Two round cairns south west of Tuppie's Grave

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1010334
Date first listed:: 13-Jun-1968

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1010334
Date first listed:: 13-Jun-1968
Date of most recent amendment:: 15-Dec-1994

Location

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

District:: Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Kilham
National Park:: NORTHUMBERLAND
National Grid Reference:: NT 85455 26709

Reasons for Designation

Round cairn cemeteries date to the Bronze Age. They comprise groups of cairns sited in close proximity to one another and take the form of stone mounds constructed to cover single or multiple burials. Contemporary or later `flat' graves may lie between individual cairns. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time and they can exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form. Occasionally they are associated with earlier long cairns. They may also be associated with clearance cairns - heaps of stones cleared from the adjacent ground surface to improve its quality for agricultural activities; these were also being constructed during the Bronze Age, although some examples are of later date. It may be impossible without excavation to distinguish between some burial and clearance cairns. Round cairn cemeteries occur throughout most of upland Britain; their distribution pattern complements that of contemporary lowland earthen round barrows. Often occupying prominent locations they are a major historic element in the modern landscape. Their diversity and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of preservation.

These round cairns are well preserved and are visible from a large area. They are members of a series of cairns stretching from here to Madam Law and Trowupburn and north to Coldsmouth Hill. As such, these cairns will contribute significantly towards a fuller understanding of the funerary landscape of the Bronze Age and will contribute to the study of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric commuities. Although there is evidence that the cairns may have been robbed in the past, other excavations have shown that many cairns have a number of burials or cremations in addition to the main central one. The archaeological potential therefore remains high.

Details

This monument includes two round cairns situated on a plateau with White Law hill to the south. Both cairns are built of stone and are covered by earth and turf. The southern cairn measures 9m in diameter and is 0.6m high and has a slight depression in the middle. The northern cairn is situated less than 10m away and is 7m in diameter and 0.5m high. This cairn has a depression 0.4m deep in the centre indicating that an attempt has been made to rob it in the past.

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:: 24590
Legacy System:: RSM

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.