Two round barrows 440m and 510m north west of High Cove Farm

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.

Despite limited modification, the two round barrows 440m and 510m north west of High Cove Farm survive fairly well. The underlying old land surfaces, and remains of any structures or other deposits associated with these and with the upstanding earthworks, will also survive. The kerbing with white quartz at both sites provides an example of the regional or more local variations in construction within this monument type. The elevated, cliff-top location of the barrows illustrates well the importance of topography in Bronze Age ritual activity.

Details

The scheduling includes two prehistoric round barrows, situated on level ground east of high cliffs above two small coves north of Mawgan Porth. The barrows lie in two separate areas of protection. The southern barrow above High Cove has a sub-circular mound of earth and stone, measuring approximately 14.8m across north-south and 13.8m east-west. It has a curving profile and is up to 1.5m high. Evidence of a stone kerb around the barrow is visible in the form of four quartz stones around the eastern edge of the mound. These stones are up to 1m long, 0.6m thick, and 0.4m high. There is no indication of a ditch around the mound. Near the centre of this barrow is a roughly oval hollow measuring up to 5.2m north-south by 3.6m east-west and up to 1.6m deep, thought to be an antiquarian excavation. The northern barrow above Trerathick Cove is a waisted oval in plan. It has a round earth and stone mound on the NNW and an oval earthwork adjoining this on the SSE, the whole measuring approximately 20m NNW-SSE by up to 14m ENE-WSW. The NNW part of the site shows signs of limited modern disturbance, the mound being a low platform measuring around 14m across and 0.3m high, with an area some 5m in diameter situated 2m or so inside its south east edge rising up to 0.6m above this. Many of the stones in the fabric are white quartz, and the platform contains a kerb of large quartz slabs with an external diameter of about 11.5m. No kerb stones are visible on the east, but around most of the remainder of the circuit they stand at regular intervals of 1.5m or so. They are well-matched, all being around 1.1m long, 0.4m thick, and 0.4m high above the mound. There is no evidence of an external ditch. The earthwork feature on the SSE side of the northern barrow is an oval mound of earth and stone. It has quartz rubble protruding from its surface in places, and is considered to contain redeposited barrow material. The feature measures approximately 6m NNW-SSE by 10m ENE-WSW and is irregular in profile, being mostly around 0.6m high but having hollows up to 0.4m deep within it.

All modern fencing is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it 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:

32975

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map Source Date: 1880 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map Source Date: 1908 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Ordnance Survey 2" drawing Source Date: 1810 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Cornwall Mapping Project Source Date: 1995 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: St Mawgan Tithe Apportionment Source Date: 1841 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
SW 86 NW 2, Fletcher, MJ, Ordnance Survey Index Card, (1969)
SW 86 NW 9, Fletcher, MJ, Ordnance Survey Index Card, (1969)
AM7, (1953)

End of official list entry

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