Details

The monument includes a cairn of Bronze Age date situated on a small hill. It
measures 17m in diameter and survives to a height of 1.3m. Its situation, on
the top of a small rocky eminence, gives it the appearance of being much
higher especially at its western side. The mound is mainly constructed of
stone and earth and much of the stonework is visible at the surface. On the
top of the cairn there is a hollow 3m across with a tree stump growing in it.
The hollow is the remains of an unrecorded partial excavation in the late
19th century when a number of other cairns were dug into in this part of
Coquetdale.

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

Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments
dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most
examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as
earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple
burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often
acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar,
although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form
and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl
barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring
across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are
a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable
variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.

The cairn north-east of Westhills Farm is a good example of an isolated burial
mound situated in a prominent location. Despite the fact that it has been
partially excavated in the 19th century, damage is very limited and its
archaeological deposits survive largely undisturbed. Evidence of the manner
of construction and the nature and duration of use will be preserved within
and beneath the mound. Additionally, evidence relating to the Bronze Age
environment around the monument and of the wider landscape will also survive.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
No. 2256,

Source: Historic England