Details

The monument comprises a circular funerary cairn, 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 well-preserved circular turf-covered mound, 11.5m in
diameter and 1m high, composed of heaped small to medium-sized stones. The
mound rises to a flattened upper surface 7m in diameter and has survived
essentially intact. This cairn has been recorded and surveyed on several
occasions since 1958 but has not been subject to archaeological excavation.
It lies near 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.
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 provide 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 has survived well
with only minimal surface disturbance; it has not been excavated and hence it
will retain most of its original features and deposits. Its importance is
enhanced by its location within a cairn group containing 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 1411.05,
consulted 3/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1411.06,
Consulted 3/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1421,

Source: Historic England