Cairn 500m west of Debdon Farm

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 west of Debdon Farm has undergone partial excavation in the past, the limit of disturbance is confined to the central area and significant surrounding archaeological deposits survive undisturbed. Additionally, this cairn is one of a group of prehistoric burial cairns in the area and it will contribute to our understanding of prehistoric settlement and activity in the region.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a cairn of Bronze Age date situated in a hollow between two hills. The monument survives as a circle of eight stones measuring 4.6m in diameter, backed by a bank of earth up to 3m wide and surviving to a height of 0.7m. The area within the circle of stones is now empty but was originally filled with cairn material which has subsequently been removed. The cairn was excavated towards the end of the 19th century by Canon Greenwell who discovered a central grave containing cremated bone and charcoal. The cairn, which measures a total of 8.5m in diameter, has no visible traces of a surrounding ditch.

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:

20899

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Greenwell, W, British Barrows, (1877)

Other
No. 2582,

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.