Details

The monument includes the remains of a cairn of Bronze Age date situated in a
hollow between two hills. The monument survives as a heather covered mound
measuring 11m in diameter and stands to a height of 1.3m. The centre of the
cairn has been removed by partial excavation in the nineteenth century
resulting in a hollow measuring 4m in diameter at the north-east side. The
cairn was excavated by Canon Greenwell who uncovered a central stone cist
containing fragments of human bone and charcoal; a second burial, the remains
of a cremation, was also found to the south of the cist.

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.

Although the cairn west-south-west of Debdon Farm has undergone partial
excavation in the past the limit of disturbance is confined to the central
area and significant surrounding archaeological deposits survive undisturbed.
Additionally, this cairn is one of a group of Prehistoric burial cairns in the
area and it will contribute to our understanding of Prehistoric settlement and
activity in the region.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Greenwell, W , British Barrows, (1877)
Other
No. 813,

Source: Historic England