Reasons for Designation
The East Moors in Derbyshire includes all the gritstone moors east of the
River Derwent. It covers an area of 105 sq km, of which around 63% is open
moorland and 37% is enclosed. As a result of recent and on-going
archaeological survey, the East Moors area is becoming one of the best
recorded upland areas in England. On the enclosed land the archaeological
remains are fragmentary, but survive sufficiently well to show that early
human activity extended beyond the confines of the open moors.
On the open moors there is significant and well-articulated evidence over
extensive areas for human exploitation of the gritstone uplands from the
Neolithic to the post-medieval periods. Bronze Age activity accounts for the
most intensive use of the moorlands. Evidence for it includes some of the
largest and best preserved field systems and cairnfields in northern England
as well settlement sites, numerous burial monuments, stone circles and other
ceremonial remains which, together, provide a detailed insight into life in
the Bronze Age. Also of importance is the well preserved and often visible
relationship between the remains of earlier and later periods since this
provides an insight into successive changes in land use through time.
A large number of the prehistoric sites on the moors, because of their rarity
in a national context, excellent state of preservation and inter-connections,
will be identified as nationally important.
Details
The monument includes a prehistoric cairn, dated to the Bronze Age and located
on a ridge on a gentle slope facing to the north east. Although slightly
disturbed at its centre, the cairn displays complex and unusual structural
features and is likely to contain intact buried remains. It stands isolated
from other cairns and prehistoric features on Bamford Moor, suggesting that it
was a focal structure of some importance.
The cairn measures 8m by 6m and stands approximately 0.9m high. It has a
depression at its centre which may have resulted from an undocumented, but
minor, excavation. However, most of the cairn remains undisturbed, indicating
that material is likely to remain intact, including human burial remains.
The cairn is highly unusual for the Peak District in that it contains a ring
of five orthostats (upright boulders), standing to a maximum height of about
0.7m, forming a spaced kerb at its perimeter. The orthostats are probably
complete as they are equally spaced. Similar structures are recorded in
Cumbria and elsewhere, although this form of construction is rare.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
29838
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
