Details

The monument comprises a Prehistoric kerbed boulder situated amid a dispersed
group of broadly contemporary ceremonial and funerary monuments on Craddock
Moor on SE Bodmin Moor.
The kerbed boulder is visible as a central sub-circular boulder encircled by a
setting of spaced smaller stones, of which three are edge-set, called
orthostats. The central boulder is a natural ground-fast rock, 3.5m in
diameter, lying flat and projecting 0.2m from the ground surface. The stone
setting comprises at least 10 stones arranged in an approximate circle, 6m in
diameter, surrounding the boulder distances of 0.5m-1m. The stones show some
regularity of spacing, centred 1.5m-1.75m apart with larger gaps at the south
and SE where stones have been removed. The surviving stones are slabs up to
1.5m long, and 0.3m thick; the three orthostats, on the west, north and NE
sides, stand 0.4-0.8m high. Three of these stones are almost wholly turf-
covered, while another four have fallen over from upright positions. Situated
12m NNW of the kerbed boulder's centre is an outlying orthostat, a sub-
triangular edge-set slab, 0.75m long, 0.3m thick and 0.75m high, whose edges
are almost in line with the boulder's centre. The monument shows little
evidence for disturbance, though the central boulder was used as a convenient
flat surface by 19th century stone-splitters, propping a sub-triangular slab,
1.2m by 1.2m, on the boulder's southern corner.

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.

Kerbed boulders are one of a diverse range of ceremonial monuments dating to
the Bronze Age (c.2000 - 700 BC) . They were constructed as a setting of
small upright stones, called orthostats, surrounding a natural ground-fast
boulder.
The orthostats either touch to form a continuous row or may be spaced apart.
An outlying orthostat is known in one example. Kerbed boulders are a recently
recognised monument type which combine elements known from other classes of
contemporary ceremonial monument. These include the reverence of a natural
outcrop evident in tor cairns and the construction of small orthostatic
settings around funerary monuments, a common feature of cairns in south-west
England. Only two examples are known nationally, both from south-eastern
Bodmin Moor, associated with a large dispersed grouping of Bronze Age
ceremonial and funerary monuments. As a very rare monument type which
provides an important insight into the nature of Prehistoric ritual activity
and beliefs, all surviving examples are considered worthy of preservation.
The kerbed boulder near the Goldiggings Quarry has survived well with no
evident penetrative disturbance to the monument. It has not been excavated
but is well-documented, with a recent survey at 1:20 scale. Its proximity to
a range of broadly contemporary ceremonial and funerary monuments demonstrates
well the diversity of ritual practices 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)
Sharpe, A, The Minions Area Archaeological Survey and Management (Volume 2), (1989)
Other
CAU/RCHME, The Bodmin Moor Survey, Unpubl. draft text. Ch.4, 1.3, fig 17
consulted 6/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1256,
consulted 9/1991, Carter, A./RCHME, 1:2500 AP transcription for SX 2474,

Source: Historic England