Details

The monument comprises a large banked funerary cairn with traces of a central
mound, part of a linear cairn group on the summit of Caradon Hill on SE Bodmin
Moor.
The cairn survives with an irregular central mound, c.10m in diameter and up
to 1m high, composed of small to medium stones, with a number of smaller heaps
and hollows in its surface deriving from the relatively recent activities of
stone-robbers which have also spread the mound towards the outer bank in the S
half. In the less disturbed N and NW sectors a clear gap, 4m wide and at the
same level as the external ground surface, is observable between the central
mound and an encircling bank, 22m in external diameter, 2-2.5m wide and up to
0.4m high. This bank is also composed of heaped small stones. The disturbance
is of limited depth and extent and it is considered that sub-surface funerary
deposits and the old land surface beneath this cairn will have survived
intact. This cairn has been surveyed on several occasions since 1907 but it
has not been subject to any archaeological excavation. It lies near the centre
of a linear cairn group which extends NE-SW along the SW side of the hill's
summit and contains ten recorded cairns of several types typical of the Early
and Middle Bronze Age (c.2000 - 1000 BC).
The modern post-and-wire fence bounding the subsidiary transmitter station is
excluded from the scheduling but the land beneath it is included.

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
quality and diversity of the evidence is such that the moor has been the
subject of detailed archaeological survey and hence it forms one of the best
recorded upland landscapes in England. Of particular note are the extensive
relict landscapes of Prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval date. Together
these 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.

Banked cairns are funerary monuments dating to the Early Bronze Age
(c.2000-1600 BC), covering single or multiple burials. They comprise a
circular bank of stone rubble, up to 30m in external diameter and sometimes
accompanied by an internal ditch, surrounding a central mound of earth and
rubble. A kerb of edge-set stones sometimes bounds the edges of the bank or
mound or both. They can occur as isolated monuments, in small groups or in
cairn cemeteries. The burials, either inhumations or cremations, can occur in
small pits or in box-like structures of stone slabs called cists either dug
into the mound or set into the old land surface. Along with other funerary
monuments, they illustrate the diversity of beliefs and burial practices
in the Bronze Age. Although no precise figure is available, current evidence
indicates that there are under 250 known examples of this monument class
nationally. As a rare class exhibiting considerable variation in form, a
substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
preservation. This banked cairn on Caradon Hill is reasonably well-preserved,
despite the earlier actions of stone robbers, and will retain numerous
original features, including burial deposits. Its importance is enhanced by
its location within a cairn group which contains a variety of different types
of burial monument, demonstrating well the diverse nature of burial practice
in the Bronze Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
3/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1409.04 and .12,
AM 7 scheduling description and maplet for CO 541d, Consulted 3/1991
Consulted 3/1991, Carter, A/RCHME, 1:2500 Air Photo Transcripton: SX 2770 (Consulted 3/1991),
Consulted 3/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1409.08,
Consulted 3/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1409.10,
Title: Ordnance Survey 6": 1 mile Map: Cornwall XXVIII NW
Source Date: 1907
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England