Round cairn at Dalby Snout, 690m north east of School 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 round cairn at Dalby Snout, 690m NNE of School 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 and the contemporary environment will also survive beneath the cairn. The cairn is situated within an area which includes other burial monuments as well as field systems 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 a round cairn situated in a prominent position towards the top of a south west facing slope in Langdale Forest. The cairn has a stone mound which stands up to 0.7m high and measures 8m in diameter. The top of the mound is flat and in the centre there is a hollow caused by partial excavation in the past. The northern and eastern edges of the mound have been clipped by forestry ploughing, giving them a straight- sided appearance. The round cairn lies in an area rich in prehistoric monuments including round barrows, 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:

34179

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
12619,

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