Southernmost of two cairns east of Glovershaw quarry

Reasons for Designation

Rombalds Moor is an eastern outlier of the main Pennine range lying between the valleys of the Wharfe and the Aire. The bulk of this area of 90 sq km of rough moorland lies over 200m above sea level. The moor is particularly rich in remains of prehistoric activity. The most numerous relics are the rock carvings which can be found on many of the boulders and outcrops scattered across the moor. Burial monuments, stone circles and a range of enclosed settlements are also known. 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. 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. A substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Although partially excavated, this cairn will still retain important evidence of its original form and of the burials placed within it.

Details

The monument includes a subcircular cairn situated on boggy ground east of Glovershaw quarry. This is the southernmost of two such cairns. In appearance it has characteristics of a ring cairn; it is a low subcircular bank of earth and stones. This bank is a maximum of 0.6m high and 1.5m wide; it encloses an area 9m in diameter. This present form is largely the result of partial excavation which has removed the centre of the original round cairn, leaving just the outer margin of the mound. This cairn was surrounded by a ditch which is now largely in-filled but remains visible as a shallow depression on the north east side, 0.4m wide and c.0.15m deep. Although this cairn is known to have been excavated in 1949, it seems, that the cairn was not excavated below ground level, but was `uncovered'; the turf and soil being removed down to the `hidden boulders'.

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:

25276

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Archaeology Group Bulletin in Archaeology Group Bulletin, Vol. 7/1, (1962), 2
Report 1949 - 1952 in Cartwright Memorial Hall Museum Archaelogy Group Report, (1952), 1

End of official list entry

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