Details

The monument comprises a round funerary cairn situated near an extensive
Prehistoric field system on the Langstone Downs on eastern Bodmin Moor.
The cairn survives as a circular mound, 12m in diameter and 1.5m high. It is
formed of heaped rubble and is largely turf-covered. The cairn is situated on
the edge of a slight natural crest in the lower hillslope of the Downs, so
accentuating its height when seen from the broadly contemporary settlement
sites below. Small-scale stone-robbing disturbance is evident from a
turf-covered hollow, 1.75m diameter and 0.4m deep, in the top of the cairn.

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. Round cairns are funerary monuments covering single or
multiple burials and dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were
constructed as mounds of earth and stone rubble up to 40m in external diameter
but usually considerably smaller; a kerb of edge-set stones sometimes bounds
the edges of the mound. Burials were placed in small pits, or on occasion
within a box-like structure of stone slabs called a cist, let into the old
ground surface or dug into the body of the cairn. Round cairns can occur as
isolated monuments, in small groups or in larger cemeteries. Their
considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provides
important information on the diversity of beliefs, burial practices and social
organisation in the Bronze Age. They are particularly representative of their
period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered
worthy of preservation.

This round cairn on the Langstone Downs has survived well with only limited
disturbance by recent stone-robbers. It has not been archaeologically
excavated and will retain many of its original features including funerary
deposits. It has an unusual lower-slope situation though its crest-top
setting is more typical and its proximity to a large, broadly contemporary
field system demonstrates well the pattern of land use during the Bronze Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Sharpe, A, The Minions Area Archaeological Survey and Management (Volume 2), (1989)
Sharpe, A, The Minions Area Archaeological Survey and Management (Volume 2), (1989)
Other
consulted 7.1991, Cornwall SMR entries for PRN 1264, 1398, 1413 & 1434,
consulted 7/1991, Carter, A./RCHME, AP transcriptions, SX 2473 & SX 2573,
consulted 7/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1263,
consulted 7/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1413,

Source: Historic England