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Summary

A cairn, 13m in diameter and up to 1.2m high.

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument CO894: Cairn on Alex Tor 660yds (600m) NE of White Meadow

Other References/Statuses

• Cornwall PROJECT ID: BM
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SX17NW 45
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 1970.50
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SX17NW 100

Monument Type(s):

• CAIRN (Bronze Age - 2500 BC to 801 BC)

Full description

Part of a cairn group (1970), this cairn is situated on a small flattish hilltop in open moorland. On the hilltop are several patches of low outcropping rock formed of horizontal slabs. It is marked on the 1882 and 1962 OS maps, as barrow and tumulus respectively (b1, b2), and is a Scheduled monument (h1). It was visted by the OS in 1973 (h2, b3), and in the 1980s was surveyed from the air and on the ground by the RCHM (h3, h4, b5). According to the latter, a low tor of horizontal outcrop has been utilised as a base for the western half of the cairn; it is 0.4m to 1.2m high. The cairn is 13m in diameter, with around the eastern half, a retaining circle of large contiguous slabs (1.0m to 2.5m long, mostly 0.3m thick and 0.8m to 1.4m high) with a deliberate inward lean of about 25 degrees. Any internal trigging is obscured by the small stone which forms the context of the cairn apart from outcropping rock. Gaps in the outcrop forming the western perimeter have been closed by single and pairs of similar slabs, resulting in a reasonably circular plan. It appears that the outcrop was covered by a thin layer of stones and originally the cairn was probably no more than 1.4m high. This cairn is in fairly good condition. The top has been dug over in the past, some retaining stones have been removed, and excavated stone has been spread or thrown beyond the perimeter, but much of the retaining circle is intact (h4).

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Site history:
1: 1972. MERCER, RJ / IAM
2: 1973. JWS / OS
4: 1984. QUINNELL, NV / OS
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<1> Ordnance Survey, 1880s, 1st Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4048.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<4> Trahair, JER, 1978, Survey of Cairns on Bodmin Moor, VOL 17, 20 (Article in Journal). SCO4956.

<5> RCHM, 1980s, 1:2500 Air Photo Transcript, SX 1178 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4238.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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