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Cairn known as the Great Skirtful of Stones

A Scheduled Monument in Burley, Bradford

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.8969 / 53°53'48"N

Longitude: -1.7875 / 1°47'14"W

OS Eastings: 414062.094763

OS Northings: 444547.402102

OS Grid: SE140445

Mapcode National: GBR HRYC.TT

Mapcode Global: WHC8W.J91W

Entry Name: Cairn known as the Great Skirtful of Stones

Scheduled Date: 17 October 1930

Last Amended: 25 January 1995

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1010358

English Heritage Legacy ID: 25286

County: Bradford

Civil Parish: Burley

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): West Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Menston St John the Divine

Church of England Diocese: Leeds

Details

The monument includes a large, disturbed round cairn c.26m in diameter and
c.1.5m high. The centre has a deep hollow as a result of stone robbing. There
are several other smaller hollows. A small fragment of drystone walling on the
higher, western side of the cairn may be the remains of a later shelter.

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

Rombalds Moor is an eastern outlier of the main Pennine range lying between
the valleys of the Wharfe and the Aire. The bulk of this area of 90 sq km of
rough moorland lies over 200m above sea level. The moor is particularly rich
in remains of prehistoric activity. The most numerous relics are the rock
carvings which can be found on many of the boulders and outcrops scattered
across the moor. Burial monuments, stone circles and a range of enclosed
settlements are also known.
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.
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. A substantial proportion of surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

Although disturbed, this cairn still retains important archaeological evidence
of its original form and of the burials placed within it.

Source: Historic England

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