Dartmoor Cists – Prehistoric Burial Sites

Earlier this year, a new Dartmoor cist was discovered by local historian Paul Rendell when he noticed the feature appearing from the eroding peat. Dartmoor has over 200 cists. These ancient burial chambers give us a peek into Early Bronze Age lives and death on Dartmoor.

The new discovery on Cut Hill is more than twice the size of the 2011 discovery at Whitehorse Hill and promises to contain many fascinating artifacts within. These will be carefully preserved by the team after micro-excavations overseen by Wiltshire Conservation and Museums Advisory Service. Cut Hill is within the military firing ranges on Dartmoor, so the site is largely protected from wandering walkers.

What is a cist on Dartmoor?

A cist is a stone box, buried in the ground. They often contain grave goods along with the body of the person interred within. These stone boxes are usually found within cairn circles and barrows, although some are solitary.

The most recently discovered Dartmoor cist at Cut Hill was placed within a barrow. This circular peat mound is roughly 20 metres wide and 1.5 metres high. The peat that Dartmoor cists are buried in has remarkable preservative qualities. This is how the wood, body, and other organic objects found within manage to survive for almost 4,000 years without being disturbed.

Other burial chambers on Dartmoor

Prior to the Cut Hill cist being discovered, the Whitehorse Hill cist was the largest burial chamber and collection of Bronze Age grave artifacts ever discovered on Dartmoor. Dartmoor has over 180 cists scattered across its hills and Tors.

Dartmoor Walks has an extensive list of Dartmoor’s cists, along with OS map links and coordinates for walkers interested in Dartmoor archaeology. A walk taking in some of Dartmoor’s cists is a spectacular way to enjoy our remarkable landscape. Dartmoor archaeology isn’t the only reason to take a walk across the moor, there are wonderful views, wildlife and plants you won’t see anywhere else in the world. We’re th