Reasons for Designation
Standing stones are prehistoric ritual or ceremonial monuments with dates ranging from the Late Neolithic to the end of the Bronze Age for the few excavated examples. They comprise single or paired upright orthostatic slabs, ranging from under lm to over 6m high where still erect. They are often conspicuously sited and close to other contemporary monument classes. They can be accompanied by various features: many occur in or on the edge of round barrows, and where excavated, associated subsurface features have included stone cists, stone settings, and various pits and hollows filled in with earth containing human bone, cremations, charcoal, flints and pottery. Similar deposits have been found in excavated sockets for standing stones, which range considerably in depth. Standing stones may have functioned as markers for routes, territories, graves, or meeting points, but their accompanying features show they also bore a ritual function and that they form one of several ritual monument classes of their period that often contain a deposit of cremation and domestic debris as an integral component. Standing stones are nationally rare monuments, with a high longevity and demonstrating the diversity of ritual practices in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age. Despite limited erosion around the base, the standing stone called the Long Stone survives well and will be associated with important archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its use, ritual importance, longevity and landscape context. The location of the Long Stone on a very prominent hill and being associated with several other broadly contemporary monument types illustrates the importance of this stone during the past.
History
See Details.
Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 2 November 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.
This monument includes a standing stone and trigger stone known as the Long Stone situated on a prominent ridge which acts as a watershed between tributaries for several rivers including the Barbrook, River Barle, West Lyn River and the River Bray. The standing stone survives as an upright, earthfast, tapering stone measuring up to 3m high by 1.2m wide and 0.25m thick at the base. A 0.7m high trigger stone is embedded at its base. An Ordnance Survey bench mark has been cut into its south eastern side. It is shown on Donn’s map of 1765.
Further archaeological remains survive within the vicinity of the monument, some are scheduled, but others are not currently protected and these are not included within the scheduling because they have not been formally assessed.
Selected Sources
Other
PastScape Monument No:-35352
National Grid Reference: SS 70519 43067