Reasons for Designation
A ring cairn is a prehistoric ritual monument comprising a circular bank of
stones up to 20m in diameter surrounding a hollow central area. The bank may
be kerbed on the inside, and sometimes on the outside as well, with small
uprights or laid boulders. Ring cairns are found mainly in upland areas of
England and are mostly discovered and authenticated by fieldwork and ground
level survey, although a few are large enough to be visible on aerial
photographs. They often occur in pairs or small groups of up to four examples.
Occasionally they lie within round barrow cemeteries. Ring cairns are
interpreted as ritual monuments of Early and Middle Bronze Age date. The exact
nature of the rituals concerned is not fully understood, but excavation has
revealed pits, some containing burials and others containing charcoal and
pottery, taken to indicate feasting activities associated with the burial
rituals. Many areas of upland have not yet been surveyed in detail and the
number of ring cairns in England is not accurately known. However, available
evidence indicates a population of between 250 and 500 examples. As a
relatively rare class of monument exhibiting considerable variation in form,
all positively identified examples retaining significant archaeological
deposits are considered worthy of preservation.
Details
The monument is a ring cairn located on Askham Fell together with four
adjacent stones a short distance to the south east. It includes a turf-covered
mound of stones up to 0.7m high and 10m in diameter. Around the edge of the
summit of this cairn are ten large, closely spaced, earthfast boulders up to
0.9m high with smaller stones in between, which form a circle 6m in diameter.
The centre of the cairn, within the circle of boulders, contains a hollow 0.4m
deep. There are four upright stones 8m south east of the cairn, which are up
to 0.2m high set in a rectangular configuration measuring 2.5m by 3m.
Limited antiquarian investigation at the centre of the ring cairn located an
adult cremation and two sherds of pottery deposited in a hollow 0.6m in
diameter and 0.6m deep and covered by a layer of sand. Above the sand was a
food vessel identified as a Yorkshire Vase and now deposited in the British
Museum.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22530
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
