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 cairn has been subject to partial exavation in the past, the
extent of disturbance is limited and archaeological deposits survive well.
Evidence of the manner of construction and the nature and duration of use
will be preserved within and beneath the mound. It is a rare survival in this
part of Northumberland where few other round cairns are known.
Details
The monument includes a cairn of Bronze Age date situated in the centre of a
cultivated field. It measures 12m in diameter and survives to a height of 1.2m
high. The mound is hollowed in the centre, the result of partial excavation in
1866 in which a central stone coffin containing the remains of a burial and a
flint, and two secondary cremations, one of the latter in a Bronze Age pot,
were uncovered. 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:
20925
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals 'Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 2 ser 4 1889-90' in Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 2 ser 4 1889-90, (1889), 11-112Other No. 5521,
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.
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