Dartmoor National Park Authority

Microchipping
This ongoing project was initiated as a response to the increasing threat of theft of Dartmoor’s granite artefacts. Dartmoor has hundreds of these features which include medieval wayside crosses, milestones, farm troughs, route markers and straddle stones. Many of them, particularly the crosses and milestones are protected by law as scheduled ancient monuments or as listed structures. The project has identified the most vulnerable of these features and has started tagging each with a small microchip. The microchip has a unique identification number that can be read by a special scanner. The microchip will act as a deterrent to theft and aid the recovery of those features that might be stolen.

Dartmoor leat surveys
Over the past few years the National Park Authority, working in conjunction with the Dartmoor Trust, has encouraged parishes to undertake surveys of the leats within their own parish boundaries, 3 such surveys are currently under way.

In addition complete archaeological field surveys have been completed by the Authority on five of Dartmoor’s major leats. These have provided a record of the leats, their history and construction and associated historic features along its route. The surveys have also assessed its present condition and identified current damage

Cairn Restoration
At present a programme of burial cairn restoration is being undertaken. This relies heavily on volunteer help provided by members of the Dartmoor Preservation Association (external site, opens new window). Numerous Bronze Age burial cairns have been damaged by visitors rearranging the stone material to form mounds, shelters and hollows. The restoration works involve the dismantling and infilling of areas of modern disturbance in order to protect buried archaeological deposits that may survive within the cairns.