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Two round cairns, 375m north-west of Uplaw Knowe

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1008276
Date first listed:: 29-Mar-1994

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1008276
Date first listed:: 29-Mar-1994

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Biddlestone
National Park:: NORTHUMBERLAND
National Grid Reference:: NT 90805 08878

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.

Despite some disturbance to the centre of one of the cairns, the two round cairns north-west of Uplaw Knowe survive well. The importance of the monument is increased by the survival of a third cairn and a Bronze Age cross dyke in the immediate vicinity; taken together they provide a clear indication of the extent of Bronze Age settlement in the area.

Details

The monument includes two round cairns of prehistoric date situated on a level saddle on a narrow ridge above the Alwinton Burn. The most easterly of the two cairns measures 5m in diameter amd stands to a maximum height of 0.6m high. The second cairn, situated 8m to the west is more substantial than the first and measures 11m in diameter and stands to a maximum height of 1m. There is a large shallow hollow in the upper surface of the north-west quadrant, the result of an unrecorded partial excavation.

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:: 25017
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Other
NT 90 NW 13,

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 Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.