Ring cairn 310m north of Woodhead on Harden Moor

Reasons for Designation

A ring cairn is a prehistoric ritual monument comprising a circular bank of stones up to 20m in diameter surrounding a hollow central area. The bank may be kerbed on the inside, and sometimes on the outside as well, with small uprights or laid boulders. Ring cairns are found mainly in upland areas of England and are mostly discovered and authenticated by fieldwork and ground level survey, although a few are large enough to be visible on aerial photographs. They often occur in pairs or small groups of up to four examples. Occasionally they lie within round barrow cemeteries. Ring cairns are interpreted as ritual monuments of Early and Middle Bronze Age date. The exact nature of the rituals concerned is not fully understood, but excavation has revealed pits, some containing burials and others containing charcoal and pottery, taken to indicate feasting activities associated with the burial rituals. Many areas of upland have not yet been surveyed in detail and the number of ring cairns in England is not accurately known. However, available evidence indicates a population of between 250 and 500 examples. As a relatively rare class of monument exhibiting considerable variation in form, all positively identified examples retaining significant archaeological deposits are considered worthy of preservation.

The ring cairn 310m north of Woodhead survives well and retains important archaeological information. It is one of a group of cairns on Harden Moor.

Details

The monument includes a ring cairn, situated on Harden Moor, on level ground 310m north of Woodhead. The cairn is about 13m in overall diameter. It consists of a circular heather-covered bank approximately 2.5m wide and attaining a maximum height of 0.4m. There are orthostats forming a kerb on the inside edge of the bank, and a possible outer kerb is formed by well-embedded recumbent stones, about 0.5m across. These stones are most visible on the east side. On the west side a short stretch of bank has been disturbed and there are two earth mounds protruding 5m from the inner kerb. These may relate to an excavation in 1959 which recovered prehistoric pottery. A small hole 0.5m wide near the centre of the cairn may also relate to this excavation.

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:

31487

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Ring barrow, Harden Moor, (1987)

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