More information : Excepting an isolated logan stone the highest part of Rough Tor
is a flattish outcrop at SX 14558079. The southern face is a 7.0m high cliff which lessens around the E and W sides to become a steep boulder strewn slope on the N.
On the summit of the outcrop there are the crescentic remains of a
cairn, 1.7m high, the present diameter is approximately 15.0m. The
interior has recently been stripped to rock surface to form a
platform for a war memorial. Tons of stones at the foot of the
cliff are in two distinct heaps and suggest that the cairn had
previously suffered severe damage.
Enclosing the remains is a level grassed terrace or shelf, 4.0m to 6.0m wide, bounded on the NW by a 3.0m wide and 1.4m high 'rim' of
closely packed stones which extends between rock faces. It is
uncertain whether this represents neatly cleared spillage from the
main cairn, an outer ring, or even the original periphery.
'A' SX 14568081, a semi-circular rim of stone 4.0m wide, 0.2m high on the inside and 0.4m high on the outside, lies at the foot of a
3.0m high rock. It is possibly an extension of the above mentioned
ring or tumble from it but the perimeter is so well formed as
to suggest that this is a semi-circular ring cairn built against
the base of a rock.
Surveyed at 1:2500 on PFD. (1)
SX 14558079. The remains of a cairn 8m in diameter lie across the
corner of a tor. Surrounded by a semi-circular stone ring. (No
heights given) (2)
Positionally depicted on AP transcription. (3)
Two cairns in fair condition, situated at about 394m above OD on and around part of Rough Tor the most prominent part of the Roughtor
ridge.
The main NE to SW block of the massive Rough Tor outcrop is about 25m wide with, on the S side a cliff 80m long and 5m to 8m high. The N and E sides consist of large rocks and clitter, and to the W
a weathered stack is topped by a logan stone. Immediately E of this
stack there is a platform area about 25m across from which extensive views can be obtained.
The platform has been utilized for the major part of what is
probably the largest and most unusual of the Bodmin Moor tor cairns, although interpretation is hampered by depradation, notably the clearance for St Michael's Chapel and its enclosure (SX 18 SW 90).
The S side of the chapel enclosure is demarcated by the cliff edge,
but the NW, N and E sides appear to be enclosed by a cairn
perimeter, the centre part of which has been completely cleared. It is best exemplified at the NW corner where there is a curving mass of stones, externally 3m long and 1m high attenuated around the N and E to a bank of stones and a wall.
Beyond this irregular rim there is a level area, probably bed rock
concealed by turf and a few stones. It is bounded from W to N by
another distinct rim bank of stones forming a quadrantic arc. The
turf interspace, 2m wide on the west, increases to 7m on the N and
is of similar width on the E, where there are more stones beneath
the turf; on this side an outcrop rock (7m from the chapel
enclosure wall) is packed with stones around its base.
The quadrant of rim bank is 22m long. The inner face is 0.6m
long and 0.3m high with an incipient inner ditch 1m wide and 0.1m
deep for much of its length. The outer face is 2m long and 0.7m to
1m high. Beyond this a band of rubble 3m to 8m wide and 2m to 4m high is packed against the hillslope. There is a very clear
change of slope between this and the rim bank, which to some extent
it seems to support. The rubble band appears to be an original
feature and not spillage or clearance dumping.
There is a gap in the rim bank, 1.5m wide, at the NE corresponding
with a modern pathway; beyond this it continues for 9m in a SE
direction, on a shelf at lower level, ceasing at a mass of
outcrop. Again rubble extends beyond the rim for 7m, across the
narrow shelf and onto a slight NE slope. The rim bank 10m long, is
about 3m wide and 0.2m high. It is at the foot of a rock 3m high but
with a large overhang on the NE. The top of the rock is piled with
stones and on the ground beneath the overhang there is a layer of
stones within the rim bank, because this part is 1.2m lower
than the platform with the rest of the cairn it was erroneously
suggested in 1976 that this was a separate ring cairn.
For 14m to the SE, outcrop extending to the southern cliff face
shows no evidence of stone packing in crevices or against rock
faces. But 5m to 8m below, along the base of the cliff, vast
amounts of stone have been lodged in a bank 40m long and up to 10m
wide. At the cliff base the packing appears to be between 1m and
2m deep, lessening as it extends outwards to the S.
In 1976 it was considered to be material thrown from the cairn on the
top of the cliff during clearance for the medieval chapel and its
enclosure. Some of the stones are doubtless the result of this,
supplemented by material from the chapel ruins, but this form of
clearance cannot possibly account for the quanitity of stone, its
extensive distribution, or the deliberate packing into crevices and
beneath overhangs.
By considering the plan of the monument, irrespective of its various
levels and intervening blocks of outcrop, enough survives to suggest an intended form. The high platform may have contained a cairn 15m
to 20m in diameter, at least 1m high and probably considerably more, its southern perimeter coinciding with the cliff top.
Elsewhere, around the cairn was a berm perhaps 3m or more wide
and edged by a 25m diameter rim bank, all representing the top of the cairn. Where practicable and also where the visual aspect
would be enhaced, packing the surrounding slopes produced
intermittent sides of a cairn with an overall diameter of 40m to 45m.
Cairns, where the top is encompassed by a rim bank enclosing a
berm and central mound, are common on Bodmin Moor but it is unique
for a tor cairn to adopt a similar form. (4)
Two adjoining cairns, situated on the summit of the main outcrop of Rough Tor. The larger cairn has a central mound and an outer bank, both of heaped rubble. The mound measures 18 metres by 15 metres, rising to 1.7 metres on its north-west side. The outer bank is located on the edge of the terrace, 1 to 5 metres from the mound in the north-west quadrant only. This bank survives up to 3 metres wide and 1.4 metres high, and a curving bank of rubble, 5 metres wide and 1 metre high, heaped against the foot of the scarp face beyond the mound's southern edge, continues the line of the bank. The adjoining cairn is located on a slightly lower, narrow outcrop projecting north-east from that occupied by the larger cairn. It survives as a sub-circular heaped rubble mound, 12 metres in diameter and up to 0.3 metres high with a slight central hollow. The larger mound has been considerably disturbed by the insertion of a medieval chapel (434605). Scheduled. (5) |