One of two round cairns 810m south-west of Tresellern Farm

Reasons for Designation

Bodmin Moor, the largest of the Cornish granite uplands, has long been recognised to have exceptional preservation of archaeological remains. The Moor has been the subject of detailed archaeological survey and is one of the best recorded upland landscapes in England. The extensive relict landscapes of prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval date 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 covering single or multiple burials and dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). 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, or on occasion within a box-like structure of stone slabs called a cist, let into the old ground surface or dug into the body of the cairn. Round cairns can occur as isolated monuments, in small groups or in larger cemeteries. 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 near Tresellern Farm has survived reasonably well and has not been excavated. It has no visible or recorded signs of disturbance other than some reduction in height due to occasional ploughing for pasture improvement; as such it will retain many of its original features including burial deposits. Its proximity to other broadly contemporary funerary and settlement sites demonstrates well the nature of ritual activities and the organisation of land use during the Bronze Age.

Details

The monument includes one of two Prehistoric round cairns situated on the crest of a low spur in the Withey Brook valley on eastern Bodmin Moor. The monument is located near other broadly contemporary cairns, settlement sites and field systems bordering this valley. The round cairn survives as a turf-covered circular mound of earth and rubble, 13m in diameter and up to 0.6m high. A similar, though slightly smaller, cairn is centred 50m to the north east.

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.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

15181

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
consulted 2/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1011.2,
consulted 2/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1011.1,
Consulted 2/1992, Carter, A/RCHME, 1:2500 AP transcriptions for SX 2276;SX 2376 & SX 2476,
consulted 2/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1066,
consulted 2/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1011,

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