Bell Knowe round cairn, 200m north east of The Cragg
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1008268
- Date first listed:
- 06-Sept-1994
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1008268
- Date first listed:
- 06-Sept-1994
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Corsenside
- National Grid Reference:
- NY 88643 85610
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.
Bell Knowe round cairn survives very well and contains significant archaeological deposits. It will contribute to our knowledge and understanding of Bronze Age settlement and activity in the area.
Details
The monument includes the remains of a round cairn of prehistoric date situated on the summit of a hill above the River Rede to the north. It is composed of stone and earth and measures 16m in diameter and stands to a maximum height of 1.4m. There is a hollow 5m in diameter and 0.85m deep at the centre of the cairn, the result of partial excavation in the 19th century.
MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 25034
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Heritage Sites, , Landscape Surveys Ltd, , The Cragg Quarry, West Woodburn Northumberland, (1991)
Heritage Sites, , Landscape Services, , Archaeology in Northumberland 1991-92 in The Bell Knowe Tumulus, West Woodburn, (1992), 14-15
Other
NY 88 NE 7,
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.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 08-Jun-2026 at 08:02:04.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.