Details

The monument includes the remains of a long cairn of Neolithic date situated
on the south west slope of Castle Hill commanding extensive views southwards.
The long cairn, orientated NNE to SSW, measures a maximum of 60m long and 14m
wide and stands to a maximum height of 2m. It has been constructed of rounded
boulders and some stone slabs with smaller stones around the edge. The surface
of the cairn, particularly at the north end, has been disturbed by quarrying
to construct the adjacent sheep fold which has been built partly into the
north west face of the cairn. The above ground walls of the later sheep fold
are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath them 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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Long barrows were constructed as earthen or drystone mounds with flanking
ditches and acted as funerary monuments during the Early and Middle Neolithic
periods (3400-2400 BC). They represent the burial places of Britain's early
farming communities and, as such, are amongst the oldest field monuments
surviving visibly in the present landscape. Where investigated, long barrows
appear to have been used for communal burial, often with only parts of the
human remains having been selected for interment. Certain sites provide
evidence for several phases of funerary monument preceding the barrow and,
consequently, it is probable that long barrows acted as important ritual sites
for local communities over a considerable period of time. Some 500 long
barrows are recorded in England. As one of the few types of Neolithic
structure to survive as earthworks, and due to their comparative rarity, their
considerable age and their longevity as a monument type, all long barrows are
considered to be nationally important.

Devil's Lapful Long Cairn is one of few surviving long cairns in
Northumberland. It survives reasonably well and will add to our understanding
of Neolithic settlement and activity in the region.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Masters, L, 'Between And Beyond The Walls' in The Neolithic Long Cairns of Cumbria and Northumberland, (1984), 59-60
Newbiggin, N, 'Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 7' in Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 7, (1935), 166-7
Other
NY 69 SW 07,

Source: Historic England