MEM22806 - Bronze Age cairn west of Dunkery Beacon (Monument)

Summary

Known as Cutcombe 5a, this monument takes the form of a rim of a probably robbed cairn. It is around 20 metres in diameter and has a flattish top with two modern structures on it. The cairn merges into the west side of MEM22803.

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Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

Visited by Grinsell on 25 May 1958. Dunkery Beacon is a cairn, listed by Grinsell as Cutcombe 5. It is now surmounted by a modern, conical monument erected by the National Trust. Against its western side and confluent with it are what appears to be the remains of another cairn. This is now robbed and very disturbed. Re-surveyed at 1:2500. [1,2] SS 89114159 Cutcombe 5a. Rim of probably robbed cairn adjoining Dunkery Beacon on west (listed with reference to OS record). [1,3-4] SS 8912 4158. Cutcombe 5a. A cairn 20 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres high, with a flattish top 16 metres across which merges into the west side of 5. The surface comprises smallish stones compacted and trampled. Two rectangular structures have been constructed on the top, one measuring 4 metres by 3 metres, the other 6 metres by 4 metres. Their walling, of unmortared piled and coursed stones, is from 0.4 to 0.8 metres high and includes horizontally laid slabs, apparently not robbed from the cairn. Both appear to be fairly recent and made as some form of "shelter." [5,6] Cutcombe 5a is a circular mound 15 metres in diameter and not exceeding 0.5 metres in height. On the southern side kerbstones are beginning to protrude through the loose surface stones. This kerb comprises edge set slabs up to 0.9 metres long. An 0.8 metre high modern cairn dominates the monument. [7] The five cairns on the summit of Dunkery Beacon were surveyed in August 2004 in response to a request by The National Trust to cover some of the monuments to protect them from further visitor damage. [8] The cairn was transcribed as closely as possible from aerial photographs as part of the Exmoor National Mapping Programme survey, but in spite of its size it is not clearly visible, due in part to the vegetation cover of this area and the erosion caused by visitors to the site. [9-16] The Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment of 2009 gave the site a score of 9. [17] The site was surveyed in April 2015 as part of the 2015 Exmoor Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment. It was given a survival score of 9. [18] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [19]

Sources/Archives (19)

  • <1> Article in serial: Grinsell, L.V.. 1969. Somerset Barrows, Part 1: West and South. Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Nat. 113.
  • <2> Unpublished document: PITCHER, GHP. 1960s. Field Investigators Comments. Ordnance Survey visit, F1, 21 June 1965.
  • <3> Monograph: Barrister, A.. 1811. A Tour in Quest of Geneology, through several parts of Wales, Somersetshire, and Wiltshire. Sherwood, Neely and Jones. 137.
  • <4> Monograph: Vowles, A.. 1939. Exmoor: Dunkery. Unknown.
  • <5> Technical drawing: Quinnell, N.V.. 1987. Dunkery Beacon/ink survey . 1:1000. Permatrace. Pen and Ink.
  • <6> Unpublished document: Quinnell, N.V.. Field Investigators Comments. Site visit, 5 August 1987.
  • <7> Report: Cutler, G.. 2001. Dunkery Beacon: Survey of Prehistoric Burial Mounds.
  • <8> Report: Fletcher, M.. 2004. A new archaeological survey of: the summit cairns on Dunkery Beacon. English Heritage.
  • <9> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. SS 8941/3 (15431/17) (15 May 1996).
  • <10> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. SS 8941/6 (15431/20) (15 May 1996).
  • <11> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. SS 8941/9 (15450/13) (15 May 1996).
  • <12> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. SS 8941/32-3 (24028/17-18) (9 August 2005).
  • <13> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. NMR RAF CPE/UK/1980 (F20) 4171-2(11 April 1947).
  • <14> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. NMR OS/73109 956-7 (29 April 1973).
  • <15> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. ENPA Infra-red 2248-9 (20 April 1982).
  • <16> Archive: 2007-2009. Exmoor National Park NMP: SS 84 SE. MD002185.
  • <17> Report: Bray, L.S.. 2010. Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment 2009, Exmoor National Park.
  • <18> Report: Gent, T. and Manning, P.. 2015. Exmoor National Park Scheduled Monument Condition Survey 2015. Archaedia.
  • <19> Digital archive: Historic England. Various. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) entry. 35990, Extant 8 March 2022.

External Links (1)

Other Statuses/References

  • Exmoor National Park Authority HER number: MSO9187
  • Local List Status (Rejected)
  • National Monuments Record reference: SS 84 SE14
  • National Trust HER Record
  • NRHE HOB UID (Pastscape): 35990
  • Somerset SMR PRN: 15349

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred SS 8912 4158 (19m by 23m) MasterMap
Map sheet SS84SE
Civil Parish CUTCOMBE, WEST SOMERSET, SOMERSET

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (4)

Record last edited

Mar 8 2022 1:19PM

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