Details

The monument includes the remains of a substantial round cairn sited on the
summit of Stiperstones, a narrow north-south orientated ridge of high ground.
The cairn is visible as a circular mound 12m in diameter and 1.6m high
surmounting a steep sided outcrop of rock. The fabric of the cairn comprises
unweathered angular blocks of the same rock as the outcrop itself making
differentiation between natural clitter and the cairn body difficult. The
central area of the cairn has been disturbed forming a circular hollow 3m in
diameter and 0.5m deep. There is no ditch associated with the mound, the
material for the monument's construction being collected from the slopes of
the outcrop on which it stands.

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.

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.

The round cairn on Stiperstones, 150m south of Manstone Rock survives well and
is a good example of this monument class and unusual in its use of the natural
rock stack as a setting. Despite the disturbance of its central area it will
retain archaeological deposits and evidence within the mound of both an
artefactual and structural character. It is one of a group of monuments of
similar age on Stiperstones summit and, as such, contributes important
information relating to the nature of land use and diversity of beliefs and
social organisation practiced during the Bronze Age in this area of upland.

Source: Historic England