MSO7885 - Bronze Age cairn southeast of the Whit Stones (Monument)

A "hummock which might be a small round barrow with a tomb-robber's pit in the centre" lies 8 paces from the foot of the south stone of the Whitstones (MSO7881) at a right angle to the main alignment. It is 4 paces in diameter and is comprised of stony material. [1,2] A small mound lies 7 metres to the southeast of the Whit Stones (MSO7881) at SS 8533 4628. It is 4 metres in diameter and a maximum of 0.8 metres high on its east side. The western side has been damaged by a track. A small depression lies in the centre of the mound and on the edge of the track. This may be the remains of a prehistoric cairn, or it may be the result of more recent disturbance. [3] The grid reference (SS 8533 4628) lies to the north of the stones and is clearly incorrect. From the description it should be SS 8533 4625. [4] The cairn was surveyed in 2002 due to concerns of erosion of the cairn by a neighbouring footpath. The path cut across the site from north to south, straight through the cairn. Top soil and vegetation had been removed, revealing medium to large sized stones that may or may not be original cairn material. Running water from recent heavy rainfall had washed sediment into and over the cairn where the path ran through it. The survey sought to establish the relationship between and the position of the Whit Stones (MSO7881) and the cairn, together with the relationship between the cairn and the path. The survey also noted the perimeters of the cairn and picked up what appeared to be a ditch surrounding part of the mound. A clear edge in the spread of cairn material could be seen and was recorded where it lay before the cleared area was recovered and the vegetation replaced. The path was seen to be an immediate threat to the cairn's physical integrity. [5] Conservation works were undertaken under the Monument Management Scheme in Spring 2002 to consolidate the area damaged by the path and deter its future use by animals. [6] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [7]