Reasons for Designation
The East Moors in Derbyshire includes all the gritstone moors east of the
River Derwent. It covers an area of 105 sq km, of which around 63% is open
moorland and 37% is enclosed. As a result of recent and on-going
archaeological survey, the East Moors area is becoming one of the best
recorded upland areas in England. On the enclosed land the archaeological
remains are fragmentary, but survive sufficiently well to show that early
human activity extended beyond the confines of the open moors.
On the open moors there is significant and well-articulated evidence over
extensive areas for human exploitation of the gritstone uplands from the
Neolithic to the post-medieval periods. Bronze Age activity accounts for the
most intensive use of the moorlands. Evidence for it includes some of the
largest and best preserved field systems and cairnfields in northern England
as well settlement sites, numerous burial monuments, stone circles and other
ceremonial remains which, together, provide a detailed insight into life in
the Bronze Age. Also of importance is the well preserved and often visible
relationship between the remains of earlier and later periods since this
provides an insight into successive changes in land use through time.
A large number of the prehistoric sites on the moors, because of their rarity
in a national context, excellent state of preservation and inter-connections,
will be identified as nationally important.
Details
The monument includes a small embanked stone circle, dating to the Bronze
Age, standing on a moorland shelf overlooking the Wyming Brook. The
embankment is constructed from earth and stones and has an internal circle of
small standing stones.
The low embankment is oval in plan, between 1m and 2m in width, with external
measurements of 9m by 7.5m. The inner face of the embankment is formed by a
ring of standing and fallen stones defining an enclosed area of approximately
5.5m by 4.5m. Two of the stones appear to be standing in their original
position and are 0.45m and 0.55m high. There is at least one other standing
stone which has now fallen and another two which are likely to have been
displaced from the ring. In addition to the inner ring of standing stones are
three stone slabs, between 0.15m and 0.20m high, which are thought to be the
remains of a drystone kerb on the inside of the embankment. The central area
of the circle is flat with no evidence of a central cairn.
The circle stands in an area of cleared ground with the slight remains of two
or three clearance cairns visible to its south and south east. Approximately
100m to the NNE is a standing stone about 0.60m high which may have been
connected with the ceremonial function of the monument and is the subject of a
separate scheduling.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
31245
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
