Ancient History Exmoor

We still have a lot to learn about Exmoor's archaeology: prehistoric standing stones are a dramatic reminder of the important contribution that archaeology makes to Exmoor's distinctive character...they are also a fragile and amazing survival.

Exmoor contains a wealth of prehistoric standing stones - the greatest concentration in the south-west outside Dartmoor and Bodmin. Some are solitary, others form groups, rows and circles. They all date from the Neolithic and Bronze Age (around 2500 BC-1500 BC) and were set up at a time when the Exmoor landscape was more heavily wooded and much milder. They only tend to survive beyond the limits of later agriculture, so they are mainly found within the former Royal Forest.

Exmoor's standing stones are subtle and small and have been described as 'minilithic' rather than megalithic tiny stone shafts, lost in tussocks of reed and moor grass'. Recent survey work has managed to quantify how many survive: there are two stone circles, eight stone rows and fifty-seven stone settings, as well as around thirty-eight single or paired stones.

The stone settings are not found anywhere else in the south-west, and may be unique across the whole of England. There are so many within such a small area on Exmoor that they may be a local cultural tradition. Their purpose is unknown, but in some cases small burial mounds have been found beside them, so they were probably associated with religious or ritual observances. Some stone settings are perfectly geometric in plan, forming rectangular patterns, 'boxes' or multiple rows; in other cases they seem to have a random pattern.

In January 2001 English Heritage, carrying out a survey of National Park owned land at Larkbarrow, discovered a previously unrecorded pair of prehistoric standing stones. The stones are probably the incomplete remains of a prehistoric stone setting.

In November 2001 a student from Exeter University working alongside the National Park Archaeologist visited the Furzehill Common stone row to carry out a condition assessment. The row contained only 4 stones and was 10 metres long. But on this visit more stones were found so that the row is now known to have been at least 70 metres long and has a well preserved burial mound at its end. The landscape of Exmoor National Park is rich in archaeology and history. It is the result of the complex interaction of people and landscape over at least 8000 years. The moorlands are the result of deforestation and overfarm'ng by prehistoric communities around 4000 years ago and the woodlands are often entirely the product of medieval and later industry. The farmed landscape with its intricate pattern of fields, lanes and settlements originated at least 700 years ago, but bears witness to radical changes since then. Reclamation, industrialisation, better communication and tourism have all shaped the later landscape. Taken together Exmoor has a complex, multi-layered and compelling historic landscape. Though many of Exmoor's archaeological sites are not immediately obvious (some of the standing stones are only tall enough to stub your toe on, and you would be excused for not being aware of the complex of mining works hidden in the woodlands), they are nonetheless interesting and intriguing. And there are, of course, many more noticeable archaeological monuments on Exmoor, such as the prehistoric burial mounds on the ridges, and enclosures and forts on the hilltops, which are a significant feature of many Exmoor views. Whether you are interested in the understated standing stone or the extensive hillfort, you can find out more information in the Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record. The Historic Environment Record is a unique collection of  information about Exmoor's past. It comprises a searchable database, which collects and organises information so that users can find specific details on their areas of interest. There is a collection of aerial photography, fieldwork reports, journals,  books, historic maps and plans housed with the Historic Environment Record, that complement the digital information.

 

www.heritagegateway.org.uk

 

Exmoor, as we know it to-day, populated by man came about after the retreat of the last of the great Ice Ages that covered the Earth. There are many barrows, stone circles and other antiquities on Exmoor that are worth a visit.

Exmoor has been populated since the Iron Age and has 162 Scheduled Monuments and 1011 Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Listed Buildings). Exmoor has many ancient features for you to explore. There are Prehistoric Barrows, Standing Stones and Stone Circles, an Ancient 'Clapper' Bridge at Tarr Steps, Medieval Villages, Castles, Mines and Packhorse Bridges.

Inhabitation of Exmoor dates back to Mesolithic times when people living on the moor used to exploit the area for their own purposes. For instance, the moorland was ideal for grazing animals, hunting and fishing. Remnants from this time can still be found on Exmoor in the form of standing stones, flint arrowheads and derelict buildings.

By walking across Exmoor's landscape you can see how people used to live there in the past by exploring the numerous undisturbed archaelogical sites and monuments.

Caractus stone, Winsford Hill

During the Neolithic and Bronze Age period more settled farmers began to cut down trees for timber used in buildings and fencing, for artefacts and for fuel. Small fields were enclosed and cultivated and animals put to graze on the cleared ground. The climate was milder and people made greater use of the moor for grazing, setting up stones to mark significant sites and burying their dead under the great heaps of stone and earth that we know as barrows. Whether the Lark Barrow was once such a burial mound or simply a heap of stones to mark the later forest boundary is not certain. It has long gone.

Later the Saxons settled on lower ground where there was protection and water while the wild centre of the moor, outside the jurisdiction of the villages, was held by the crown for hunting and became known as the Royal Forest of Exmoor. The Lark Barrow lay on the boundary that separated the forest from the commons used by villagers for grazing, cutting peat and gathering fuel.
There was some hunting in the forest during the medieval period but more important to the economy of the area was its extensive use for summer grazing of sheep and cattle which were put on the moor from spring until autumn. In the winter only the indigenous Exmoor ponies were able to survive the harshness of the weather on the high moorland.

Little changed in the way the moor was worked until the early 19th century when, during the Napoleonic Wars, there was a shortage of food. It was decided to sell the ancient forest for agricultural reclamation and in 1818, John Knight, an iron master from Wolverley in Worcestershire with an interest in farming change, bought much of the Forest for £50,000.

One of the first things he did was enclose his new estate and a section of the wall built for this purpose was later to form part of the boundary of Larkbarrow Farm. He soon set about reclaiming land, starting on the south-facing slopes of the River Barle, spading, ploughing and liming ground that had never been cultivated before. His attempts to run the whole estate from a centre at Simonsbath were not really successful and when his son Frederic took over in 1841 he started to build new farms for leasing to tenants.

The first evidence of human settlement is almost entirely confined to the areas around Exmoor, rather than on the moor itself. The earliest signs of occupation is the Earth Ring at Parracombe which is believed to be a Neolithic Henge dated 5000-4000BCE. The ready availability of Copper and Tin on Exmoor attracted a large population to the area in the Bronze Age. It is likely that the Moor was not settled until around 1800-1500 BC. From this period are Stone Circles at Porlock Hill, Almsworthy Common and Withypool Hill.

There are many Barrows on Exmoor mostly from the Bronze Age and containing burial chambers dating back some 3,500 years. There is also evidence of the ruins of Bronze Age houses.

The excavating activities of Grave robbers looking for treasure have caused many of these Barrows to fall in. A local Lord was licensed by Edward II to excavate six Barrows thought to be the Chapman Barrows in the hunt for plunder.

Standing Stones and Barrows are often to be found at the top of hills at the sources of springs. It is thought that they were the sites of religious ceremonies to worship deities and spirits of water and sun.

Longstone at Challacombe marks is at the source of the River Bray and is situated on an Ancient Ridgeway passing through Chapman Barrows, the Longstone and Longstone Barrow to Woodbarrow.

There is little evidence of occupation during the Roman period (43 - 410 AD), two fortlets at Old Barrow (SS 788 494) and the Beacon (SS 664 493) being the only remains now visible.

Caractus stone, Winsford Hill

 

• Monuments Overview
• Prehistoric Barrows
• Castles
• Medieval Villages
• Clapper Bridges
• Standing Stones

The whole of Exmoor, even the wildest parts, has long been influenced by the activities of men and women. The Bronze Age inhabitants (between 2000 -750 BC) were fairly numerous, and left many monuments, particularly barrows such as Wood Barrow near Challacombe. Stone does not outcrop much on Exmoor, so the stone monuments, such as menhirs, rows and circles, are fewer and less impressive than those found on Dartmoor or the Cornish moors.

PREHISTORIC ANTIQUITIES - THE MAIN PREHISTORIC PERIODS

Palaeolithic Period
The Old or Early Stone Age dates from the remote past up to about 8000 B.C. During this period man developed the craft of chipping flint implements. From crude work gradual improvement and skill produced well-made axe-heads, scrapers and other tools and weapons.

Neolithic Period
The New or Later Stone Age gradually developed from the Palaeolithic and extended to about 1800 B.C. Still further advance was made in the art of flint-chipping and to this period belong many fine arrow-heads. knives and other implements. Many evidences of Neolithic man remain, such as cromlechs, dolmens, standing stones and long barrows.

Bronze Age
The craft of smelting bronze was introduced into Britain about 1800 B.C. and gave the name to the period of the following 1,500 years. Many of the existing barrows, hut-circles and earthworks are of the Bronze Age.

Iron Age
The use of bronze gradually gave way to the harder metal—iron—and this period extends into the days of recorded history. Fortified earthworks and settlements are among the principal remains of the Iron Age.

GLOSSARY OF PREHISTORIC ANTIQUITIES

Barrow. An artificial mound of earth, or earth and stones, raised over burials of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.

Beehive Hut. An early dwelling place, so built that the stones of the wall overlap and meet in the roof centre.

Cairn. A mound of stones raised, often over a burial place. Capstone. The flat stone surmounting a dolmen.

Cinerary Urn. Urn containing cremated human remains. Sometimes the urn is inverted over the remains.

Cromlech. A ring or circle of standing stones.

Dolmen. A burial chamber consisting of three or four upright stones covered by another, often of great size, laid fiat across the top and often originally covered by a mound of earth.

Earthworks. The citadels, or forts, of prehistoric days, usually on hilltops or other elevated ground.

Fogue. A Cornish term for an underground chamber or gallery.

Fosse. The ditch surrounding an earthwork.

Holed Stone. A perforated dolmen.

Hut Circle. Circular hollow in the ground, the site of an early habitation. Kist Vaen. A Cornish term for a stone burial chamber, usually smaller than a dolmen.

Long Barrow. A burial mound of the Neolithic period, generally orientated.

Lynchet. A terrace on a hillside, usually in series, formed for the purpose of cultivation.

Menhir. A tall, upright, unhewn stone, sometimes isolated or associated with smaller stones. May be gravestones or ol religious significance.

Neolithic. Of the New or Later Stone Age.

Palaeolithic. Of the Old or Early Stone Age.

Quoit. A Cornish term for a stone burial chamber, similar to a dolmen.

Round Barrow. A burial chamber of the Bronze Age.

Sarsen Stones. Blocks of sandstone found on the Wiltshire Downs and south-east England. Sometimes called Grey Wethers.

Stone Circle. A ring of standing stones, usually not enclosing a burial place.

Trilithon. Two upright stones connected across the top by a flat lintet stone.

Tumulus. An artificial mound of earth, not necessarily sepulchral. Vallum. The bank of an earthwork.

A Dolman

 

SITES TO VISIT

All of these historic sites are either in public ownership or are accessible on public rights of way or via permissive paths and access land. However, you are advised to use an Ordnance Survey Map (Outdoor Leisure 9 - Exmoor) and 'The Field Archaeology of Exmoor' (by H Riley and R Wilson-North, published by English Heritage, 2001). Both are available from National Park Centres and local outlets.

Please be aware that many archaeological sites on Exmoor are on private land. When in doubt you should always seek permission.

• Chetsford Water - Bronze Age Field System and Hut circles SS 8513 4247
• Almsworthy Common - Neolithic/Bronze Age stone setting SS 8430 4171
• Chapman Barrows - Bronze Age burial mounds SS 695 435
• Timberscombe - Iron Age enclosure SS 9572 4139
• Bat's Castle - Iron Age hillfort SS 9881 4213
• Wind Hill - Iron Age promontory fort SS 7405 4936
• Cow Castle - Iron Age hillfort SS 7945 3735
• Old Burrow - Roman Fortlet SS 7880 4934 Martinhoe - Roman Fortlet SS 6630 4933
• Caratacus Stone - inscribed memorial stone SS 8898 3355
• Cavudus Stone - inscribed memorial stone SS 7004 4825
• Culbone Stone - inscribed stone SS 8320 4735
• St Culbone Church - early Christian dedication SS 842 483
• Dunster - castle built on Norman motte and bailey castle SS 9911 4344
• Dunster - medieval market town SS 992 438
• Dulverton - medieval market town SS 914 279
• Badgworthy - deserted medieval settlement SS 7935 4445
• Burcombe - iron mining remains SS 750 383
• Burrow Farm - engine house ST 009 345
• North Hill - WWII tank training grounds SS 954 475

 

Sites to visit include:

All of these historic sites are either in public ownership or are accessible on public rights of way or via permanent permissive paths and access land. However, you are advised to use an Ordnance Survey Map (Outdoor Leisure 9 - Exmoor) and 'The Field Archaeology of Exmoor' (by H Riley and R Wilson-North, published by English Heritage, 2001). Both are available from National Park Centres and local outlets. Please be aware that many archaeological sites on Exmoor are on private land. When in doubt you should always seek permission.

Chetsford Water - Bronze Age Field System and Hut Circles SS 8513 4247
Almsworthy Common - Neolithic/ Bronze Age stone setting SS 8430 4171
Chapman Barrows - Bronze Age burial mounds SS 695 435
Timberscombe - Iron Age enclosure SS 9572 4139
Bat's Castle - Iron Age hillfort SS 9881 4213
Wind Hill - Iron Age promontory fort SS 7405 4936
Cow Castle - Iron Age hillfort SS 7945 3735
Old Burrow - Roman fortlet SS 7880 4934
Martinhoe - Roman fortlet SS 6630 4933
Caractacus Stone - inscribed memorial stone SS 8898 3355
Cavudus Stone - inscribed memorial stone SS 7004 4825
Culbone Stone - inscribed stone SS 8320 4735
St Culbone Church - early Christian dedication SS 842 483
Dunster - castle built on Norman motte and bailey castle SS 9911 4344
Dunster - medieval market town SS 992 438
Dulverton - medieval market town SS 914 279
Badgworthy - deserted medieval settlement SS 7935 4445
Burcombe - iron mining remains SS 750 383
Burrow Farm - engine house SS 009 345
North Hill - WWII tank training grounds SS954475

 

Contributed by: Terry Brown