Details

The monument comprises a small, simple cairn, part of the Blacktor Downs cairn
group.
It survives as a low circular cairn, 7m in diameter and 0.5m high, whose
convex surface has an unbroken turf and heath cover. The cairn shows no
evidence for any disturbance and has not been subject to any recorded
excavation. This is one of 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 and
form of cairns and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation among 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 or
otherwise disturbed 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), 3-24
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