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Cairn cemetery 700yds (640m) north east of Cateran Hill

A Scheduled Monument in Bewick, Northumberland

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.5058 / 55°30'20"N

Longitude: -1.8277 / 1°49'39"W

OS Eastings: 410980.919686

OS Northings: 623566.801131

OS Grid: NU109235

Mapcode National: GBR H4PS.35

Mapcode Global: WHC0X.WWV2

Entry Name: Cairn cemetery 700yds (640m) NE of Cateran Hill

Scheduled Date: 8 June 1971

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1006453

English Heritage Legacy ID: ND 495

County: Northumberland

Civil Parish: Bewick

Traditional County: Northumberland

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Northumberland

Church of England Parish: Eglingham St Maurice

Church of England Diocese: Newcastle

Summary

Cairnfield, 755m ESE of Cateran Hole.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 31 May 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes the remains of a cairnfield of Neolithic/Bronze Age date situated on the north east slopes of Cateran Hill. The group consists of at least 30 cairns which vary in diameter from 2m to 9m and in height from 0.3m to 0.9m. Comparison with other cairnfields suggests that the group will contain a mixture of funerary cairns and clearance cairns.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

The Cairnfield 755m ESE of Cateran Hole is reasonably well-preserved and is representative of its period. The presence of upstanding cairns indicates that the monument will contain archaeological deposits relating to its construction and use and will inform our understanding of prehistoric land-use.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 7529

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

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