Cairnfield 540m north west of Linglands Farm

Reasons for Designation

Cairnfields are concentrations of cairns sited in close proximity to one another. They often consist largely of clearance cairns, built with stone cleared from the surrounding landsurface to improve its use for agriculture, and on occasion their distribution pattern can be seen to define field plots. However, funerary cairns are also frequently incorporated, although without excavation it may be impossible to determine which cairns contain burials. Clearance cairns were constructed from the Neolithic period (from c.3400 BC), although the majority of examples appear to be the result of field clearance which began during the earlier Bronze Age and continued into the later 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. Cairnfields also retain information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation during the prehistoric period.

Despite some disturbance from forestry activities, the cairnfield 540m north west of Linglands Farm has survived well and will preserve significant information about its form and development. Evidence for the nature of Bronze Age agriculture will survive in the old ground surface between the cairns and evidence for earlier land use will be preserved beneath the cairns. The cairnfield is situated within an area which includes many other prehistoric monuments. Associations such as this offer important scope for the study of the distribution of prehistoric activity across the landscape for social, ritual and agricultural purposes.

Details

The monument includes a cairnfield which is situated on a gentle south facing slope, on the Middle Jurassic sandstone towards the eastern edge of the North York Moors. The cairnfield consists of at least eight cairns which lie between the 190m and 200m contours. The cairns are generally sub-circular mounds constructed from small and medium sized stones. Most cairns are between 3m and 5m in diameter. They stand between 0.3m and 0.6m high. The majority are field clearance cairns which are the result of clearing the ground to improve it for agriculture, but some of the larger cairns were also used as burial mounds. The monument is situated in an area where there are many other prehistoric monuments, including further cairnfields, burials and ritual sites. The field boundary wall which runs along the eastern edge of the monument is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

34676

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: Forestry Commission Areas North York Moors Archaeological Survey Source Date: 1992 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: Sites 5.159-5.164
Title: 2nd Edition 25" Ordnance Survey sheet 62/10 Source Date: 1928 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:

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