MDE8972 - Two upright stones in the Valley of Rocks (Monument)

SS 7067 4975 Standing stones. Dr E Mold noted a possible standing stone, near the roadside in the Valley of Rocks [1]. There are, in fact, two upright earthfast stones, 35 metres apart on the north side of the road, and aligned eastnortheast to westsouthwest. The eastern one, at SS 7069 4975, is 0.8 metres wide and 0.3 metres thick at the base, its rectangular section tapering to a pointed top 0.9 metres high. The western stone, at SS 7066 4975, is a rectangular block, 0.? metres by 0.6 metres and 1.5 metres high. It has a flattish top and a slight lean to the southwest. Both might be more acceptable in isolation, but they are part of a crude alignment of widely spaced blocks, up to 1 metre across, none earthfast, but giving the impression of deliberate placing to form a rough boundary. [2] The stones may have been part of a larger group of stones that apparently existed in the area. An article dating from 1958 states that "ancient stone circles" had been gradually removed from a wide area within the Valley by farmers and used as gateposts. [3] The site was visited during the 2017-2018 Standing Stone condition survey. Two upright stones, orientated east-west and separated by 35m, present in the valley of rocks on the north side of the road, roughly 3-5m away. Both stones are set within an area of tumble from the northern side of the valley. Stone A is the western most, and Stone B the eastern most. The morphology of these stones is not convincingly prehistoric when compared with other standing stones on Exmoor. However, there have been historic allegations that the stone circles in the Valley of Rocks were destroyed. The condition of these stones are considered to be “Very Good”, with no recent evidence of damage. [4] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [5]