MSO6966 - Trout Hill III: Prehistoric stone setting on the east side of Trout Hill (Monument)

A stone setting comprising four stones, possibly part of a double stone row or a trapezium setting. One survives as an upright, two have fallen, while the fourth is evident as an erosion hollow with trigger stone.

Trout Hill III SS 7939 4288 A setting of four stones; one surviving upright, two fallen and one erosion hole with trigger; the whole forming a trapezium in plan. The base of the trapezium, 16.4 metres long, is the west side of the setting. The major part of a double row, and that the present arrangement of stones does not represent the full picture. All stones are of local, sedimentary sandstones of the Hangman Grits series. The setting lies in a very slight trough on a moderate east facing slope on the east side of Trout Hill, well below the crest and close to a steep fall into Badgworthy Water. It is under coarse grass with rush patches. There are clear views in a wide arc from the north through the east to the south. Two more settings occupy the same contour on this side of Trout Hill; MSO6819 lies 300 metres to the north-east and MSO6815 is 340 metres to the north. In addition, another setting MSO6820, is clearly visible across the valley 300 metres distant. A further table of information on the stones is held in the archive. [1] Setting of four stones found in 1988. Set stone 0.3 metres high, fallen stone 0.85 metres long embedded in erosion hole, small packing stone in erosion hole, nearly prone stone 0.55 metres long. [2] Further recumbent stone reported to the north, 0.9 metres long. [3] Suggested NGR should read SS 7940 4288. [4] Scheduled on 27 March 1996. [5] The Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment of 2009 gave the site a survival score of 7. [6] The site was surveyed in April 2015 as part of the 2015 Exmoor Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment. It was given a survival score of 0. [7] A stone setting consisting of 4 stones in a trapezoidal shape on the western edge of Trout Hill. This survey located 3 very low stones and a hollow with a small potential trigger stone in the centre. Recent surveys have struggled to locate all the stones due to incredibly thick molinia coverage. The hollow found in this survey, is unlikely to be one of the stones originally recorded, and could be a new feature. Due to the concealement of the site in the molinia, the stones are at a low risk from threats including livestock rubbing. [8-9] The site was surveyed as part of an academic research project by Dr Sandy Gerrard in 2018. Surveys were conducted using a prismatic compass and electronic distance device with the plan being generated in the field. [10] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [11] The site is included in a 2023 Condition Survey [12]