Details

The monument includes two large Prehistoric clearance cairns, part of a
dispersed cairnfield of ten similar cairns including a small funerary round
cairn, situated near extensive Prehistoric field systems, linear boundaries,
hut circles and cairns on the lower western slope of the Langstone Downs on SE
Bodmin Moor.
The two cairns are centred 15m apart on a north-south axis. Each survives
with a slightly ovoid mound of well consolidated heaped rubble, largely
turf-covered with few exposures of the stone content. The northern cairn in
this monument measures 6m north-south by 4m east-west and rises 0.5m high.
The southern cairn measures 6m north-south by 5m east-west and also rises 0.5m
high. The east-west profile of these mounds is asymmetrical, in each case the
highest point is reached towards the western side.
The two cairns included in this monument are situated at the eastern side of
the larger dispersed group of cairns which is arranged in a horseshoe-shaped
curve encompassing 0.75 hectare of gently sloping stone-free land. A large
circular cairn at the northern end of the group, beyond the area of this
monument, is of sufficient size and form to suggest a funerary function.
Prehistoric field boundaries and cleared plots, incorporating other clearance
cairns, extend to within 25m of this group on its SE, east and north sides.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Bodmin Moor, the largest of the Cornish granite uplands, has long been
recognised to have exceptional preservation of archaeological remains. The
Moor has been the subject of detailed archaeological survey and is one of the
best recorded upland landscapes in England. The extensive relict landscapes of
prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval date provide direct evidence for human
exploitation of the Moor from the earliest prehistoric period onwards. The
well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, field
systems, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains
provides significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land
use through time. Stone alignments or stone rows consist of upright stones
set in a single line, or in two or more parallel lines, up to several hundred
metres in length. They are often sited close to prehistoric burial monuments,
such as small cairns and cists, and to ritual monuments, such as stone
circles, and are therefore considered to have had an important ceremonial
function. The seven stone alignments known on Bodmin Moor date from the Late
Neolithic to Early Bronze Age periods (c.2400-1600 BC) and provide rare
evidence of ceremonial and ritual practices on the Moor during these periods.
Due to their rarity and longevity as a monument type, all examples that are
not extensively damaged will be considered nationally important.

These two cairns have survived well with no evident or recorded disturbance.
The close proximity of the cairnfield containing these cairns to extensive
Prehistoric field systems, settlement sites and other groups of cairns and its
integration with them indicates their broad contemporaneity, demonstrating
well the nature of agricultural practices and organisation of land use during
the Bronze Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Bradley, R, The Prehistoric Settlement of Britain, (1978)
Trahair, J E R, 'Cornish Archaeology' in A survey of cairns on Bodmin Moor, , Vol. 17, (1978)
Other
consulted 9/1991, Carter, A./RCHME, 1:2500 AP transcriptions for SX 2473 SX 2474 SX 2573,
consulted 9/1991, Cornwall SMR entries for PRN 1398 (NW edge);1274 (SE edge);1287,
Qualification consulted 9/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1264,

Source: Historic England