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 small cairnfield which includes a rubble bank on its
eastern edge. It is situated on Barningham Moor, on and around a small knoll
at Badger Way Stoop. The cairnfield consists of six cairns and the rubble
bank. The cairns are between 4m and 5m in diameter and survive to a
maximum height of 0.4m. Most of them have been robbed for stone at some time
in the past.
The rubble bank is on the east side of the knoll. The bank is
about 2m wide, 0.2m high, and 58m long. It may have formed part of an
enclosure associated with the cairnfield.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
30483
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
