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 group of prehistoric cairns occupying a field
enclosure on the western edge of Gibbet Moor. The cairns are associated with
short lengths of linear clearance and are interpreted as Bronze Age
cultivation features.
To the east of the cairnfield and linear clearance is an extensive area of
open moorland containing much evidence for Bronze Age settlement, which is the
subject of a separate scheduling. The cairnfield and linear clearance were
once part of the overall settlement complex but are now separated from the
other remains by recent enclosure and improvement of the land.
There are approximately 20 surviving cairns standing within the northern
part of the field enclosure forming a discrete cairnfield. They are of
various sizes with most being in the order of 2m-3m in diameter. Within the
cairnfield are short stretches of linear clearance indicating that the area
was once divided into field plots used for cultivation. Such division was
likely to have been by hedges or fences with stone debris being placed or
thrown against them, forming the features visible today. Some of the cairns
are elongated where they, too, were likely to have been along the line of
field divisions.
All modern drystone walls, gates and fences are excluded from the scheduling,
although the ground beneath them is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
31269
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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
