A cairn, east of Scale Knoll Allotment, 260m south west of Haythwaite, Barningham Moor

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1017438
Date first listed:: 24-Oct-1997

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1017438
Date first listed:: 24-Oct-1997

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: County Durham (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Barningham
National Grid Reference:: NZ 05677 08873

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.

The cairn 260m south west of Haythwaite has been disturbed, but it retains evidence of its form and location. It forms an important part of the prehistoric landscape of Barningham Moor, which includes numerous prehistoric carved rocks and evidence for prehistoric burials, settlements and the agricultural use of the land. This site will therefore contribute to studies of prehistoric burial practices and changing land use.

Details

The monument includes a cairn, 5m in diameter. It is situated on Barningham Moor, east of the modern sheep-grazing enclosure known as Scale Knoll Allotment. It is on a prominent knoll. An accurate National Grid Reference is NZ 05669 08875. The cairn is composed of sandstone rubble. Although some stones have been robbed it still survives to a height of 0.2m.

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:: 30476
Legacy System:: RSM

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.