Reasons for Designation
A ring cairn is a prehistoric ritual monument comprising a circular bank of
stones up to 20m in diameter surrounding a hollow central area. The bank may
be kerbed on the inside, and sometimes on the outside as well, with small
uprights or laid boulders. Ring cairns are found mainly in upland areas of
England and are mostly discovered and authenticated by fieldwork and ground
level survey, although a few are large enough to be visible on aerial
photographs. They often occur in pairs or small groups of up to four examples.
Occasionally they lie within round barrow cemeteries. Ring cairns are
interpreted as ritual monuments of Early and Middle Bronze Age date. The exact
nature of the rituals concerned is not fully understood, but excavation has
revealed pits, some containing burials and others containing charcoal and
pottery, taken to indicate feasting activities associated with the burial
rituals. Many areas of upland have not yet been surveyed in detail and the
number of ring cairns in England is not accurately known. However, available
evidence indicates a population of between 250 and 500 examples. As a
relatively rare class of monument exhibiting considerable variation in form,
all positively identified examples retaining significant archaeological
deposits are considered worthy of preservation.
Details
This monument includes a large Bronze Age burial cairn situated at the north
end of the summit of Coldsmouth Hill. Two concentric stone banks enclose
a horseshoe shaped arc of stones. At the centre of the cairn is a sunken stone
box, or cist, which contained a cremation. The monument is the northernmost of
two ring cairns on the top of the hill. The ground falls away steeply on all
sides, affording extensive views to the north, east and west.
The outer ring is formed by a bank of unbonded stones and boulders 15m, in
diameter, 4m wide and up to 0.5m high. It is partly covered with turf. Within
it is an inner ring of loose stones and boulders, 10m in diameter. A third
inner ring, open to the north west, surrounds a central stone cist. The cist
consists of stone slabs set on edge and sunk into the ground to form a stone
box, 0.4m by 0.5m, and 0.3m deep. Excavations carried out in 1929 revealed
that this contained cremated bone; a flint saw and a bronze dagger were found
nearby.
A modern cairn, c.2m high, is situated on the outer bank of the cairn on the
east side.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
24586
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
