Two round cairns on Hutton Moor, 820m south east of Hanging Stone

Overview

Heritage Category: Scheduled Monument

List Entry Number: 1018666

Date first listed: 26-Nov-1969

Date of most recent amendment: 02-Dec-1998

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

National Park: NORTH YORK MOORS

National Grid Reference: NZ 59514 12721

Summary

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

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.

The importance of the two cairns 820m south east of Hanging Stone is enhanced by their association with other round cairns in the area. They 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.

History

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Details

The monument includes two adjacent round cairns situated on a moorland ridge on the edge of the North York Moors. The more westerly cairn has an ovoid stone mound which is now largely buried by peat. It measures 5m north to south and 4m east to west and stands up to 0.4m high. There is a slight hollow in the centre caused by past excavations. The second cairn lies 12m to the east and has a stone mound which is also buried by peat. It is 6m in diameter and stands up to 0.4m high. It incorporates a flat natural boulder at its east side. The cairns belong to a group of seven spread along the ridge and they 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: 32014

Legacy System: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Spratt, D A , 'Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire' in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, , Vol. 87, (1993)
Other
Fairless, K J, AM107, (1987)

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 Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.