Reasons for Designation
Cairnfields are concentrations of cairns sited in close proximity to one
another. They often consist largely of clearance cairns, built with stone
cleared from the surrounding landsurface to improve its use for agriculture,
and on occasion their distribution pattern can be seen to define field plots.
However, funerary cairns are also frequently incorporated, although without
excavation it may be impossible to determine which cairns contain burials.
Clearance cairns were constructed from the Neolithic period (from c.3400 BC),
although the majority of examples appear to be the result of field clearance
which began during the earlier Bronze Age and continued into the later Bronze
Age (2000-700 BC). The considerable longevity and variation in the size,
content and associations of cairnfields provide important information on the
development of land use and agricultural practices. Cairnfields also retain
information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation during the
prehistoric period.
Details
The monument includes a cairnfield with four to five small cairns, and four
carved rocks. They are situated on Weston Moor, north of a rectangular
plantation. The cairns are 1m-4m in diameter, and all have been subject to
extensive stone robbing. They may have been larger originally, but are
unlikely to have exceeded 5m in diameter. The denuded condition of these
cairns, and of others on Weston Moor, suggests that there may have been many
more cairns on this moor before enclosure and `improvement'.
The carved rocks mostly have simple carvings of two to four cups, with the
exception of the rock known as Greystone Rock, which has a complex cup and
ring design.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
28066
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
