Round cairn 230m west of Ridlees Cairn

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1021030
Date first listed:: 06-Oct-2003

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1021030
Date first listed:: 06-Oct-2003

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Northumberland (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Rochester
National Park:: NORTHUMBERLAND
National Grid Reference:: NT 84043 04258

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.

Inspite of the fact that its upper parts have been partially remodeled, the round cairn 230m west of Ridlees Cairn is reasonably well-preserved. The full extent of the structure remains in situ and will provide important information about the manner of its construction and the nature and length of its use. The round cairn is of particular importance as it is one of a group of large stone built cairns sited in prominent locations in the area. Taken together with these cairns and the remains of prehistoric settlements in the vicinity, it will inform our understanding of funerary practices and related aspects of prehistoric life at this time.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a round cairn of prehistoric date, situated on the top of a locally prominent knoll where it commands extensive, uninterrupted views in all directions. Ridlees Cairn is the subject of a separate scheduling. The cairn of earth and stone, measures 13m in diameter and stands to a maximum height of 1m. A small two-roomed military shelter has been constructed over the eastern end of the cairn using loose cairn material.

The Ordnance Survey trig point situated on the south eastern perimeter of the cairn is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath this feature is included.

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:: 32789
Legacy System:: RSM

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.