When the triple cairn was excavated at the end of the 60’s, two of the cairns had thick layer of white/pale sand covering the burial ( one of the three cairns is thought to have been added later ). The oval cairn/barrow on Harland Edge and Hob Hurst’s House also had the same deposits of this sand, which was man made by grinding stones.
Only 2 other Derbyshire cairns have this deposit and are located on Stanton Moor.
When the excavation started it looked like the cairn had been illegally dug. Bones and ash were found scattered over a largish area. A ‘Boots’ carriar bag hidden under a stone was found to contain pottery sherds and large pieces of bone.