Details

The monument includes a Prehistoric round cairn situated near another broadly
contemporary cairn, field systems and a linear boundary on the western crest
of the summit dome of the Langstone Downs on south-east Bodmin Moor.
The cairn survives with a circular mound of heaped rubble, 4.5m in diameter
and 0.4m high. The cairn is largely turf-covered, with several stones of its
rubble content projecting through. Among these, occasional edge-set slabs at
the north, west and south-east sides form a discontinuous kerb around the
edge of the mound. The cairn's periphery is embedded in the thick peaty soil
which extends over much of the Downs summit area. Beyond this monument, a
similar cairn is situated 22m to the north and the western terminal of a major
Prehistoric linear boundary is situated 47m to the north. The upper limit of
a Prehistoric field system on the Downs is located 70m to the west of the
monument.

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 no recorded or
visible evidence for any previous disturbance. The substantial depth of peat
around the cairn will preserve early land surfaces and environmental
information contemporary with, and subsequent to, the cairn's construction.
The monument's topographical position and its proximity to the broadly
contemporary cairn, linear boundary and field systems demonstrates well the
nature of ritual activities and the organisation of land use during the Bronze
Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
consulted 9/1991, Carter, A./RCHME, 1:2500 AP transcription for SX 2474,

Source: Historic England