4,000-year-old Bronze Age mound vandalised after someone removed rocks

A 4,000-year-old Bronze Age burial mound has been vandalised after rocks were removed from the protected historical site.

The damage to Fire Beacon Cairn, near Crowcombe on the Quantock Hills National Landscape in Somerset, was spotted by a landowner on two occasions and quickly reported to local rangers and Historic England.

Iain Porter, head ranger on the Quantock Hills, said: ‘It’s not a pile of stones – it’s a very important historic site… showing the ceremonial nature of that landscape historically.’

The cairn is one of around 50 Scheduled Monuments across the hills, where it is illegal to move rocks or dig into the ground.

The human-made mound is formed from a stack of stones marking a burial site and is intended to measure around 4.9ft high and 82ft in diameter.

Mr Porter said: ‘Archaeologists and heritage officers are very concerned because if there are any finds or if there is any archaeological evidence of use and dating material, that’s where it’s going to be.’

He added that repairing the damage would likely come at a financial cost.

Dr Richard Brunning, senior historic environment officer at the South West Heritage Trust, said it was ‘especially worrying’ when ancient monuments were damaged.

He said: ‘They’ve survived this long; it’d be terrible just to be destroyed on someone’s whim.

‘Archaeologically, they’re very important when they’re excavated because they hold human remains that give us very good evidence for what past people were like.

‘We can do all sorts of wonderful bits of science that you could never do in the past, such as looking at DNA from people buried that long ago.’

A Historic England spokesperson said the cairn had only recently been repaired after being vandalised two years ago.

They added: ‘We ask that the public remain vigilant and report any further vandalism to Historic England and the Quantock Hills National Landscape team.’

Quantock Hills National Landscape said the latest damage occurred ‘last week, and again over the weekend’.

A spokesperson added: ‘Information and evidence have been sent to Historic England. The pre-historic landscape is a key feature of the Quantock Hills with over 50 Scheduled Monuments and damage to a Scheduled Monument is a criminal offense.

‘At these sites it is illegal to move rocks, stones or soil, to dig into or to cause any damage. It is also illegal to use metal detectors.’

Mr Porter, manager of the Quantock Hills National Landscape Team, said: ‘It is upsetting to see the level of damage caused to this Scheduled Monument.

‘These sites form a vast network allowing us to understand the ceremonial importance of the hills from the Neolithic, through the Bronze Age and into the Iron Age. We are working with the landowner and partners from Historic England and the South West Heritage Trust to assess the damage and to repair the site.’ 

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