Cairn on Thorncombe Hill

Reasons for Designation

The area of the Quantock Hills, although small in extent, is one of the few remaining expanses of open moorland in southern Britain. Its archaeological importance lies in the existence of a landscape displaying examples of monuments tracing the exploitation of the hills from the Bronze Age onwards. Well-preserved monuments from the Bronze Age and Iron Age, including round barrows, cairns, settlements, hillforts and a trackway, as well as later industrial remains, give insights into changes in the pattern of land use on the hills through time. These earthwork features are one of the key components of the Quantocks' broader landscape character. 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. Twelve round cairns have been recorded on the Quantocks, although the original figure is likely to have been higher. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Despite disturbance to its mound, the cairn on Thorncombe Hill survives well and will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the cairn and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a cairn on the south facing slope of Thorncombe Hill on the Quantocks. The cairn has a mound which measures c.13m north-south, 17m east-west and is 0.75m high. Surrounding the mound is a ditch c.2m wide and 0.4m deep. The uneven surface of the mound is indicative of antiquarian investigation. The cairn was first recognised by L V Grinsell in 1969.

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:

22085

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, Proceedings of the Smerset Archaeological and Nat.Hist Society in Somerset Barrows Part 1, Vol. 113, (1969), 27

Other
Somerset County Photographic Department, Quantock Hills A. P. Survey,

End of official list entry

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