Guidance for walkers: The monuments featured in this database are archaeological treasures and need to be protected and preserved - please do not disturb any sites. Please check access and firing times before visiting sites, not all sites listed are on open access land. Firing ranges and boundaries of open access areas are marked on the OL28 OS Dartmoor Explorer map. Please stick to the country code and consider giving support to the numerous agencies that help to keep Dartmoor a fabulous natural and historic environment!
About the database listings: In all listings clicking on the photo or the site name will open a page for the site with a larger photo and further details from the database. The database now has over 6680 records covering nearly all publicly listed sites on Dartmoor including around 4800 round houses. This level of detail is of interest to archaeologists but tends to swamp listings of sites more likely to be of interest for walkers. For this reason, the listings default to around 550 core sites only. These are the stone circles, stone rows and the ring cairns listed by Turner. The default search radius is 2 km. The controls below the map can be used to start a new search by entering a 6- or 8-digit reference (without the prefix "SX"). The search radius can be specified and you can add incremental Display layers of detail on top of the core sites. If using a more detailed layer you will need to decrease the search radius to avoid getting hundreds of search results.
These listings have incorporated, matched up and merged all of the records from all of the major archaeological listings including: Worth, Grinsell, Turner, Butler, Bill Radcliffe, Sandy Gerrard, Megalithic Portal, the National Monument Records and the Historic Environment Records. The author would like to thank Bill, Sandy, the lovely people both at Megalithic Portal (especially Anne Tate who did an amazing job to link listings) and at ACE Archaeology for collaborative work over the years to synchronise and correct listings across the various websites which now interlink. A culmination of years of work the final merger of cairn records took 3 months of cross referencing in 2017 the result being a snapshot of the records at that time. This data has in turn been refined since by field work and research. The round house data was supplied by Sandy Gerrard. Grid references are in order of accuracy: from Google Earth satellite, if visible and found, from a Garmin GPS reading, if visited by the author and from the literature otherwise. Individual site pages will state the source of the grid reference and provide satellite imagery. If a site listing lacks a photo it has not yet been visited by the author in which case the grid reference is from the literature.
Currently the database only includes sites which can be represented by a grid reference. Reaves are not included as they require GIS shape technology which is beyond the current capability of this system. To see the sources for the records, look at the tables on the resources menu. The database listings can also be viewed on a Google map and downloaded as GPS datasets for Garmin devices.
Corrections, or any feedback or suggestions are very welcome, email: info@dartmoorwalks.org.uk.
NOTE: Clicking on the icons for each monument in the map will give the name of the site. You can zoom in and out and drag the map around.
OS Map: SX 76281 78963
HER: MDV8045
Megalithic Portal: 26733
ShortName: CN:BlackHill 4
Butler map: 2.5.4
Grinsell: MAN 16
Notes: "One of five cairns on Black Hill, all in a damaged condition." "Cairn with modern stoneheap at north end. Diameter 17.0 meters, height 0.7 meters."
Nearby sites: SX 76281 78963
Distance: 0.12km
OS Map: SX 76188 78885
HER: MDV127184
ShortName: PO:BlackHillA
Notes: "The pool at Black Hill measures 10-11m. One of over 40 such 'sacred' pools identified on Dartmoor that are thought to have potentially been designed during the prehistoric period."
Nearby sites: SX 76188 78885
Distance: 0.01km
OS Map: SX 76171 78465
HER: MDV127185
ShortName: PO:BlackHillB
Notes: "The second pool at Black Hill (B) is interesting as it possesses a double ring bank enclosing a distinct sunken hollow. Externally the feature is about 20 metres in diameter, and the pool hollow about 10 metres. Compared with the King’s Stables pool and earthwork at Navan, County Armagh which is about 25 metres in diameter x 3.5 metres deep, dating to around 1000 BC (although this feature has a shallower form). One of over 40 such 'sacred' pools identified on Dartmoor that are thought to have potentially been designed during the prehistoric period, and may have been used to deposit votive items, although these Dartmoor examples may have alternative significance as designed prehistoric elements in the landscape. Many are located on ridge tops and in conjunction with cairns, stone rows and other prehistoric features. Further research may well reveal more about these interesting features."
Nearby sites: SX 76171 78465
Distance: 0.43km
OS Map: SX 7670 7811
HER: MDV48849
Megalithic Portal: 45820
Alternate name: Haytor Down N.1 Stone Ring Cairn Circle
ShortName: RC:Haytor N1
Butler map: 2.6.1
Butler Vol 5: p.190 & Fig.132
Turner: A7
Notes: "Ring cairn on Haytor Down. Stone ring 21.0 meters internal diameter, with bank 1.5 meters wide and 0.4 meters high. Modern entrance." One of group of 4 cairns - see Butler for diagram in Vol 1 and 5.
Nearby sites: SX 7670 7811
Distance: 0.93km
OS Map: SX 76269 78331
HER: MDV127210
ShortName: PO:HaytorDownA
Notes: "A pool measuring 18 by 14m. One of over 40 such 'sacred' pools identified on Dartmoor that are thought to have potentially been designed during the prehistoric period. Lies near a prehistoric reave and cairn."
Nearby sites: SX 76269 78331
Distance: 0.56km
OS Map: SX 76493 78182
HER: MDV127211
ShortName: PO:HaytorDownB
Notes: "A pool measuring around 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 a prehistoric cairn and enclosure."
Nearby sites: SX 76493 78182
Distance: 0.77km
OS Map: SX 757 782
HER: MDV8055
Megalithic Portal: 31843
ShortName: ST:Smallacombe
Nearby sites: SX 757 782
Distance: 0.85km
OS Map: SX 76600 79239
HER: MDV8076
Megalithic Portal: 2171
The Stone Rows of GB: Trendlebere Down
PMD: Trendlebeare Down Stone Row
ShortName: SR Trendlebere
Butler map: 2.7
DPD page: 151
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: SX 76600 79239
Distance: 0.54km
OS Map: SX 7662 7923
HER: MDV8077
Megalithic Portal: 4625
Alternate name: Trendlebere Down Stone Row Cairn
ShortName: CN Trendlebere
Butler map: 2.7
Grinsell: MAN 14
Notes: "Cairn at south end of stone row on trendlebere down ne slope of black hill ... (worth) a ruined cairn some 50ft in diam but now reduced to a ring cairn... perimeter can be traced on the ground but only a grass covered crescent of stones survives in the eastern half ... (Grinsell). Cairn, truncated, from west margin of which double stone row descends. Diameter 14.5m, height 0.6m."
Nearby sites: SX 7662 7923
Distance: 0.55km
Page last updated 18/02/24