Round barrow 40m south west of Hilltop Cottage

Reasons for Designation

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 round barrow 40m south west of Hilltop Cottage survives comparatively well. Although the mound has been truncated, it remains substantially intact, as will parts of the underlying old land surface and any surviving original deposits associated with the mound and old land surface.

Details

The monument includes a prehistoric round barrow, situated on an east facing slope above the Carnon River valley. The barrow has an earth and stone mound approximately 14m in diameter and 1.5m high, truncated on the west side by the Truro-Falmouth railway line to leave the mound 8m wide WNW-ESE. It has a gently rounded, rather irregular top above steeper sides around 0.8m high. The south side of the barrow is fairly straight in plan and may have been truncated slightly. All fences and fenceposts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included.

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:

32918

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map Source Date: 1906 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map Source Date: 1878 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:

End of official list entry

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