Ancient Monuments

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Ring cairn north west of Reinsber Scar

A Scheduled Monument in Giggleswick, North Yorkshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 54.0938 / 54°5'37"N

Longitude: -2.2994 / 2°17'57"W

OS Eastings: 380513.411753

OS Northings: 466473.091541

OS Grid: SD805664

Mapcode National: GBR DPC3.Z7

Mapcode Global: WH95D.NC7G

Entry Name: Ring cairn north west of Reinsber Scar

Scheduled Date: 23 December 1994

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1013164

English Heritage Legacy ID: 24524

County: North Yorkshire

Civil Parish: Giggleswick

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): North Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Giggleswick St Alkelda

Church of England Diocese: Leeds

Details

The ring cairn is situated on low ground between limestone outcrops. It is
largely turf covered and includes a low, continuous ring bank approximately
0.5m high and 2m wide. The monument has a diameter of 19m. The centre has been
disturbed at some time in the past and a 0.75m by 0.4m stone filled hole
remains.

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

A ring cairn is a prehistoric ritual monument comprising a circular bank of
stones up to 20m in diameter surrounding a hollow central area. The bank may
be kerbed on the inside, and sometimes on the outside as well, with small
uprights or laid boulders. Ring cairns are found mainly in upland areas of
England and are mostly discovered and authenticated by fieldwork and ground
level survey, although a few are large enough to be visible on aerial
photographs. They often occur in pairs or small groups of up to four examples.
Occasionally they lie within round barrow cemeteries. Ring cairns are
interpreted as ritual monuments of Early and Middle Bronze Age date. The exact
nature of the rituals concerned is not fully understood, but excavation has
revealed pits, some containing burials and others containing charcoal and
pottery, taken to indicate feasting activities associated with the burial
rituals. Many areas of upland have not yet been surveyed in detail and the
number of ring cairns in England is not accurately known. However, available
evidence indicates a population of between 250 and 500 examples. As a
relatively rare class of monument exhibiting considerable variation in form,
all positively identified examples retaining significant archaeological
deposits are considered worthy of preservation.

Although slightly disturbed, the ring cairn is still a well preserved
example containing further archaeological remains.

Source: Historic England

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