Round cairn on Calf Ridge, 800m east of The Shooting Box

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.

The round cairn on the summit of Calf Ridge survives well and is a good example of the class. It will retain archaeological evidence relating to the construction of the cairn and its subsequent use. Environmental evidence relating to the landscape in which the monument was constructed will be preserved beneath the mound and in the ditch fill. It is one of several monuments of a similar age in the area and so contributes valuable information relating to the settlement pattern, nature of land use, burial practices and social stucture of the prehistoric community occupying this area of upland during the Bronze Age.

Details

The monument includes a round cairn situated on the rounded summit of Calf Ridge, an exposed hilltop visible from all directions. The cairn survives as a stony mound 16m in diameter and standing up to 0.9m high. Where the turf cover is eroded and the fabric of the mound is exposed, it shows an earth and stone construction with individual stones averaging 0.2m in size. Although no longer visible as a surface feature, a surrounding ditch from which material for the construction of the cairn would have been quarried, will survive as a buried feature with an estimated width of 2m.

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:

19169

Legacy System:

RSM

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.