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 cairnfield composed of between five and eight small
cairns and an enclosing bank. It is on Barningham Moor, in the modern sheep-
grazing enclosure known as Scale Knoll Allotment. The cairnfield occupies a
level area south of the road from Barningham to East Hope, just east of
Woodclose Gill. The cairnfield covers an area 80m by 73m and is enclosed on
its southern and western sides by a slight bank, which incorporates two of the
cairns.
The cairns are predominantly between 4m and 5m in diameter and 0.4m high.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
30473
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
