Cairnfield 1400m north west of Clod Hall Farm

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.

Cairnfields are concentrations of cairns sited in close proximity to one another. They often consist largely of clearance cairns, built with stone gathered from the surrounding landsurface to improve its use for agriculture. However, funerary cairns are also frequently incorporated, although without excavation it is impossible to determine which cairns contain burials. Clearance cairns were constructed from the Neolithic period although the majority of examples date from the Bronze Age (2000-700 BC). The considerable longevity and variation in the size, content and associations of cairnfields provide important information on the development of land use and agricultural practices. They also provide information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation during the prehistoric period.

The cairnfield and fragments of linear clearance 1400m north west of Clod Hall Farm survive well and provide important information on the prehistoric settlement of the Derbyshire moorlands.

Details

The monument includes a cairnfield together with fragments of linear clearance debris.

The complex occupies gently sloping ground at the northern end of a west-facing escarpment. It comprises a small cairnfield with traces of linear banks of clearance debris indicating that the area was once divided into field plots. There are at least eight low cairns ranging from between 2m to 5m in diameter. They are chiefly turf covered and appear to be complete examples of prehistoric clearance cairns. As such, they will contain undisturbed archaeological information. Several of the cairns are ovoid in plan and may have once formed part of linear field enclosures. In addition to the cairns, there are at least two fragments of linear banks of turf and stone following a common axis. These also indicate that at least part of the area was enclosed. The banks were formed by debris from the fields being placed against hedges or fences.

The cairnfield and associated features are indicative of settlement and agricultural use of the moorlands during the Bronze Age and part of a more extensive area of contemporary settlement to the south.

Excluded from the scheduling are all walls, gates and fences, although the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 5 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:

31285

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J W, Derbyshire Archaeological Journal in Bronze Age Remains on the East Moors of the Peak District, (1986), 49-51
Barnatt, J W, Derbyshire Archaeological Journal in Bronze Age Remains on the East Moors of the Peak District, (1986), 49-51

Other
Sidebottom, PC, Cairnfield and Field System near Leash Fen, Derbyshire, 2000, unpublished survey notes
Sidebottom, PC, Cairnfield and Field System near Leash Fen, Derbyshire, 2000, unpublished survey notes
Sidebottom, PC, Cairnfield and Field System near Leash Fen, Derbyshire, 2000, unpublished survey notes
Sidebottom, PC, Cairnfield and Field System near Leash Fen, Derbyshire, 2000, unpublished survey notes

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