Reasons for Designation
Round cairns are funerary monuments covering single or multiple burials and
dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000 - 700 BC). They were constructed as mounds of
earth and stone rubble up to 40m in external diameter but usually considerably
smaller; a kerb of edge set stones sometimes bound the edges of the mound.
Burials were placed in small pits, on the old land surface or, on occasion,
within a box-like structure called a cist let into the old ground surface or
dug into the body of the cairn. Round cairns can occur as isolated monuments,
in small groups or in large cemeteries. Their considerable variation in form
and longevity as a monument type provides important information on the
diversity of beliefs, burial practices and social organisation in the Bronze
Age. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial
proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of preservation.
Despite limited antiquarian investigation the round cairn 690m south-east of
Gaythorne Cottages survives well. This investigation located human and faunal
remains together with pottery, and further evidence of interments and grave
goods will exist within the mound and upon the old landsurface.
Details
The monument is a round cairn located on the gently graded north-facing slope
of Gaythorne Plain 690m south-east of Gaythorne Cottages. It includes a
largely turf-covered oval mound of limestone rubble up to 1.2m high with
maximum dimensions of 18m by 14m. Limited antiquarian investigation located
the broken and scattered bones of two individuals situated upon a rock outcrop
around which the cairn had been constructed. A short distance south-east of
the mound's centre was an urn containing a cremation, and elsewhere amongst
the cairn ox bones were located.
An information sign on the monument's eastern side is excluded from the
scheduling although the ground beneath it is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22472
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
