Reasons for Designation
A ring cairn is a prehistoric ritual monument comprising a circular bank of
stones up to 20m in diameter surrounding a hollow central area. The bank may
be kerbed on the inside, and sometimes on the outside as well, with small
uprights or laid boulders. Ring cairns are found mainly in upland areas of
England and are mostly discovered and authenticated by fieldwork and ground
level survey, although a few are large enough to be visible on aerial
photographs. They often occur in pairs or small groups of up to four examples.
Occasionally they lie within round barrow cemeteries. Ring cairns are
interpreted as ritual monuments of Early and Middle Bronze Age date. The exact
nature of the rituals concerned is not fully understood, but excavation has
revealed pits, some containing burials and others containing charcoal and
pottery, taken to indicate feasting activities associated with the burial
rituals. Many areas of upland have not yet been surveyed in detail and the
number of ring cairns in England is not accurately known. However, available
evidence indicates a population of between 250 and 500 examples. As a
relatively rare class of monument exhibiting considerable variation in form,
all positively identified examples retaining significant archaeological
deposits are considered worthy of preservation.
Details
This monument includes a ring cairn and a bowl barrow situated on a high
upland ridge known as Welsford Moor, overlooking the valley of a tributary to
Seckington Water.
The ring cairn survives as a circular enclosure which measures 32.9m in
diameter and which is enclosed by a bank which measures up to 3.9m wide and 1m
high. An outer ditch is visible on the eastern side where it measures up to
3.9m wide and 0.1m deep; elsewhere it is preserved as a buried feature. The
whole feature is crossed by a substantial field boundary bank which runs
approximately north west to south east and is deeply ditched on the western
side and supports a stock proof fence on its eastern side. Immediately
adjacent to the boundary and running parallel with it on the western side is a
track. This has been built up to a height of 0.4m and is 5.4m wide.
The bowl barrow lies to the east and survives as a circular mound which
measures 29.4m in diameter and is 1.4m high. The surrounding quarry ditch from
which material to construct the mound was derived is preserved as a buried
feature and measures approximately 3m wide. The archaeologically sensitive
area between these two distinctive features is also included in the
scheduling.
The field boundary, stock proof fence and track are excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
32237
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
