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Cairn 610m east of Glitteringstone

A Scheduled Monument in Rothbury, Northumberland

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.3214 / 55°19'17"N

Longitude: -1.9292 / 1°55'45"W

OS Eastings: 404590.862256

OS Northings: 603038.165343

OS Grid: NU045030

Mapcode National: GBR G6ZX.47

Mapcode Global: WHB0Q.BHLX

Entry Name: Cairn 610m east of Glitteringstone

Scheduled Date: 10 September 1936

Last Amended: 14 September 1993

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1011631

English Heritage Legacy ID: 20891

County: Northumberland

Civil Parish: Rothbury

Built-Up Area: Rothbury

Traditional County: Northumberland

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Northumberland

Church of England Parish: Upper Coquetdale

Church of England Diocese: Newcastle

Details

The monument includes a cairn and a small outlying standing stone of Bronze
Age date situated on the top of a hill with extensive views in all directions.
The cairn has undergone partial excavation in the past but extensive deposits
survive undisturbed. The cairn, constructed of large stones and boulders,
measures 18m in diameter and survives to a maximum height of 1m. At the
approximate centre of the cairn there is a large cist measuring 1.7m long by
0.9m wide by 0.7m deep; it has been opened but survives well and the
coverstone has been replaced. A large hole to the south-east of the cist, the
possible remains of a second burial, has been roughly infilled with large
stones and rubble. Traces of a retaining circle of stones are visible on the
western side of the cairn, but this survives less well above ground on the
other sides. There are no traces of a surrounding ditch. Ten metres to the
north of the cist, and just outside the cairn, there is a small outlying
standing stone 0.5m high.

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.

Despite having been partially excavated in the past, valuable evidence
relating to the construction of the cairn and the nature and duration of its
use remains undisturbed within and beneath this cairn. Additionally, this
cairn is one of a group of prehistoric monuments which survive on this area of
moorland and will contribute to our understanding of prehistoric settlement
and activity in the area.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
No. 2248,

Source: Historic England

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