Details

This monument includes a round cairn situated on an east facing slope
overlooking the River Cowsic. The cairn mound measures 4.5m in diameter,
stands up to 0.8m high and is situated in close proximity to an unenclosed
dispersed stone hut circle settlement. Traces of an encircling stone kerb are
visible on the eastern edge of the mound and probably survive elsewhere as a
buried feature.

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

Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and,
because of exceptional conditions of preservation, it is also one of the most
complete examples of an upland relict landscape in the whole country. The
great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provide direct evidence
for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards.
The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites,
major land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as
later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes
in the pattern of land use through time. Round cairns are prehistoric funerary
monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as
earthen or rubble mounds, the latter predominating in areas of upland Britain
where such raw materials were locally available in abundance. Round cairns may
cover single or multiple burials and are sometimes surrounded by an outer
ditch. 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 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. Dartmoor provides one
of the best preserved and most dense concentrations of round cairns in south-
western Britain.

The round cairn 590m south-west of Beardown Man lying on the eastern slope of
Conies Down Tor survives extremely well and contains archaeological and
environmental information relating to the monument and the landscape in which
it was erected. The siting of this monument is unusual in that it lies within
a broadly contemporary Bronze Age unenclosed stone hut circle settlement.

Source: Historic England