Round cairn, 150m east of Kingscrag Gate
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1011078
- Date first listed:
- 16-Nov-1965
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Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1011078
- Date first listed:
- 16-Nov-1965
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 16-Mar-1994
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Simonburn
- National Park:
- Northumberland
- National Grid Reference:
- NY 79623 70841
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.
Although the round cairn has been subject to partial excavation in the past, the extent of disturbance is limited and archaeological deposits survive well. The monument is one of a number of contemporary monuments in the vicinity; taken together, these monuments provide a clear indication of the extent of Bronze Age settlement in the area.
Details
The monument includes a round cairn of Bronze Age date situated at the bottom of a south-facing slope, beneath King's Crags. The cairn, which is composed of loose stone, is 10m in diameter and has a maximum height of 0.8m. There is a hollow in the centre of the cairn, the result of partial excavation in the 19th century. A large broken slab which lies in the centre of the hollow is the cover stone of a stone coffin or cist.
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:
- 20978
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Other
NY 77 SE 03,
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.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 25-Jun-2026 at 08:42:29.
Download a full scale map (PDF)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.