A Fresh Interpretation of Bronze Age Dartmoor 4

A Fresh Interpretation Of Bronze Age Dartmoor. 4

The Dartmoor Stone rows have always been a problem for archaeologists. Devon Archaeological Society published "Field Guide Number Eleven" entitled "The Drizzlecombe Stone  Rows" The last paragraph headed "The Purpose Of The Rows", finishes with "The question of use has to remain open. Quite possibly the answer will never be known."

Jeremy Butler, in his "Dartmoor Atlas Of Antiquities" volume one page six, says " Despite several excavations and numerous theories the little that is known about them (stone rows) at present is open to almost any imaginative interpretation, and their function remains as mysterious as ever."

Any theory based on imagination is always suspect, but a theory based on observation and evidence is worthy of consideration.

When I first began to look for a solution to the stone row mystery I observed that the rows at Longstone Moor, Conies Down and Higher White Tor were not parallel. I extended the direction of the rows to the edge of the Dartmoor map and could see that the three lines were converging. I then transcribed these lines to a map that included the South Devon coastline and was surprised to find that the three lines converged at a single point, and that point was geographically significant.

The point where these three lines meet is at the head of the Cofflete Arm of the Yealm Estuary near to Brixton Tor. This happens to be the closest haven for small boats to the tinworks of Dartmoor. This was interesting, but could be a coincidence. Further work showed that three other stone rows also met at the same point. This was beyond coincidence and must surely have been an intended destination. the possibility that the rows contained information of distance and direction seemed to be a practical solution to the stone row problem.

The most important thing that a traveller needs to know is direction and distance to a destination. Modern roads have milestones, signposts and huge signboards giving this kind of information. What would we do without them? Get lost I suppose.
The idea that the stone rows could have served a similar purpose began to make sense. The direction of the row being the direction of travel to a specific destination, the length of the row giving an indication of the distance to that destination and perhaps the stones within within the row showing the amount of way mark stones to be found along that route.

It became clear that I would need to explain all the stone rows on Dartmoor and not just the ones that focused on the Yealm Estuary. I researched the stone rows of Exmoor, Bodmin Moor, and even Brittany. Most of the straight rows were not too much of a problem, but some of the bent and twisted rows like the two mile Upper Erme and the Stall Down did not at first fit the theory. It took several years of puzzling before I could see a solution. The Piles Hill double row was the last to be understood.

I had almost given up on the Upper Erme row when I realised that it was not intended to fit into the Devon landscape , but the whole length of the land from South to North. The massive alignments of Brittany began to make sense when I accepted that whatever the function it was something very important. It turned out to be giving directions for epic journeys from West to East. I will explain in more detail later.

The Bronze Age prospectors for tin may have originated in the Middle East. They would not have stropped at Dartmoor. The search for valuable minerals would have enticed them on to explore the whole island. It is also probable that other useful products were being traded from the North such as furs, hides, walrus ivory and skins, falcons and gold.

Travelling from Dartmoor to the North could not easily be done in a straight line. It would be more economical to go North to the Black Mountains in Wales, then a curving route round Morcombe Bay, the a couple of small changes in direction to arrive at the North coast of Scotland.
The upper Erme row depicts this route perfectly. The length of the row times 300 is the distance of the journey. Interestingly each section of the row times 300 is equal to each section of the journey. There are several standing stones along this route which may have been erected as way markers.

The curving double row on Piles Hill eventually began to make sense. The direct route from Piles Hill to Newquay in Cornwall would cross the Tamar Estuary at it's widest point. It would be far more economical to cross the Tamar at the narrowest point which is the ferry crossing to Torpoint, follow the coast and turn North to Newquay.The row length times 100 is the length of the journey. Once again each section of the row represents each section of the journey.

It became obvious that each row on Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor was sited to take advantage of an economical route, which suggested that the Bronze Age stone row builders had good knowledge of the landscape, and could measure distances.

I began to search for way mark stones along the routes suggested by the stone rows, and had considerable success.
Just as many of the more recent TA stones were purloined by land owners to make gateposts etc, these more ancient way markers would have been vulnerable. However I have found enough still in situe to be convincing evidence for the existence of the system. I suspect that there are many more out there to be found.
Some have been removed since I began to look for them. One Farmer showed me the pit where one had been removed. These smaller stones have not been listed and are not protected, and they are often thought to be "scratching posts" for cattle.