| Summary : Bant's Carn is a Neolithic entrance grave situated on the crest of Halangy Down. The monument is believed to have been built in around 2000 BC and continued in use until about 1500 BC. It comprises of an outer platform around an inner mound containing a stone slab-built chamber. The outer platform, which is up to 0.6 metres high, has a stone kerbed edge on the north and east sides. The inner mound, surrounding the chamber measures 8.6 metres by 6.2 metres. The chamber measures 5.25 metres long, 1.5 metres high and up to 1.6 metres wide. At the entrance are large portal stones. The walls are constructed of large coursed-slabs and it is roofed by four massive capstones up to 2.5 metres long, which project above the surface of the mound. An excavation of the monument was carried out by the antiquary G. Bonsor in 1899-1900. This revealed four piles of cremated human bone at the western end of the chamber floor as well as Neolithic and Bronze Age pottery. Restoration work led by P. Ashbee was carried out in 1970 including re-setting the eastern capstone and southern portal stone. This work uncovered decorated prehistoric pottery fragments from around the portal stone as well as two worked flints. The site is in the care of English Heritage. |
More information : (SV 90991230) Tumulus & Kistvaen (NR) (1)
Bants Carn (NR) (2)
Bants Carn passage grave (Hencken's 2; Daniel's 3), see plan and sections (3) is one of several tombs excavated by Bonsor about 1900 but not published until after his death. (3)
The chamber is slightly corbelled due to being finished by two or three roughly laid courses of small stones beneath the capstones. O'Neil notes the well built inner kerb of the mound and the outer kerb suggesting a possible enlargement of the mound. Bonsor found four cremations at the inner end of the chamber and possible Neolithic pottery from its entrance; other pottery found was of Bronze Age types. (4-7)
A fallen capstone and displaced door jamb-stone were re-erected in 1970 (8). In an area of 2 feet by 1 feet 6 inches at the original jamb-stone seating much pottery was found increasing the range found by Bonsor. (8)
O'Neil (6) dates the tomb from circa 2000 BC, being in use for at least 500 years. (8)
Two worked flints from Bant's Carn were presented to the Museum in December 1976 (Acc no 1773) (9)
Bant's Carn (name confirmed) is an entrance grave situated on a northwest facing slope approximately 92 metres OD. It comprises a massive chamber encircled by two kerbs. The outer granite kerb is 13 metres in diameter and 0.6 metres high. The inner granite kerb is 8 metres in diameter and 1 metre high. The overall height of the cairn is 2.3 metres with the granite chamber 5.3 metres long, 1.4 metres high and 1.4 metres wide but slightly narrower at the distal end, 1.2 metres. It is in excellent condition. (10)
Surveyed at 1:2500 on PFD.
Bant's Carn is a Neolithic entrance grave situated on the crest of Halangy Down. It comprises of an outer platform around an inner mound containing a stone slab-built chamber. The outer platform, which is up to 0.6 metres high, has a stone kerbed edge on the north and east sides. The inner mound, surrounding the chamber measures 8.6 metres by 6.2 metres. The chamber measures 5.25 metres long, 1.5 metres high and up to 1.6 metres wide. At the entrance are large portal stones. The walls are constructed of large coursed-slabs and it is roofed by four massive capstones up to 2.5 metres long, which project above the surface of the mound. An excavation of the monument was carried out by the antiquary G. Bonsor in 1899. This revealed four piles of cremated human bone at the western end of the chamber floor. Restoration carried out in 1970 including re-setting the eastern capstone and southern portal stone. This work uncovered decorated prehistoric pottery fragments from around the portal stone. (11)
A brief history and description. (12)
Replacement of a coverstone and jambstone gave the opportunity to observe the care with which the stones had been selected to fit each other, and also to retrieve a quantity of pottery to extend that recorded by Bonsor earlier this century. A new plan is also provided of Lower Bant's Carn, which is partly concealed by a field bank representative of the many which show a close relationship between Scillonian entrance graves and cultivation terraces. These chambered cairns appear to be not primarily for the burial of the dead, but are shrines probably intended to restore rapidly diminishing soil fertility. (13)
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