Reasons for Designation
Cairnfields are concentrations of cairns sited in close proximity to one
another. They often consist largely of clearance cairns, built with stone
cleared from the surrounding landsurface to improve its use for agriculture,
and on occasion their distribution pattern can be seen to define field plots.
However, funerary cairns are also frequently incorporated, although without
excavation it may be impossible to determine which cairns contain burials.
Clearance cairns were constructed from the Neolithic period (from c.3400 BC),
although the majority of examples appear to be the result of field clearance
which began during the earlier Bronze Age and continued into the later Bronze
Age (2000-700 BC). The considerable longevity and variation in the size,
content and associations of cairnfields provide important information on the
development of land use and agricultural practices. Cairnfields also retain
information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation during the
prehistoric period.
Details
The monument includes a group of at least thirty field clearance cairns and
several funerary cairns situated on the flat pass between Witchy Neuk
hillfort and Swindon Hill. The cairns are heather-covered mounds ranging in
size from 3m to 6m in diameter and with the largest up to 1m in height. There
are no visible traces of retaining circles of stone. Some of the mounds were
opened earlier this century by James Brook of Hepple but no records of this
work survive.
The cairnfield represents a period of clearance for agricultural purposes.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
20905
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals 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
