More information : (SV 928107) Tumuli (NR). ('A' SV 92841083) Tumulus & Kistvaen (NR) ('B' SV 92851072; 'C' SV 92871072; 'D' SV 92801069; 'G' SV 92891065; 'H' SV 92901061; 'J' SV 92821055) Kistvaen (NR) (six times)
'E' SV 92851068) Kistvaen, Peter's barrow (Tumulus) (NR)
('F' SV 92831064) (shown but not described separately). (1)
('A') Tumulus (NR) ('B'; 'C'; 'D'; 'E'; 'G'; 'J') Tumuli (NR)(2)
A group of ten barrows or cairns, some chambered, on Porth
Hellick Down. All except 'J' and 'K' confirmed by Russell. (3)
'A'. (Hencken's 1, Daniel's 7). See plan and section (4).
The remains of a chambered tomb preserved and scheduled by the MOW. Ashbee notes that the surrounding collar was destroyed during restoration by the MOW. The original excavation was by Bonsor circa 1900 (6) who called it "The Great Tomb". Previous disturbance had destroyed the contents leaving only a piece of pumice and a few probably intrusive late Bronze Age pottery fragments. (4-5, 7)
'B' (Hencken's 3, Daniel's 9). A cairn or barrow with stone
surround 130 yds south from 'A'. The chamber may have had a passage 4 ft 6 ins long leading into it (4). Daniel describes
part of the east wall of the chamber as being a natural rock
outcrop, see plan (8).
'C'. (Hencken's 12, Daniel's E). A cairn on barrow with its
chamber built against and parallel to a massive rock outcrop
which is incorporated into its structure. It lies 240 ft north
north west of 'G'; see plan (4).
'D'. (Hencken's 5, Daniel's 8). The most westerly of the Porth
Hellick Down group. The cairn remains include part of the stone surround and four capstones of a coffin-shaped chamber; see plan (4).
'E'. "Peter's Barrow", a mound with chamber about 10 feet long, 4 feet wide, 2 feet deep and large cover-stones (9).
Shown but not named on OS 6" 1963; confirmed as a barrow by Russell.
'F'. Confirmed as a barrow by Russell.
'G'. (Hencken's 13, Daniel's 10). The remains of a circular
chambered cairn; a few surrounding stones and one cover stone still extant about 120 ft north north west of Old Rock
(SV 92911061), see plan (4).
'H'. (Daniel's G). A chambered cairn; diameter 19 ft. The site
of the triangulation station shown on OS 25" 1908.
'J'. (Daniel's H). The remains of a chambered cairn lying
between Old Rock and the Batteries (SV 91 SW 75).
'K'. (Area SV 928107) (Daniel's F). A small much ruined cairn
or barrow to the west of Daniel's E ('C'). (The only published
cairn west of 'C' is 'B', i.e. Daniel 9). (6, 8-9)
'A', 'C', 'D' and 'G' can be identified from air photographs. (10a)
The following cairns have been selected for scheduling:
'A': Under Guardianship; 'B': Kerbed; 21 feet diameter, 3 feet high with a central depression but no visible chamber.
'C': Almost completely kerbed cairn, 30 feet diameter and 5 feet high built around a natural boulder with chamber alongside same. Chamber north to south, 12 feet by 4 feet with two capstones.
'D': Cairn 25 feet diameter, 5 feet high with coffin-shaped east to west chamber, 22 feet x 4 feet 6 inches and four capstones.'E': Diameter 20 feet with stone surround and north to south
chamber 13 feet x 4 feet 3 inches and 4 feet to 5 feet high.
'G': Diameter 20 feet with incomplete kerb and ruined north to
south chamber with only one capstone. 'H': A ring of large toppled kerbstones demarcates the cairn which otherwise has but a slight hollow in the centre. (11)
'A'. SV 92841084. (Ashbee's No 1) (7) A chambered cairn
preserved by the DOE with an overall diameter of 12.2 metres and a maximum height of 1.6 metres. The outer wall kerb stones are visible almost all the way round as a result of restoration; the height of this outer retaining wall is 0.8 metres. The entrance passage is 4.4 metres long and the chamber, set at an angle to it, is 3.5 metres long. The width of the entrance way is 0.9 metres and height 1 metre. The roof consists of four large capstones. (see plan). The line of the former 'collar' or platform is visible as a very low bank 2.7 metres from the retaining wall.
'B'. SV 92851073. (Ashbee's No 12) (7) A cairn 9 metres in
diameter and 0.9 metres in height which may have been chambered but nothing is now visible to indicate the chamber. Four stones of the kerb wall are visible and one large stone is possibly the remains of the entrance. There is a depression in the top of 0.4 metres.
Ashbee's plan (7) is incorrect in that the orientation is
180 degrees in error, otherwise is correct as shown.
'C'. SV 92881072. (Ashbee's No 13) (7) A chambered cairn built into and around natural outcrop rock. Its average diameter is 13 metres and height 1.3 metres. Twelve stones of the kerb wall are visible. The chamber measures 4 metres x 1.2 metres internally and is covered by two capstones of which the largest measures 1.8 metres x 1 metre (see plan).
'D'. SV 92811069. (Ashbee's No 5) (7) A very overgrown
chambered cairn, slightly irregular, but approximately 14 metres in diameter and averaging 1.6 metres high. The chamber is orientated east-west and measures 7 metres x 1.5 metres; the side-walls are angled so that the chamber is wider in the middle than at the ends. (see plan). Four capstones remain, the largest being 2 metres x 1.4 metres and a few kerbstones are visible.
'E'. SV 92851069. (Ashbee's No 3) (7) "Peter's Barrow", a
chambered cairn utilising a large slab of natural rock. It
measures 10 metres in diameter, with a maximum height of 1.6 metres. The chamber is orientated north-south and measures 2.8 metres x 1 m and is 0.8 metres high. Two capstones remain of which the largest measures 2 metres x 1 metre (see plan). Four stones are visible of the retaining kerb.
'F'. SV 92841065. A low, amorphous heather-covered mound, 6.5 metres in diameter and 0.4 metres in height, which may be a cairn. One rock is visible on its north east side but no indication of either a kerb or a chamber. Not recorded by Ashbee or Hencken.
'G'. SV 92891065. (Ashbee's No 30) (7) A chambered cairn of
diameter 7.7 metres within the kerb and 13 metres overall and a maximum height of 1.7 metres. Nine kerb-stones are visible. The length of the chamber including entrance is 6 metres and the chamber itself measures 2 metres x 1.2 metres x 0.7 metres. The one remaining capstone measures 1.8 metres x 1.4 metres x 0.3 metres thick. The chamber is markedly wider at the distal end (see plan).
'H'. SV 92891061. (Ashbee's No 31) (7) A very ruinous chambered cairn 8 metres in diameter and 0.7 metres high. The approximate size of the chamber is 2.5 metres x 1.5 metres. One possible capstone and four kerb-stones can be identified (see amended plan); much natural outcrop has been incorporated.
'J'. The published entry applies to a small area of outcropping
boulders where a cleft, 3 metres long and 0.5 metres high, is partly covered by a slab. It is this fortuitous arrangement which has evidently been mistaken for a cist.
'K'. Cairn not located. It was first sited by Daniel, but Russell could not find it. It is almost certainly a duplication of `E'.
'L'. SV 92851075. A perfectly circular peaty mound 5 metres in
diameter and 0.2 metres high. No stone is visible and the hole is heather covered but it seems likely to be a small barrow.
(Discovered during investigation).
'M'. SV 92931078. Miss Russell (b) reports a barrow at this
reference but no trace of one can be found in the area which is flat and heather covered. (12)
Scheduled monument revision. (13)
3 entrance graves and 1 platform cairn. 1 entrance grave is centred on SV 9290 1061. The other monuments are centred on SV 9286 1073. Revision to scheduling.
1 entrance grave centred on SV 9284 1089 and 1 kerbed platform cairn centred on SV 9284 1065. Scheduled.(14)
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