Rillaton Barrow

The Rillaton Barrow, a large Early Bronze Age grave mound, is located near the village of Minions, north of Liskeard on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. The village lies at Caradon Hill, the highest point in south-east Cornwall. There are other prehistoric monuments and copper mines in the surrounding area.

Hills and stone box

The hill dates from the period between 1700 - 1500 BC and has 30 m diameter. In 1837, stone -seeking miners discovered on the eastern edge of the hill a stone box made ​​of granite. The 2.4 m long and 1.1 m wide box contained the remains of a human skeleton, a copper dagger, ceramic, pearls, and the so-called " Rillaton Gold Cup ".

The Gold Cup

The " Rillaton Gold Cup " is a horizontally ribbed cup of 80 mm height. The form has parallels in the ( Unetice culture), in Emilia Romagna ( Emilia Montecchio ) and in England ( Ringlemere Gold Cup, in Kent). The piece is either imported from the continent or a local imitation. It required great skill to produce the corrugated profile. The handle is decorated with two sets of grooves and attached to the cup body with diamond-shaped panes.

The cup that was some time in the possession of the royal family, since 1936 in the British Museum. A copy of the Rillaton Cup is in Cornwall Museum in Truro. Many other artifacts from the stone box has been lost.

In the surrounding area

• The Cheesewring and the Druids Chair are about 1 ½ miles north, at Nether Minions in the swamp. The rock formations are the result of acting over thousands of years of erosion of the granite layers.
• The Hurlers, a complex of three Bronze Age stone circles, are 200 meters from Rillaton Barrow on the west side of the village and the menhir "The Long Stone / Long Tom" is 850 meters away.

Nearby mining was carried out on copper. The only remnant of this period is the ruin of a power plant, all other remains have disappeared. Opened for the transport of the silver - gray granite 1844 railway line to Liskeard and Looe for export is only visible in places and is used by walkers or riders.

North of the village, this restored Houseman 's Engine House stands with an exhibition on the history and nature of the environment.