THE STONE ROWS OF DARTMOOR.

PART VII.

BY R. HANSFORD WORTH.

(Read at Lynton, July, 1906.)

YET another row has to be added to the long list which has slowly accumulated; and again it is to be found, not in the inmost recesses of the moor, but in a locality much and frequently visited.

THE MEAVY VALLEY.

Ordnance Survey, Devon, CVI, S.E., long. 4° 0′ 46′′, lat. 50° 31′ 7′′. Near the Princetown road and 326 ft. S.W., approximately, from the junction of the Routrundle track. Here are the remains of a ruined cairn, about 36 ft. in diameter. Running N. 89° 20′ E. from this cairn is a short double row, somewhat imperfect. Measuring from the cairn centre in each case the remaining stones are: at 21 ft. 9 in. two stones; at 39 ft. 7 in. one stone, the northern member of the row; at 67 ft. 9 in. two stones, one of which is the largest in the row, and measures 10 in. by 14 in. by 18 in. high; at 77 ft. two stones; at 87 ft. 6 in. one stone; and at 110 ft. one stone. The two rows are but 10 in. apart, which is an unusually small distance. The elevation of the Western horizon is 2° 50', and of the Eastern 1° 10'.

THE LONG STONE ROW, ERME VALLEY.

The Long Stone Row on the Erme, extending from Stall Moor to Green Hill, has recently received attention in more than one quarter. The writer described this row accurately, but not in detail, in a paper published in the "Transactions" of the Plymouth Institution in the year 1892. Last year, in our own "Transactions," Mr. T. A. Falcon, by a geographical error, removed its northern termination from Green Hill to Cater's Beam, a distance of 7000 ft., and suggested inaccuracy on the part of previous observers.

Subsequently, when this was corrected in "Devon Notes and Queries," Mr. Falcon still claimed an "additional extension-the essence of the matter." This is a mistake: the total length, as the writer described it in 1892, measured on the map 11,150 ft., and that same length is accurate.

Sir Norman Lockyer has also devoted some attention to the monument in question. And since it refuses to adapt itself to his astronomical theory, he suggests that it may have been a footpath. The writer has dealt with this matter in an address to the Plymouth Institution, delivered last year, and does not propose to repeat his arguments at the present time. But it is well to point out that, except to those requiring astronomical significance, this row would be an absolutely typical example. It does appear hard that our best Dartmoor example should be refused recognition and even miscalled.

The accompanying plan, although to a small scale, will at least serve to remove geographical misapprehensions, and enable those interested to judge the character of a row which refuses to adjust itself to the latest astronomical hypothesis.

It should be explained that "Middle Mire" and "Dry Lake" are alternative names for the same valley, or rather that the one is the name of a portion of the valley, and the other that of its watercourse.

The following notes may supplement the plan :Starting at the South end of the row. From the centre of the circle only 180 ft. in length of the row can be seen. The elevation of the North horizon is 1° 30', and of the South horizon 0° 50'. Looking north, on the next hillside the alinement reappears true with the short, near portion of row visible, but at once deviates toward the east.

At point A, marked on plan, the bank of a gully which crosses the row, the North horizon has an elevation of 4° 20', and the South horizon 1° 30'. A cairn, marked on the plan (shown as "hut circle" on the Ordnance Survey), breaks the North horizon to the west of the row.

From point B, near the cairn above mentioned, looking Southward, the circle on Stall Moor, at the commencement of the row, can be seen, and the whole row between. But the near part is 4° 15' out of the direction of the circle. Northward, the row can be followed some little distance on this hill, and then is lost to sight in a valley, reappearing. on the south slope of the next hill, quite out of line, and deviating still further eastward until it reaches the brow

of this latter rise. The angle between the point at which it disappears in the valley and the point it reaches at the crest of the next rise is 10° 30'. From B the elevation of the Northern horizon is 1° 45', and of the Southern 0° 40'.

A little north of B the row crosses a small stream shown on the plan. Southward from the brink of the gully in which this stream lies only 100 ft. of the row are visible.

Point C indicates the crossing of Red Lake stream by the alinement. Here the whole Southward portion visible is considerably convex to the East. No irregularity of the ground exists which should explain this. From C the elevation of the Northern horizon is 7° 20', and of the Southern 2° 5'.

Towards its Northern extreme the alinement has some curious deviations, which cannot be explained by irregularities of the ground. The portion immediately before the end makes a fair attempt to point to the circle on Stall Moor, although minor irregularities partially obscure these. The Stall Moor circle cannot be seen by the naked eye from the tumulus on Green Hill (point D on plan), and the matter has not been telescopically examined, but at least the row very near the circle must be in the field of vision.

From the barrow on Green Hill the Northern horizon is practically without elevation or depression; the Southern horizon is depressed 1° 0'.

The azimuth of the row at various parts ranges between N. 23° E. and N. 12° W., thus swinging through thirty-five degrees.

The next edition of the Ordnance Survey will show this row in its whole length, the survey agreeing with that given in the plan annexed. Practically every known Dartmoor row will also be added to this edition.