Details

The monument comprises a large circular funerary cairn with a peripheral berm,
part of a linear cairn group on a SSW spur of Caradon Hill, on the SE edge of
Bodmin Moor.
The cairn survives as a circular mound, 21m in diameter and up to 2m high, of
heaped small stones; around the SW and W sectors a distinct ledge, or berm,
0.5m wide, is visible in the mound's periphery at a height of 0.3m. Some
stone extraction has occurred in the relatively recent past, resulting in a
lowering of the cairn's interior in the E and S sectors but not reaching the
base of the cairn, and in its N half the cairn survives undisturbed to full
height as a consolidated turf-covered mound. This cairn has been surveyed on
several occasions since 1907 but has not been subject to archaeological
excavation. It lies at the NE end of a dispersed linear group of cairns that
extends along the crest of a broad spur running SSW from Caradon Hill and
contains nine cairns of several types typical of the Early and Middle Bronze
Age (c.2000 - 1000 BC).

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.

Round cairns are funerary monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC),
covering single or multiple burials. 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.
Round cairns are sometimes associated with external ditches, though none have
been recorded from examples on Bodmin Moor. Burials were placed in small
pits, sometimes containing a box-like structure of stone slabs called a cist,
let into the old ground surface, or in the body of the cairn itself.
Round cairns can occur as isolated monuments, in small groups or in cairn
cemeteries. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major visual
element in the modern landscape. 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 Caradon Hill survives reasonably well, despite the earlier actions of stone
robbers, and will retain many original features, including funerary and
associated 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 diversity of burial practice during the Bronze Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Sharpe, A, The Minions Area Archaeological and Management Survey, (1993)
Other
3/1991, Carter, A/RCHME, 1:2500 Air Photo Transcriptions: SX 2670 and SX 2770,
Consulted 3/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1411.01,
consulted 3/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1411.06,
Consulted 3/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1421,
Title: Ordnance Survey 6": 1 mile Map; Cornwall XXVIII SW
Source Date: 1907
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England