Cairn on Blue Scar 460m NW of Springs Cave

Overview

Heritage Category: Scheduled Monument

List Entry Number: 1014356

Date first listed: 07-Mar-1996

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

National Park: YORKSHIRE DALES

National Grid Reference: SD 93552 70704

Summary

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

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.

This is a well preserved example of this monument type located in a prominent position on a limestone escarpment and in close proximity to a substantial prehistoric settlement site.

History

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Details

The monument includes a small cairn situated in a prominent position on a natural limestone outcrop overlooking Littondale. It is constructed of loose limestone fragments which can be seen in places protruding through the thin turf. The cairn is oval with measurements of 11m by 8m, the long axis running north west to south east, and an average height of c.0.7m. The foundation of a boundary wall runs up the west side of the mound and is included in the scheduling. The cairn lies approximately 300m south east of a prehistoric settlement site, which is scheduled separately.

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: 27938

Legacy System: RSM

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 Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.