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 of the monument's centre, the round
cairn on Dale Moor survives well. This investigation located human remains,
pottery and decorative beads, 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-east facing
hillside of Dale Moor 360m south of Lane Head. It includes a turf-covered oval
mound of limestone rubble up to 0.75m high with maximum dimensions of 10.5m by
9m. Two boulders on the edge of the cairn's north-eastern quadrant are the
remains of a kerb. Limited antiquarian investigation of the monument's centre
located an inhumation, an urn, and disc beads of brownish lignite.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22474
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
