Details

This monument includes two closely spaced round cairns situated on a gentle
west facing slope overlooking the valley of Spanish Lake. The northern cairn
mound measures 7m in diameter and stands up to 0.7m high. A number of
retaining stones are visible around the eastern part of the mound, indicating
the presence of an internal kerb, which survives largely as a buried feature.
A hollow in the centre of the mound suggests previous partial early excavation
or robbing. The southern cairn lies 3m from its neighbour and measures 6m in
diameter by 0.7m high and contains a cist placed eccentrically in its eastern
side. Both side and end slabs of the cist are in place. It measures 1.2m long,
0.6m wide and 0.4m deep.
The monument is in the care of the Secretary of State.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and,
because of exceptional conditions of preservation, it is also one of the most
complete examples of an upland relict landscape in the whole country. The
great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provide direct evidence
for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards.
The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites,
major land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as
later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes
in the pattern of land use through time. Round cairns are prehistoric funerary
monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as
earthen or rubble mounds, the latter predominating in areas of upland Britain
where such raw materials were locally available in abundance. Round cairns may
cover single or multiple burials and are sometimes surrounded by an outer
ditch. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major visual element in
the modern landscape. Their considerable variation in form and longevity as a
monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and
social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are
particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of
surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. Dartmoor provides one
of the best preserved and most dense concentrations of round cairns in south-
western Britain.

Despite evidence of partial excavation, the two round cairns 600m ENE of
Trowlesworthy Tor survive well and contain archaeological and environmental
evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was
constructed. The cairns form an important constituent part of a diverse group
of broadly contemporary monuments including settlements, field systems and
other funerary sites. This group of cairns lies midway between two
settlements and therefore they may also have acted as territorial markers.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX56SE065, (1992)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX56SE396, (1992)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,

Source: Historic England