Details

The monument comprises a small platform cairn, part of the Blacktor Downs
cairn group in the middle of Bodmin Moor.
This monument survives as a low circular cairn, 13m diameter and 0.6m high,
with abundant stone content visible beneath its broken turf cover. The
flattened, irregular upper surface of the cairn shows no evidence for ever
having been much higher, despite some recent disturbance in the central area,
and is considered to have originally formed a low flat-topped platform of
mounded stone, termed a platform cairn. The monument has not been subject to
any recorded excavation, the disturbed upper surface probably being due to
stone-robbing for wall-building. This is the largest of the five cairns in the
Blacktor Downs cairn group, which lie 12-42m apart on the summit plateau, near
the middle of Bodmin Moor. The cairn group lies above a large unenclosed hut
circle settlement on the S slope of the Blacktor Downs, and its associated
field system on the SW slope.

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 become 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.
Round funerary cairns were constructed during the Bronze Age (c.2500-700 BC)
and consisted of mounds of stone, sometimes ditched, which covered single or
multiple burials. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a
major visual element in the modern landscape. The considerable variation in
the size of cairn cemeteries and their longevity as a monument type provide
important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation
amongst early Prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of
their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered
worthy of protection. This cairn is well preserved, has not been excavated and
is a member of a small group of cairns. Its importance is also enhanced by its
close spatial and broadly contemporary association with the large and
well-preserved settlement site and field system on the S and SW slopes of the
Blacktor Downs.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Trahair, J E R, 'Cornish Archaeology' in A survey of cairns on Bodmin Moor, , Vol. 17, (1978)
Other
1/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1769,
consulted 1/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1769.4,
consulted 1/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1843,
Consulted 1991, Carter, A/RCHME, 1:2500 Air Photo Transcription; SX 1573, (1991)

Source: Historic England