Reaveley Hill cairn cemetery

Summary

Reaveley Hill round cairn cemetery, 910m NNW of Ewe Hill.

Reasons for Designation

Round cairn cemeteries date to the Bronze Age. They comprise groups of cairns sited in close proximity to one another and take the form of stone mounds constructed to cover single or multiple burials. Contemporary or later `flat' graves may lie between individual cairns. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time and they can exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form. Occasionally they are associated with earlier long cairns. They may also be associated with clearance cairns - heaps of stones cleared from the adjacent ground surface to improve its quality for agricultural activities; these were also being constructed during the Bronze Age, although some examples are of later date. It may be impossible without excavation to distinguish between some burial and clearance cairns. Round cairn cemeteries occur throughout most of upland Britain; their distribution pattern complements that of contemporary lowland earthen round barrows. Often occupying prominent locations they are a major historic element in the modern landscape. Their diversity and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of preservation.

The monument contains both clearance cairns and burial cairns, it is reasonably well-preserved and is representative of the period. It will contain archaeological deposits that relate to its construction and use and will inform our understanding of prehistoric settlement and agriculture.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 31 May 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes the remains of a round cairn cemetery of Bronze Age date situated on the upper south facing slopes of Reaveley Hill. The cemetery contains at least forty round cairns which vary in height from 0.3m to 0.9m and from 3.7m to 9.4m wide.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

ND 468

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 5104

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