Summary

Round cairns and clearance cairn, 1.24km and 1.22km north west and 1.08km ENE of Hartside.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 26 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 two round cairns and a clearance cairn of Bronze Age date, spread across the top of Hunt Law. Two of the turf-covered stone cairns are situated on a slight knoll and lie 27m apart. The most northerly example has a diameter of roughly 12m with a height of 0.5m; around the northern arc are five protruding kerbstones. To the south is a second cairn of similar appearance and with commanding views in all directions except to the north. The cairn has an approximate diameter of 11m, a height of 0.3m and has four kerbstones protruding through the turf. The form of both cairns and the presence of the kerbstones indicates them to be burial cairns. Located approximately 373m south of the first two cairns on the south facing slope of Hunt Law is a third cairn with a rough diameter of 5.5m and a height of 0.7m. The third cairn appears to lack kerbstones and is understood to be a clearance cairn.

Further archaeological remains survive in the vicinity of this monument, but are not included as they have not been assessed.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

Despite some disturbance the round cairns and clearance cairn 1.24km and 1.22km north west and 1.08km ENE of Hartside are substantially preserved and will contain archaeological deposits relating to their construction and use. The significance of the monument is increased by the wide variety of archaeological remains in the landscape around it. These include the round cairns on Knock Hill to the north east, the Iron Age settlement on Hartside Hill to the south and the rich prehistoric landscape of Ingram Farm to the south east.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 1033846, 1034255, 1033849

Source: Historic England