MSO6259 - Bronze Age burial cairn on Dunkery Hill (Monument)

Summary

A Bronze Age burial cairn is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide lies at the base of a stony slope. The feature had previously been thought to be either related to stone clearance or natural in origin.

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Type and Period (3)

Protected Status

Full Description

At SS 9172 4238 is a ruined, overgrown cairn 0.7 metres high. [9] Surveyed at 1:2500. Other small, irregular mounds of earth and stone in the vicinity appear to be clearance heaps. [1] Ruined cairn 12 paces diameter and 2ft high (Wootton Courtenay 9). [2] No cairn could be located in the position given above. An amorphous mound of stone 20 metres long and 10 metres wide lies at the base of a stony slope, 60 metres to the south, at SS 9171 4232. It is very overgrown and may be related to stone clearance (there is a post medieval field system nearby (MSO6286)) or it may be entirely natural in origin. It is not a burial cairn as suggested by the authorities above. [4] There appears to be a number of small low mounds possibly field clearance cairns, with stones scattered all around. The whole area including the cairn is heather covered. The cairn is in very bad condition. [5] SS 91734238. Remains of a round cairn on the lower slopes of Dunkery Hill. The cairn mound measures 9 metres in diameter and stands 0.7 metres high. It is an outlying member of a round cairn cemetery, which lies approximately 950 metres to the northwest. Scheduled on 23 April 2003. [6] This relatively cairn has been transcribed as an earthwork from aerial photographs as part of the Exmoor National Mapping Programme survey. Centred on circa SS 91344273, the cairn is roughly circular and appears to be up to 13 metres in diameter. As suggested above, it may be an outlying satellite monument of the Robin and Joaney How group, almost 1 kilometre to the northwest. This monument is clearly visible only on aerial photographs of 1970. [10-12] The Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment of 2009 gave the site a survival score of 3. [13] The site was surveyed in April 2015 as part of the 2015 Exmoor Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment. It was given a survival score of 7. [14]

Sources/Archives (14)

  • <1> Unpublished document: PITCHER, GHP. Field Investigators Comments. Ordnance Survey visit, 24 June 1965.
  • <2> Article in serial: Grinsell, L.V.. 1969. Somerset Barrows. Part I: West and South. Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society. 113. P. 25 & 43.
  • <3> Unpublished document: Riley, H.. Field Investigators Comments. RCHME Field Investigation, 10 April 1997.
  • <4> Survey: RCHME. 1997. Exmoor survey. NMR Site SS 94 SW 19.
  • <5> Unassigned: National Trust archaeologist. July 1976.
  • <6> Unpublished document: English Heritage. 13/5/2003. English Heritage to SCC.
  • <7> Survey: Western Archaeological Trust. 1980s. Exmoor Aerial Photograph Survey. 9142.
  • <8> Aerial photograph: 1947. LHL CPE/UK/1980. 4176.
  • <9> Photograph: CAIRN AT WOOTTON COURTENAY FROM WEST. OS65/F139/1. B/W. MICROFILM.
  • <10> Aerial photograph: Royal Air Force. 1946 -1948. Vertical Aerial Photography. CPE/UK/1980 (F20) 3202-3 (11 April 1947).
  • <11> Aerial photograph: Various. Various. Vertical Aerial Photograph. NMR OS/70381 038-9 (23 September 1970).
  • <12> Archive: 2007-2009. Exmoor National Park NMP: SS 94 SW. MD002186.
  • <13> Report: Bray, L.S.. 2010. Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment 2009, Exmoor National Park.
  • <14> Report: Gent, T. and Manning, P.. 2015. Exmoor National Park Scheduled Monument Condition Survey 2015.

External Links (1)

Other Statuses/References

  • Exmoor National Park HER Number (now deleted): MMO233
  • Exmoor National Park HER Number (now deleted): MSO11774
  • Local List Status (No)
  • National Monuments Record reference: SS 94 SW19
  • National Park: Exmoor National Park
  • Pastscape HOBID (was Monarch UID): 37011
  • Site of Special Scientific Interest
  • Somerset SMR PRN (Somerset): 34344

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred SS 9173 4238 (17m by 17m) (Centred on)
Map sheet SS94SW
Civil Parish WOOTTON COURTENAY, WEST SOMERSET, SOMERSET

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (2)

Record last edited

Jan 27 2016 1:49PM

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