Two round cairns on Newton Moor, 850m north east of Summer Hill Farm

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.

Despite limited disturbance, the larger of the two cairns on Newton Moor, 850m north east of Summer Hill Farm has survived well. Significant information about the original form of the cairn and the burials placed within it will be preserved. Evidence for earlier land use will also survive beneath the stone mound. Unlike many other cairns in this area, the smaller cairn has not been excavated and survives in a good state of preservation. The archaeological deposits survive intact and evidence for the date and original form of the cairn and the burials placed within it will be preserved. Evidence for earlier land use will also survive beneath the stone mound. The cairns belong to a group of seven burial monuments and such clusters provide important insight into the development of ritual and funerary practice during the Bronze Age. They are also situated within an area which includes other groups of burial monuments as well as field systems, enclosures and clearance cairns. Associated groups of monuments such as these offer important scope for the study of the distribution of prehistoric activity across the landscape.

Details

The monument includes two round cairns situated in a prominent position on a moorland ridge on the edge of the North York Moors. The larger cairn to the north has a stone mound 12m in diameter and standing up to 0.7m high. It was originally surrounded by a kerb of stones which defined the cairn and supported the mound. However, over the years many of these stones have been taken away or buried by peat accumulating around the edges of the mound, although a few are still visible on the north and south edges. In the centre of the mound there is a hollow, caused by past excavations, which is now filled by a large walkers' cairn. Within the walkers'cairn there are two boundary stones, one in the centre bearing the legend TKS1815 on the east face and one leaning at the north side bearing the legends GIII on the west face and RY1752 on the east. The stones comprise a Grade II Listed Building. The smaller cairn lies 14m to the south. It has a well defined stone and earth mound which is 4m in diameter and stands up to 0.5m high. The cairns belong to a group of seven spread along the ridge and lie in an area rich in prehistoric monuments, including further burial monuments, field systems and clearance cairns.

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:

32012

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Crawford, G M, Bronze Age Burial Mounds in Cleveland, (1980)
Spratt, D A, Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, Vol. 87, (1993)

End of official list entry

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