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Two cairns here, on a flattish saddle surrounded on three sides by rising ground – the granite outcrops of Kilmar Tor to the north, Bearah Tor to the east and the more gentle Langstone Downs to the south.

Descriptions from Cornwall & Scilly HER:

Platform cairn at SX 2532 7430

A rimmed platform cairn in enclosed moorland to the west of Bearah Tor, on a very slight western slope. It was discovered by the RCHME surveyor during field investigation and surveyed onto the 1:2500 air photo plot. It is a turf covered cairn, 9.3m in diameter and 0.4m high. It has a slightly dished interior, the centre being 0.2m above the natural ground level, and a perimeter rim 0.1m high. Four stones about 0.3m across protrude 0.1m to 0.2m from the top of the rim bank but these are widely spaced and do not seem to be part of a retaining wall or structure. The cairn is situated 4.0m to the north of the Bearah Tor reave, at a point where the reave appears to have been stripped of much of its stone content. It would, however, be exceptional if the reave stone had been used for the cairn, particularly in view of the cairn to the east where the reverse seems to have taken place, and reaves generally seem to post-date cairns.

[Shown on the OS 1/25000 Explorer]

Cairn with cist at SX 2551 7426

A small round cairn with a central cist situated near other broadly contemporary cairns and a prehistoric linear boundary in the broad saddle between Bearah Tor and Langstone Downs. The cairn survives as a circular mound of heaped rubble, 5.3m in diameter and up to 0.5m high. The mound is covered by a thick peaty turf which has protected this cairn from earlier antiquarian discovery and disturbance. At the centre of the mound is a slab-built cist, rectangular in plan, with each side formed from a single slab 0.1m thick, giving an internal chamber measuring 1.1m long by 0.65m wide and 0.7m deep. The two side slabs and the end slab are upright. The cist’s covering slab is sub-circular, 1.0m in diameter and 0.15m thick, and has had small angular facets along its edge which may result from a recent, unsuccessful, attempt to fashion it into a millstone.

[Not shown on the OS 1/25000 Explorer]

Details of hill-fort on Pastscape

[SK 0620 0330] FORT [OE] (Spearheads and Arrowheads found). (1)
Castle Old Fort, Shenstone is classified as a hill-fort. It is egg-shaped in plan; its extreme inner length c.171 yds. width, 138 yds. The inner rampart is fairly complete and there was apparently an outer bank and ditch. The north-west defences have been destroyed together with the entrance that was probably here. [See AO/55/111/1 for a photo-reproduction of the plan]. (2) Two entrances on the south-east and north-west. A barbed flint arrowhead, Roman pottery and coins of Otto, Domitian, and Nero have been found here. (3)
Castle Old Fort is an ovoid, univallate hill-fort occupying the south-eastern end of a ridge. The defences comprise a bank and ditch with counterscarp bank. They have been destroyed by quarrying at the north-western quadrant and mutilated elsewhere by carriage drives and ornamental gardening to the house which now occupies the interior. No trace of any entrances was seen. No further information on the 17th c. finds was gained. A 25” survey has been made. (4) No change – survey of 1958 correct. (5) No change since reports of 21.4.58 and 9.9.74. (6) Listed by Challis and Harding as a univallate hillfort, of 3.5 acres, now mutilated and destroyed. (7)
SK 062 033. Castle Ring Old Fort. Listed in gazetteer as a univallate hillfort covering 1.5ha. (8)
The hillfort, centred at SK 0620 0330, was surveyed at 1:1000 by RCHME in 1988. Much of the original defences of the hillfort of Castle Old Fort survive (as described by Authority 4), but are in poor condition. The main ditch is traceable around the entire circuit with the exception of the NW and SE corners of the fort where extensive quarrying has virtually destroyed the ramparts. An outer bank is visible in places, but this is quite diffuse – to the north it has clearly been over-ploughed with narrow ridge and furrow. It is possible that a broad external bank to the SW of the fort is not directly associated with the ramparts and may instead represent a cultivation headland. Narrow ridge and furrow also covers much of the fort interior on an east-west orientation, and this has affected the preservation of the inner rampart. Down the west side the ridge and furrow appear to overlie the inner rampart, whilst at the east the inner scarp has been sharpened by ploughing; a low bank toward the southern end is probably associated with later cultivation rather than with the original defences. The fort has internal measurements of 170m north to south and 130m transversely. The remains of a simple in-turned entrance are visible in the rampart in the SE of the fort. This entrance remained in use until the construction of The Castle Fort house, at which time the gap was closed. A second blocked gap is discernable in the SW rampart; this appears to have been in use until at least 1923 (9a). A former track way associated with the SE entrance is still discernable as a narrow terrace extending from the breach in the rampart in a NW direction for a distance of around 90m. No evidence of a former entrance in the NW of the fort was found, and a breach in the centre of the N rampart does not appear to be original. Numerous track ways now dissect the fort interior, principally a means of access to a reconstructed house within the fort (SK 00 SE 12). Full RCHME survey information, including a detailed report, is available in the NMR Archive. (9)

Details of mound on Pastscape

At the back of Aldridge church is a small tumulus. (1) A mound north of Aldridge church is supposed to be the burial place of a chief. (2) SK 06140101 – this mound is shown but not described on OS 6”, 1913-38. It is 28.0 m. in average diameter and 2.2 m. high with traces of a ditch on the east and west. It has been mutilated by quarrying. It falls on high ground on the northern crest of an east-west ridge, at the edge of a playing-field. It is accepted locally as a barrow and is probably the feature referred to by the 19th c. literary references. Certain identification of the mound as a barrow is not possible in its present condition. (3) Mound situated in field known as Windmill Flat suggesting it is a mill mound. (4) Surveyed at 1/2500. (5) No change since reports of 8.10.58 and 16.8.74. 1:2500 survey still correct. (6)
Windmill field appears in undated extracts from medieval court rolls compiled for a 17th century brief. (7a) Many other 17th century references to Windmill field in deeds etc. (7)

Details of hill-fort on Pastscape

(SO 91908180) Wychbury Hill (TI) Camp (NR).
Wychbury Camp is a contour, multi-vallate hill-fort with complex defences enclosing 7 1/4 acres and an annexe of 5 1/2 acres on the south.
The entrances on the north-east and south-west sides of the fort are formed by incurved ramparts, the latter being approached by a wide track bounded by ditches. An excavation by E B Marten in 1884 produced two small bronze rings, since lost, but one of which was identified as an Early Iron Age terret by the British Museum.
Several Roman coins in adjacent fields may indicate Romano-British occupation. (Coin hoard also found nearby-see SO 98 SW 5).
The hill-fort has been badly damaged by tracks. Published survey (1:2500, 1923-4) has been revised.
Iron Age field system, Wychbury Hill. Wychbury Ring, an Iron Age bivallate hillfort, measures internally 250.0m east-west by 150.0m transversely.
The inner rampart is from 16.0m to 20.0m in width and up to 2.6m in height internally. It drops 6.0 to 8.0m to the foot of the inner ditch which is up to 10.0m in width and 1.7m in depth. The outer rampart is best preserved on the south side where it is 10.0m in width and rises from 2.0 to 3.0m from the outer ditch. The latter averages 10.0m in width and is up to 1.2m in depth. On the north side the inner ditch is silted up and the outer bank reduced to a lynchet-like slope. There are no traces of the outer ditch on the north west and north sides. The ramparts are boldly inturned at the entrances of the east and south west. The track with ditches leading to the latter entrance, referred to by Cantrill(2), is modern.
The ‘annexe’, also referred to by Cantrill, is non-existent. An old hollow-way, some 2.0m deep, 80.0m south of the hillfort, has been mistaken for outworks. A perambulation of the arable slopes below wooded Wychbury Hill produced no traces of an Iron Age field system. Several fields on the north east and south east sides contain traces of rig and furrow and in one field in particular, centred at SO 92158197, it is better preserved than elsewhere and the baulks, separating areas of rig running in differing directions, might have been mistaken for an Iron Age system when viewed from the hill-fort. (Aston (5))
Published 1:2500 survey 1969 revised.

An extensive but widely spread Bronze Age cairn cemetery occupies Twelve Men’s Moor, from the northern slopes of Kilmar Tor (at 396m OD, the third highest hilltop in Cornwall) down to the saddle between it and Hawk’s Tor.

Details of cairns from Cornwall & Scilly HER, generally north to south:

Cairn at SX 2511 7558

A cairn discovered during fieldwork by RCHME in 1983, on a flat valley floor in an area of partly cleared moorland pasture. In poor condition and measuring 4.9m in diameter, the cairn is much robbed and now merely the base of earthfast stones 0.1m high. Just off centre are two slabs, 0.3m-0.4m long and 0.3m high, set at almost a right angle, both leaning but very firmly embedded in the base stones. Possibly the remains of a small cist, but very uncertain.

Cairn and cist at SX 2511 7551

A cairn, first recorded by Trahair in 1978. Surveyed by RCHME in 1983. It lies on flat ground in an east – west ‘valley’ between Kilmar Tor and Trewortha Tor in an area of moorland bracken, furze and boulders. A round cairn of which only the south part survives, this measuring 9.0m by 4.0m and 0.8m high. Robbing has exposed a fine cist with four slabs set about 0.1m into the ground and standing about 0.5m above it. The cist, set in a NE-SW direction, measures 0.9m by 0.6m internally. A coverstone lies immediately to the north of the cist.

See themodernantiquarian.com/site/11120/twelve_mens_cist.html.

Group to the east of Trewortha
Cairn at SX 2479 7548

This cairn is part of a compact cairn group, to the east of Trewortha. It is marked on early OS maps as a ‘hut circle’ and was Scheduled as such by Mercer in 1978. It was surveyed from the air and from the ground by the RCHME in the 1980s. Shown as a cairn on the latest OS map. The cairn is located in a flat valley with a slight west slope, in an area of grazed pasture enclosed by rough moorland with boulders. It is circular, 15.4m in diameter, and 0.9m high. Top probably flat originally, but it has been disturbed.

Cairn at SX 2477 7547

It is located in a flat valley with a slight west slope, in an area of grazed pasture enclosed by rough moorland with boulders. The cairn is first recorded by Trahair, who considered that it could be the result of stone clearance. In 1983, it was surveyed by Quinnell onto the RCHME’s 1:2500 air photo plot. Described by Quinnell as a spread of stone 6.0m by 4.8m and 0.4m high.

Not shown on the OS 1/25000

Cairn at SX 2472 7545

It is located on a very slight south west slope in an area of pasture free of stone. Quinnell describes the cairn as a circular grass covered mound of stones 5.0m in diameter and 0.4m high.

Not shown on OS 1/25000

Cairn at SX 2471 7545

One of the larger cairns in the group. Marked as a cairn on the latest OS map. The cairn is almost circular, 9.3m in diameter and 1.1m high. There is an old excavation hollow in the top. Trahair suggests that this could be a clearance cairn, but Quinnell notes that if so, it must be prehistoric to have warranted exploration.

Cairn at SX 2474 7545

It is located on a very slight south west slope in an area of moorland pasture free of stone. The cairn was first recorded by Trahair, who considered that it could be the result of stone clearance. In 1983, it was surveyed by Quinnell onto the RCHME’s 1:2500 air photo plot. Quinnell describes the cairn as 5.0m in diameter and 0.8m high, with a small central excavation hollow.

Not shown on the OS 1/25000

Cairn at SX 2473 7545

The cairn was first recorded by Trahair, who considered that it could be the result of stone clearance. Quinnell describes the cairn as circular, 5.0m in diameter, and 0.7m high.

Not shown on the OS 1/25000

Possible cairn at SX 2470 7544

This possible cairn is a member of a compact cairn group located on a very slight south west slope, in an area of moorland pasture free of stone. The cairn was first discovered by Trahair, who suggested that it could be the result of clearance. Quinnell describes it as a triangular mound, 5.7m at its widest and 9.7m long and up to 0.7m high. It appears to have been recently disturbed.

Not shown on OS 1/25000
....

Cairn at SX 2487 7546

This cairn, which lies within a compact cairn field, is located in a flat valley with a slight west slope, in an area of grazed pasture enclosed by rough moorland with boulders. The cairn is circular, 11.8m in diameter, and 0.8m high. Top disturbed, but probably originally a flat platform type.

Possible long cairn at SX 2482 7543

This possible long cairn is part of a compact cairn group 500m to the east of Trewortha. It lies adjacent to an old track, in a flat valley with a slight west slope, in an area of grazed pasture enclosed by rough moorland with boulders. The cairn was probably first discovered by Trudgian and King, who made a rough survey of it in May 1974; although in 1974, Mercer scheduled a long cairn in the area which is probably to be identified with this. Quinnell describes the feature as a long low mound, 21m long, 3.7m wide and up to 0.8m high, though it varies a little throughout its length. Stone is exposed in part. Trudgian and King’s plan shows a number of kerb stones and a ‘marker’ stone at the east end. Considered to be a very likely long example of a prehistoric long cairn by Rose.

Not shown on the OS 1/25000

Cairn at SX 2520 7536

Cairn, first recorded by Trahair in 1978. Surveyed by RCHME in 1983. It lies in an area of boulders and bracken, on a very slight NW slope, consists of earth and stone, and measures 6.5m by 5.2m and 0.8m high. Two narrow trenches have been dug from the north and west towards the centre where there is north – south aligned pit measuring 2.1m by 0.8m wide and 0.4m deep. An upright slab forms the east side of the pit and to the north a stone about 1.0m square lies partly buried. Trehair’s view that this is a cairn and cist seems correct although it seems curious that coverstone, one end and one side stone are missing rather than displaced. There has been some clearance of small stones to the west of the cairn, possibly for its construction.

Cairn at SX 2557 7526

A probable prehistoric cairn located by RCHME air photo survey and surveyed on the ground by Quinnell in 1983. This cairn is on a slight northern slope, within an area of scattered stone, bracken and furze and is in fair condition. A moss and turf covered mound of stones, 6.5m in diameter and 0.5m high, with no evidence of excavation.

Cairn with kerb and cist at SX 2456 7503

This cairn is one in a group of three in scrubby moorland on a gentle west facing slope. It was first located by the OS reviser in 1958 and is shown on the 1963 OS map. It is mentioned by Trahair in his 1978 survey of barrows. The cairn is oval, measuring 5.1m by 4.4m overall and is up to 1.0m high on its lower side. It has a kerb of contiguous stones up to 1.1m high. The disturbed interior reveals a possible inner stone setting concentric with the kerb, 3.6m by 2.0m within which is a slab 1.4m long and 0.4m wide, aligned north west – south east, which may represent part of a cist. The residue of an excavation surrounds the cairn, with most of the material deposited to the north west.

Cairn with cist and kerb at SX 2452 7499

See themodernantiquarian.com/site/11123/trewortha_cairn_and_cist.html.

‘The green track ahead brings us to commercial forestry and forges dead straight ahead for a couple of miles. Half a mile along is a second wonder. We plunge off road to our second fortress of the day – Davie’s Castle. A glacial tummock above the Glen Burn was fortified (in the Iron Age – say 2500 years ago) – defended with a circuit of ditch and a low bank (originally topped with a wall or palisade). Not a major hillfort but a suitable place for a petty chief to asset status among his own dependants and to proclaim power to his envious neighbours.‘

John Barrett Knock News – No. 112 June 2106.

Interesting notes from a Victorian gentleman... featuring the archetypal, somewhat self conscious arrogance... that are nevertheless priceless scraps of detail relating to the ‘opening’ of the wondrous Skelpick Long Cairn:

“NOTES OF CROMLECHS, DUNS, HUT-CIRCLES, CHAMBERED CAIRNS, AND OTHER REMAINS, IN THE COUNTY OF SUTHERLAND. BY JAMES HORSBURGH, OF LOCHMALONY, ESQ., FIFE, F.S.A. SCOT.

At Skelpick, close to the farmhouse, are two round cairns, one nearly demolished, and the other has apparently been opened. Beyond this, on the right bank of the Skelpick burn, there is a long cairn, 80 or 90 yards in length, which I opened, and came upon a polygonal-shaped chamber, 11 feet diameter, the sides consisting of large stones 6 feet high, one of them 7 feet by 4 and 1J feet thick, placed at a distance from each other of 3 or 4 feet, the intervals being built up with long square stones. The roof had been formed by very large flags overlaying each other. The chamber had been opened from the top, and the whole inside was filled with stones and rubbish, so that I only cleared it out. Before I commenced operations, however, there was no appearance of it having been meddled with, and I dug it by chance, where the cairn appeared to be highest. Nothing whatever was found in it.”

So much damage. So little applied science... “I dug it by chance”. Nevertheless it survives as (in my opinion) one of the Uk’s finest Neolithic long cairns. Come see it if you get the chance.

Field report to complement Carl’s:

‘A few miles from Durness, on the road to Gualan House, there are two cairns. One of them was opened many years ago and I was told that the bottom of a brass candlestick was found in it; this was no double an elliptical Scandinavian brooch. The other was opened by Professor Worsaae, who took away a skull from a small kist that was in it. The kist was full of bones when I saw it and I took a thigh bone out . . . it was remarkably fresh. The hillock on which they were placed is called Cnoc-na-cnavan.‘

J Horsburgh 1870.‘

Source: Canmore

Wasn’t sure about this at the time.... however in retrospect my thoughts concur with the Canmore record:

“...amongst the stone clearance mounds of a field system is a probable cairn. It differs from its neighbours in that it is appreciably larger, 10.0m N-S by 9.0m E-W and 0.8m high, and is of regular rounded form. No cist or kerb is exposed; the mound like the adjacent clearance is completely obscured by peat...

Visited by OS (N K B) 26 April 1977.”

I’ve also included a couple of shots of what would appear to be a small clearance cairn.

There is another possible ring cairn at SH61123094.

Gwynedd Archaeological Trust have it listed as a hut circle, but the most recent notes in 2001 say:

Possibly a ring cairn, not a hut circle. It has inner orthostatic thin slabs, no obvious entrance and on an exposed viewpoint. However, an old wall adjoins and there is possibly early field. Also rather large for a hut circle 7m internal diameter (Smith 2001).

Round house settlement to the east of Moel y Geifr, alongside the track between the Y Gyrn cairns and Bryn Cader Fader. The site consists of scattered individual hut circles to the north at SH64543572, SH64433568 and SH64423549, and a more compact enclosed courtyard group at SH64533516.

There are suggestions of fragmentary field systems around the hut circles.

Dating could be anywhere between Bronze Age and Romano-British.

‘View from afar’ 30.5.16

From the entrance to the ‘vineyard type’ place opposite the Countless Stones a large stone can be seen in the distance in the middle of a field. It is next to a tree, near the overhead power lines. This is a close as you are likely to get as the ‘vineyard’ has a double row of 6ft high fences ‘protecting’ the entrance. The vines (or whatever they are) have been planted all around it.
Once they have grown taller it is likely that in the summer months the stone will not be visible from this spot.

Yr Eifl means “the Trident”, from its three striking peaks. The Welsh name has been Anglicised into The Rivals.

One the three peaks is occupied by the frankly astonishing Tre’r Ceiri hillfort, but is also topped with a large Bronze Age burial cairn. The other two summits also have BA cairns.

The highest of the three peaks, Garn Ganol, rising to 564m OD straight from sea-level at Nant Gwrtheryn, boasts two cairns, one substantial and intact, the other rather wrecked and fragmentary. GAT:

Summit cairn at SH36484474

A large featureless summit cairn on top of Yr Eifl. Visible on skyline from parts of Pen Llyn to W and SW and from Tre’r Ceiri to SE. Made from randomly piled large stones collected from around summit. A substantial hole, forming a shelter, has been dug into the cairn, about 2.5m wide and up to 0.8m deep. This contains broken glass, burnt plastic etc. Trig pillar also stands on cairn, also 1 small (1.5m diameter, 0.3m deep) excavation in W side.

Southwestern cairn at SH36464472

33.3m SW of the summit cairn. The top levelled and used as a platform for a small modern cairn.

Low circular cairn markedly different from the other cairn on Yr Eifl (PRN 616). Made up of small stones 5cm long with occasional larger 0.5m long slabs. Very low and flat in profile intervisible with Tre’r Ceiri cairn & Carnguwch. Could this cairn have been robbed to form 616?

The northwestern peak (Garn For or Pen Bwlch yr Eifl) has been (and still is being) badly damaged by quarrying, but there is still a cairn on its summit. GAT:

A surprisingly large cairn considering that the summit area is quite small. There is an original cairn base about 10m diameter and up to 1.2m high and this has traces of laid slab kerbing in places – not just a heap. On this has been built a modern ‘pillar’ cairn about another 2m high and there has been other disturbance as well. The original cairn is so large and well-built it seems likely to be prehistoric and resembles those on Yr Eifl and Tre’r Ceiri.

Details of stone on Pastscape

A single prehistoric standing stone known as the Hawk Stone on a natural crest on Spelsbury Down, 900 metres west of Spelsburydown Farm. The single oolitic limestone monolith is believed to stand in its original position. Although it has been suggested that the monument might be all that remains of a portal dolmen (a rare type of burial chamber), there are no surviving associated orthostats or other evidence available at present to support this claim. The stone measures approximately 1 metre by 0.9 metres at its base and tapers to 0.9 metres at the apex which is 2.3 metres above the present ground level. It stands upright and to remain balanced must have at least one third of its total length buried below ground level. A concave hollow in its upper face is known to have been worn over time by people rubbing it for luck, although it may originally have been natural in origin. Scheduled.

Details of stones on Pastscape

Stone circle situated in Stonor Park, near Stonor House. It has been moved from its original site.
1. [SU 7433 8916] “A Folly here which the owner believed may have been made from a Stone Circle. (1)
SU 7432 8913 (A) A stone circle composed of sarsens and pudding stones which, from the evidence of a photograph of c. 1873,
formerly stood at SU 7428 8917 (B). The owner, Maj. S. Stonor believes, however, that this is not the original site. (2)

Details of long barrow on Pastscape

‘A barrow called ‘Round Hill’ on the north side of the lane leading from Bloxham to Milton, 72ft. in length and 12ft. high, was partially destroyed in 1867 and a skull found.’ (Name ‘Round Hill’ not recorded on any OS. publications).(1) (1-2)
‘Long barrow SP 442350 had its lower end flattened when road was made but the main end is untouched in a field on N. of road. When the ditch was cleaned a piece of closely packed small small stoned walling was visible in the middle’ (Nothing visible on available A/P’s). (3) This area was surveyed from aerial photographs as part of the SE Warwickshire and Cotswolds HLS NMP project. No sign of the long barrow was visible at this location on any of the available aerial photographs dating back to 1946 (4).

Details of long barrow on Pastscape

Neolithic long barrow and a standing stone. The barrow and stone are aligned south west-north east along a ridge with gives them a dominant position within the local landscape overlooking valleys to the north west and south east. The long barrow mound measures 32 metres in length and stands up to 1.75 metres high at its 19 metre wide north east end. At its tail, or south west end, it tapers away to ground level and measures just 4 metres wide. In 1894 a part excavation located two chambers on the south east side of the mound and at least one of these contained bone fragments, pottery and charcoal. Also found were two Anglo-Saxon burials which had been cut into the top of the existing mound. Unusually there was no evidence of flanking quarry ditches which are commonly found either side of long barrow mounds. Immediately north east, at a distance of 9 metres from the barrow mound, stands a single monolith, which was broken in 1923 but reset in its original location in 1924. This stands 1.8 metres high. There is no surviving evidence of other standing stones in the area and it is probable that the mound originally extended a further 9 metres to the location of the stone where a facade of standing stones would have stood. Scheduled.