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 the remains of a Bronze Age field system, comprising a
cairnfield, enclosure and embanked area, situated on the western shoulder of
Fredden Hill. The ground slopes gently to the north and south and, to the
north, overlooks a deep valley called The Trows at the head of the Humbleton
Burn. The monument is divided into two areas of protection separated by a
modern track and an area of forestry.
The area of protection to the north includes an extensive cairnfield, an
irregular enclosure and a sinuous bank. The cairnfield contains up to 80
cairns and includes a mixture of field clearance and burial cairns; in one of
the cairns the remains of a cist have been noted in the past. The cairns
measure up to 5m in diameter and stand up to 0.75m high. Towards the southern
edge of the cairnfield there is a group of 15 cairns which are interpreted as
burial cairns; some retain evidence of a surrounding kerb and they measure an
average of 3m in diameter and stand up to 0.6m high. Around the south and west
sides of these cairns a sinuous bank, 2m wide by 0.2m high, partially encloses
them and, although difficult to trace on the ground, is visible on aerial
photographs continuing north westwards for nearly 200m towards a forestry
plantation. Aerial photographs show that it divides the remaining part of the
cairnfield into two areas: the south western part is more densely populated
with cairns and also contains an uneven bank thought to represent the western
arc of a circular enclosure; the north eastern part is a triangular plateau
defined on two sides by deep valleys where a group of at least 20 cairns lie
slightly apart from the rest of the cairnfield. At the eastern end of this
area of protection an enclosure, defined by a bank of earth and stone 0.5m
high, measures internally 44m by 34m and has an entrance 28m wide on the north
west side. The southern part of this area is traversed by several old
trackways, visible as deep ruts, which are realignments of the Wooler to
Commonburn House road.
The second area of protection to the south includes an irregular embanked
area, defined by a bank 0.25m high, containing internal subdivisions and about
20 clearance cairns up to 7m in diameter. The wooden posts at the edge of the
southern area of the monument 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:
29345
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
