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 the outside as well, with small
uprights or laid boulders. Within the central hollow area may be charcoal-
filled pits and sometimes burials, occasionally under small mounds. 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 sites. Occasionally they lie within round
barrow cemeteries. Ring cairns are traditionally interpreted as ritual
monuments of early and middle Bronze Age date. The exact nature of the
rituals concerned is not fully understood, but burial and rites in
celebration of the dead were undertaken at some examples. Evidence for this
activity includes pits, some of which contain burials. Often, however,
excavation reveals some of the pits to contain charcoal, sometimes with
fragments of pottery and other objects mixed in. Hearths, usually recorded
as areas of burning, are fairly common within ring cairns, as too are stone
settings comprising lines or arcs of slabs or boulders which appear to have
been deliberately arranged as such. White quartz pebbles have also been
noted at some ring cairns. The number of ring cairns in England is not
accurately known, largely because not all upland areas have been adequately
surveyed. However available evidence indicates a population of between 250
and 500 known examples. As a relatively rare class of monument exhibiting
considerable variation in form, a substantial proportion of surviving
examples are considered worthy of preservation.
The Ewden Beck ring cairn is well preserved and will retain considerable
information relating to its original form and use. Its importance is
enhanced by its close proximity to a nationally important barrow cemetery
and cross dyke.
Details
The site lies just south of Ewden Beck and c.100m north of Ewden Beck round-
barrow cemetery and cross-dyke. It consists of four 0.5m high boulders set
within a circular rubble bank measuring c.20m in diameter. Although the site
has not been excavated, its overall appearance and its location identify it
as a ring-cairn, a form of early and middle Bronze Age ritual monument.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
13250
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
