Deliberately laid paved surface at UK’s longest stone row on Dartmoor uncovered by archaeologists

Deliberately laid paved surface at UK’s longest stone row on Dartmoor uncovered by archaeologists 

A quartz surface – possibly laid deliberately to enhance the setting of a double stone row – has been uncovered during excavation works at Piles Hill.

The surprising find was made by Dartmoor National Park Archaeologists and Isca Archaeology during a week-long dig aimed at learning more about the double stone row, the longest of its kind in the UK.

The excavation, held at the start of September, was part of the Our Upland Commons initiative. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England and Dartmoor Preservation Association, Our Upland Commons aims to increase understanding of upland commons across Dartmoor and other areas.

The monument at Piles Hill spans 850-metres across Ugborough and Harford Moors and aligns east-west, curving slightly upwards like a smile, and is thought to date to the Neolithic/Early Bronze Age period.

Monuments of this kind are thought to have had considerable ritual importance for the people who created and used them thousands of years ago. The double stone row has around 40 visible stones; some are upright, but most are flat on the ground and hidden by vegetation.

The recumbent nature of the stones has long posed intriguing questions about whether they were laid deliberately or had fallen over time and whether the monument had once been on a different alignment.

The excavation aimed to answer some of those questions but as is often proved on Dartmoor, investigations uncovered yet another hidden element of the moorland’s past.

National Park Archaeologist and Excavation Director Andy Crabb said: “As we’d hoped, excavations uncovered large socket holes underneath the ends of the fallen stones demonstrating that the stones once stood upright and confirming findings from a geophysical survey last year.

“But we also made a new discovery. In our last trench we uncovered a paved cobble-like surface made of angular rocks consisting predominantly of white quartz. At first, we thought it was the natural geology, but further investigations showed otherwise. We think the rocks were brought to the site and laid there deliberately, possibly to enhance the setting of the stone row.

“We met our objectives of increasing our understanding of stone rows on Dartmoor with the bonus of finding something new. It was great working with Isca Archaeology, landowners, and local commoners on this important project.”

Tamsin Thomas, Our Upland Commons Project Officer for Dartmoor, said: “Everyone is excited by the findings. If successful, we will upright key stones to draw everyone’s attention to this important scheduled monument so they can be seen as people enjoy these wonderful places.”

Commons like Ugborough and Harford form the heartland of Dartmoor and are one of the reasons for its designation as a National Park in 1951. As well as being landscapes noted for their historic monuments, they support a variety of flora and fauna and are grazed by hardy hill cattle, sheep, and ponies.

Ugborough Moor landowner Dr Leonard Hurrell said: “We look forward to hearing about any discoveries which came about as a result of this work; we have always been intrigued as to the significance of such a sizeable construction, which must have been a very prominent feature in the ancient landscape.”

Harford Moor landowner John Howell said: “The archaeological work has confirmed our impression that this was once an outstanding feature, with the double line of large stones prominent over the top of the hill. I am delighted that we have learnt more about this important monument.”

Post-excavation work will now focus on extracting more precise dateable evidence and environmental information from site samples alongside funding options to set the stones in their original upright position.

This would not be the first time a type of surface has been found during excavations at a prehistoric on Dartmoor and elsewhere in the South West something similar was found at The Hurlers, a prehistoric complex on Bodmin Moor, during a dig in the 1930s.