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 large prehistoric cairnfield on the south edge of the
upland plateau of Ravock, on Bowes Moor, 880m north west of Ravock Castle.
The cairnfield consists of at least 80 cairns and several rubble banks. The
cairns are between 2m and 7m in diameter and are up to 0.7m high. They are
composed of sandstone rubble and boulders. All have had some stone removed in
the past for walling. Nine of the cairns are significantly larger, between 10m
and 12m in diameter. All of these larger cairns have been robbed for
walling stone and survive as sub-circular or crescentic rubble banks. One of
the cairns has a derelict modern wall built across it. The rubble banks vary
from indistinct stony crests to substantial banks 4m wide and 0.5m high.
The combination of cairns and linear banks indicates that the complex is
largely the remains of a prehistoric field system although some cairns,
particularly the larger ones, may also have been used for burial.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
31819
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
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.
End of official list entry
