially Anne Tate who did an amazing job to link listings) and at ACE Archaeology for collaborative work over the years to synchronise and correct listings across the various websites which now interlink. A culmination of years of work the final merger of cairn records took 3 months of cross referencing in 2017 the result being a snapshot of the records at that time. This data has in turn been refined since by field work and research. The round house data was supplied by Sandy Gerrard. Grid references are in order of accuracy: from Google Earth satellite, if visible and found, from a Garmin GPS reading, if visited by the author and from the literature otherwise. Individual site pages will state the source of the grid reference and provide satellite imagery. If a site listing lacks a photo it has not yet been visited by the author in which case the grid reference is from the literature.

Currently the database only includes sites which can be represented by a grid reference. Reaves are not included as they require GIS shape technology which is beyond the current capability of this system. To see the sources for the records, look at the tables on the resources menu. The database listings can also be viewed on a Google map and downloaded as GPS datasets for Garmin devices.

Corrections, or any feedback or suggestions are very welcome, email: info@dartmoorwalks.org.uk.

NOTE: Clicking on the icons for each monument in the map will give the name of the site. You can zoom in and out and drag the map around.

List of sites within 2km of SX 53300 63600

Wigford Down 3 Reported Cairn

OS Map: SX 54647 65072
HER: MDV2311
ShortName: CN:Wigford D15
Butler map: 48.1.3
Grinsell: MEA 3
Barrow Report: 21 62
Notes: Appears in Tom Greeve's list of 'sacred Pools' as Wigford Down A.

Possible ring cairn on Wigford Down damaged by stone robbing; probably for nearby road-building. Consists of a large oval depression, surrounded by a stony ring with some slabs in upright positions. Wigford Down 2 in Barrow Report 62.

Thought originally to be a damaged ring cairn, the feature consists of a large oval depression, surrounded by a stony ring with some slabs in upright positions. Feature is thought to potentially be a 'sacred' pool designed in Prehistoric times.
Nearby sites: SX 54647 65072
Distance: 2.00km

Dewerstone Neolithic Enclosure

OS Map: SX 538 639
HER: MDV2380
Megalithic Portal: 29453
ShortName: NE:Dewerstone
Butler map: 48.1
Notes: A poorly preserved stone-built double walled enclosure, the outer of which is thought to represent the site of a Neolithic hilltop enclosure. "The outer enclosure is potentially Neolithic, while the inner is probably of Bronze Age date. The stone-built double wall of the outer enclosure is poorly preserved with an average height of 0.7m, and given its loose composition is unlikely to have stood higher than 1.5m. The inner and outer walls now have average widths of 4.0m and 3.4m respectively. Five probable or possible entrances through the double wall were identified; the existence of so many may support the hypothesis that the enclosure is of Neolithic date." See also Dartmoor Tor Enclosures Project.
Nearby sites: SX 538 639
Distance: 0.58km

Dewerstone Fort Fort

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Resource: Table of Devon Iron Age Forts
OS Map: SX 53872 64000
HER: MDV2381
Megalithic Portal: 29453
Alternate name: Dewerstone Fort
ShortName: FT:Dewerstone
Notes: Dewerstone hill pound is on the summit of the ridge separating the valleys of the plym and the meavy at their junction. The pound wall is incomplete. It ties in on the w side with the rock exposure of the summit. It is rectangular with rounded angles. Mean elevation of ground approx.216m od, sloping slightly e and w. There is one hut circle. Two ruined parallel walls cross the neck of the ridge 137m n of the pound. There is a 2.75m space between the walls which are about 1.55m thick. There is a confused mass of ruined buildings within the walls.
Nearby sites: SX 53872 64000
Distance: 0.70km

Dewerstone Hill Enclosed Settlement

OS Map: SX 53940 64084
HER: MDV63617
Megalithic Portal: 29453
ShortName: ES:Dewerstone
Notes: "stone hut circle forming part of an enclosed settlement on the summit of dewerstone hill "
Nearby sites: SX 53940 64084
Distance: 0.80km

Knowle Wood Fort Fort

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks: Dartmoor Resource: Table of Devon Iron Age Forts
OS Map: SX 53356 64126
HER: MDV125834
Alternate name: Knowle Wood Fort
ShortName: FT:Knowle Wood
Notes: "A possible bank or scarp is identifiable as an earthwork on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017, forming a near-complete circuit around the summit of the hill under Knowle Wood, Bickleigh. The earthworks are tentatively interpreted as evidence of a tor enclosure of Neolithic date or a hillfort or of Iron Age origin. The earthwork varies in width from circa 4 to 6m wide and is visible traversing the north-west, south-west and south-east sides of the hill for circa 330m, enclosing an area of just over 1ha. The bank or scarp closely follows the 140m contour on the north-west side of the hill. To the south-west it crests the hill dropping to the 135m contour, before turning to the north-east and dropping further to an elevation of circa 125m.

A length of bank or scarp circa 40m long is visible on the north-east side of the hill, again closely following the 140m contour. A possible entrance is identifiable on the western side of the enclosure, a second outer bank potentially forming an annexe or elaborated facade flanking the entrance.

L-shaped banks or scarps are identifiable within the enclosed area, possibly defining an inner compound or enclosure, possibly enclosing two circular hollows circa 5 and 8m across, centred on circa SX53306407 and SX53356407. These may be the remains of hut circles contemporary with the enclosure or simply the remains of charcoal burning platforms. Probable charcoal burning platforms are identifiable on the north-west side of the enclosure but are outside the survey area and have not been transcribed or recorded. Earthwork survey is recommended to further clarify the character of the earthworks". For more information See Phil Newman's report: Knowle Wood, Bickleigh, Dartmoor National Park, Devon
Nearby sites: SX 53356 64126
Distance: 0.53km

Wigford Down Platform Cairn Circle and Cist

OS Map: SX 54419 64427
HER: MDV2373
Megalithic Portal: 3536
PMD: Wigford Down S.
Alternate name: Wigford Down 1 Platform Cairn Circle and Cist
ShortName: CT:WigfordDown
Butler map: 48.1.1
DPD page: 33
Grinsell: MEA 7
Turner: E6
Barrow Report: 12 19
Notes: "A badly disturbed prehistoric cist with displaced cover stone and vestiges of a retaining circle surviving in situ. Only five slabs of the retaining circle survive approximately upright in situ, suggesting the overall diameter of the complete circle was 8.35m. The long slabs of the central cist are also in situ and the chamber measures 1.1m by 0.28m approximately by 0.3m deep. A large, flat, intact cover stone of 1.4m by 1.17m, with a rounded end, is displaced to the south. Some material from the turf covered cairn is still visible, but much disturbed and depleted." Butler Wigford Down 1 - Vol. 3. Map 48.1 (diagram p.80).
Nearby sites: SX 54419 64427
Distance: 1.39km

Wigford Down Cairn Circle

Wigford Down Cairn Circle

OS Map: SX 54172 65243
HER: MDV2300
ShortName: CN Wigford d1
Grinsell: MEA 2a
Notes: Retaining circle on nw slope of wigford down a little way to north of a green track which leads from the salient point of the enclosure wall between Urgles and Higher Bellever to the high road near durance.183m away lies a pound with two hut circles associated. Southern circumference of circle has been robbed and stones of cairn removed. The stones of the circle are small, only one exceeding 1.22m
Nearby sites: SX 54172 65243
Distance: 1.86km

Wigford Down (S) Stone Ring Cairn Circle

Wigford Down (S) Stone Ring Cairn Circle

OS Map: SX 54702 64962
HER: MDV2367
Megalithic Portal: 3536
PMD: Wigford Down Summit
Alternate name: Wigford Down 5 Stone Ring Cairn Circle
ShortName: RC Wigford S
Butler map: 48.1.5
Grinsell: MEA 7b
Turner: B9
Barrow Report: 62
Notes: "One of two cairn circles, both in a raised platform. Ring of large stones. Cist cover in centre. Diam 7.62m.". This site could also be a hut circle - it is unclear whether the large slab is a cist cover or not. See Butler Vol 3 p.97 fig. 48.1.2 Wigford Down 4 in Barrow Report 62. NMR A.
Nearby sites: SX 54702 64962
Distance: 1.95km

Wigford Down 4 Embanked Cairn Circle

Wigford Down 4 Embanked Cairn Circle

OS Map: SX 54694 64972
HER: MDV2368
Megalithic Portal: 3536
ShortName: CC WigfordDown
Butler map: 48.1.4
Grinsell: MEA 7a
Turner: A39
Barrow Report: 12 62
Notes: Listed as Wigford Down B on Tom Greeves list of potential 'Sacred' Pools.

NMR B. "Stone ring, diam 10.5m, with bank 2.5m wide and 0.5m high.3m wide entrance on s side" See Butler Vol 3 p.97 fig. 48.1.2. Wigford Down 3 in Barrow Report 62.

This ring cairn survives as a circular bank measuring up to 3.5 metres wide and 0.75 metres high which surrounds a flat interior up to 17.5 metres in diameter. There is evidence for partial early excavation or robbing on the south west side. Noted in 2019 as a possible 'sacred' pool.
Nearby sites: SX 54694 64972
Distance: 1.96km

Wigford Down C Ancient Pool

OS Map: SX 54733 64981
HER: MDV127231
ShortName: PO:WigfordC
Notes: "A pool measuring 22 by 17.5m. One of over 40 such 'sacred' pools identified on Dartmoor that are thought to have potentially been designed during the prehistoric period. Lies near two cairns"
Nearby sites: SX 54733 64981
Distance: 1.99km

Page last updated 18/02/24