Details

The scheduling includes three prehistoric round barrows situated on a slight
south west slope on the crest of a spur between two streams north of Veryan.
The barrows are very closely spaced and form an alignment north east-south
west, formerly bisected by a medieval type field boundary between the north
eastern and central barrows.
The barrow to the north east has an earth and stone mound visible on the
ground some 15m in diameter and 0.5m high; however aerial photographs reveal
the barrow's greater extent defined by a buried external ditch about 3m wide
and giving an overall diameter of approximately 28m. Aerial photographs also
show a cropmark a few metres across in the centre of the mound, considered to
represent a buried hollow or trench resulting from an antiquarian excavation.
The central barrow has an earth and stone mound visible on the ground some 18m
in diameter and 0.5m high, with similar evidence from aerial photographs for
a buried external ditch about 3m wide, giving an overall diameter of
approximately 30m.
The south western barrow has an earth and stone mound visible on the ground
some 19m in diameter and 0.6m high, again shown by aerial photographs to have
a buried external ditch about 3m wide, giving an overall diameter of
approximately 26m.

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

Round barrows are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to
the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC.
They were constructed as earthen mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered
single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as
cemeteries and often acted as a focus of burials in later periods. Often
superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit
regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are
over 10,000 surviving examples recorded nationally (many more have already
been destroyed), occurring across most of Britain, including the Wessex area
where it is often possible to classify them more closely, for example as bowl
or bell barrows. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major
historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation in
form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the
diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric
communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a
substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.

The three round barrows 320m south west of Trelagossick survive reasonably
well. Despite reduction of the mounds and infilling of the external ditches by
ploughing, and disturbance of the top of the north eastern barrow, the mounds
remain substantially intact. The underlying old land surfaces, and any
original deposits associated with the mounds, the old land surfaces, and the
bases of the ditches, will also remain. The location on a ridge top
illustrates well the important role of topography in Bronze Age funerary
activity.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
SW 94 SW 3, Quinnell, N, Ordnance Survey Index Card, (1977)
SW 94 SW 3, Quinnell, NV, Ordnance Survey Index Card, (1977)
Title: Cornwall Mapping Project
Source Date: 1996
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map
Source Date: 1880
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map
Source Date: 1907
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Title: Veryan Tithe Apportionment
Source Date: 1840
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
896, 897

Source: Historic England