Watty Bell's round cairn
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1015839
- Date first listed:
- 03-Jul-1997
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Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 1999-09-01
- Reference:
- IOE01/01569/19
- Rights:
- © Mr John A Long. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1015839
- Date first listed:
- 03-Jul-1997
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Alwinton
- District:
- Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Harbottle
- District:
- Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Rochester
- National Park:
- Northumberland
- National Grid Reference:
- NT 89206 01890
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.
Watty Bell's cairn is reasonably well preserved and retains significant archaeological deposits. The importance of the monument is enhanced by the fact that it is one of a larger group of cairns in the area; taken together they will add to our understanding of prehistoric ritual and funerary practices.
Details
The monument includes a round cairn of Bronze Age date situated on the highest part of a hill commanding extensive views to the north, east and west. The flat topped cairn is composed of stone and earth and measures 10m in diameter. It stands to a maximum height of 1.5m. The upper surface of the cairn has been used as a quarry for stone.
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:
- 28545
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Charlton, B, Fifty centuries of Peace and War, (1996), 29& 24
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 01-Jul-2026 at 16:51:37.
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.