Round cairn 240m east of Hob Hurst's House

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 as 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.

Round cairn 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 were 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 round cairn 240m east of Hob Hurst's House remains intact and will contain undisturbed funerary deposits. The monument is also important because of its position in the landcape, overlooking a cairnfield to the north and in its association with nearby contemporary funerary monuments including Hob Hurst's House.

Details

The monument includes a prehistoric cairn standing in open moorland to the north east of Harland Edge. The cairn is associated with contemporary funerary remains in the surrounding area.

The cairn comprises a low mound of surface-worn gritstones occupying gently sloping ground. This elevated location, a short distance down the dipslope north of Harland Edge, provides extensive views to the north over Brampton East Moor, encompassing the site of a prehistoric cairnfield some 950m to the north west. The cairn measures 4m by 4.5m and stands 0.3m high. There are no signs of disturbance to the monument, indicating that it has avoided damage through antiquarian excavation or quarrying.

The size and location of the monument indicate that it is funerary in function and Bronze Age in date. As an undisturbed example of a round cairn the monument is likely to contain intact funerary deposits. The cairn represents a ceremonial site that, taken in conjunction with nearby contemporary funerary and agricultural features, provides substantial evidence for the settlement and ceremonial use of the surrounding area during the Bronze Age. Other prehistoric sites on this moor are protected separately.

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:

31299

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Barnatt, J W, The Chatsworth Estate Historic Landscape Survey (Moorlands), (1998), Area 16
Barnatt, J W, The Chatsworth Estate Historic Landscape Survey (Moorlands), (1998), area 18
Barnatt, J W, The Chatsworth Estate Historic Landscape Survey (Moorlands), (1998), 100-112

End of official list entry

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