 Overview of Yellowmead multiple cairn circle looking southwest through the gap in the outer ring.. |
 Yellowmead
cairn circle is an unusual and strikingly beautiful collection of stones
situated towards the western edge of a small plateau of land between
Yellowmead Down and Ditsworthy Warren. What at first sight appears to
be a random jumble of granite boulders, on closer inspection reveals
itself to be circles within circles and traces of a stone row or avenue.
The centre of the monument is a low cairn
about 4 metres in diameter which is surrounded by the close-set kerb
of mostly rectangular slabs of the inner circle (marked as 'A' on the
plan opposite). This circle consists of 22 stones up to nearly a metre
in height and measures 6.7 metres in diameter. The second ring ('B')
is comprised of much smaller stones most being less than a quarter of
a metre tall and this time 32 stones form a slight oval of between 11-12
metres. Author Aubrey Burl speculates that there may have originally
been 42 stones in this setting. The third ring out from the centre ('C')
is similarly made up of low stones although several towards the south
are a little larger with 27 set into an oval of between 14-15 metres
and again Burl suggests an original number of 42 stones. The fourth
ring ('D') has a diameter of between 19-20 metres with 24 stones remaining
but with an obvious gap towards the northeast where some have been removed
to build a fieldwall, Burl's estimate is that about 37 stones once stood
in this ring. Ring 'D' contains the largest stones at Yellowmead with
those towards the southeast measuring over a metre in height. To the
west of the four rings there are 7 or 8 further stones that form a rough
arc and it could be that these are the remnants of a fifth circle that
has now been all but destroyed. Leading up to the southwestern edge
of Yellowmead is a small collection of low stones that appear to form
part of a stone row or avenue (see picture at the bottom of this page)
but the land to the west of here is enclosed pasture and it could be
that most of the stones from this row have been cleared away or perhaps
used for walling.The reasons for the building of such a complex monument are rather unclear, it seems that the central cairn with its kerb of stones formed the first stage of the site which was perhaps covered in earth or rubble with further rings added at a later date to extend the monument, but why, and what part the avenue played, is a mystery. The circles at Yellowmead were only discovered in 1921 by Mr. Richard Worth at which time only three stones were standing and what we see it today is thanks to the restoration work carried out shortly afterwards under the auspices of Rev. Breton (both men also worked on the stone circle at Brisworthy). More recent investigations in 2008 involved geophysical surveying of the site the results of which would seem to indicate that the pair of early 20th century antiquarians had fairly faithfully re-erected the circles to something approximating their original form. Suggested Date: Bronze Age |
 The central cairn circle of the site looking northwest towards the hill of Sheeps Tor. |
  Views across the multiple arcs of the site. |
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