Reasons for Designation
Round cairns are prehistoric funerary monuments dating to the Bronze Age
(c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as stone mounds covering single or
multiple burials. These burials may be placed within the mound in stone-lined
compartments called cists. In some cases the cairn was surrounded by a ditch.
Often occupying prominent locations, cairns are a major visual element in the
modern landscape. They are a relatively common feature of the uplands and are
the stone equivalent of the earthen round barrows of the lowlands. Their
considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provide
important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation
amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of
their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered
worthy of protection.
Details
The monument is a round cairn located in flat pasture 200m south-west of
Sutton Hall. It includes a largely turf-covered oval mound of stones up to
1.6m high with maximum dimensions of 23.5m by 18m. There is a central hollow
7m in diameter and 0.3m deep in the cairn's summit in which a water-trough is
now situated. On the northern side of the mound is a shallow depression
indicating the site of limited excavation undertaken in 1962. This excavation
found the cairn to be largely composed of river cobbles. A small number of
secondary cremations were found but not the primary burial at the monument's
centre.
The water tank is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath
the tank is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22574
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
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
