Ancient Monuments

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A cairn and a rubble bank in Scale Knoll Allotment, 510m WSW of Haythwaite, Barningham Moor

A Scheduled Monument in Hope, County Durham

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Coordinates

Latitude: 54.4751 / 54°28'30"N

Longitude: -1.92 / 1°55'11"W

OS Eastings: 405282.948163

OS Northings: 508864.819761

OS Grid: NZ052088

Mapcode National: GBR HJ1P.4K

Mapcode Global: WHB4S.GSY5

Entry Name: A cairn and a rubble bank in Scale Knoll Allotment, 510m WSW of Haythwaite, Barningham Moor

Scheduled Date: 24 October 1997

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1017412

English Heritage Legacy ID: 30463

County: County Durham

Civil Parish: Hope

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): County Durham

Church of England Parish: Barningham St Michael and All Angels

Church of England Diocese: Leeds

Details

The monument includes a cairn 5m in diameter and an adjacent rubble bank 0.2m
high. It is situated on Barningham Moor, in the modern sheep grazing enclosure
known as Scale Knoll Allotment. The monument is on a prominent knoll west of
Scale Knoll Gill, south of the road from Barningham to East Hope.
The cairn is composed of sandstone rocks, 0.5m by 0.4m by 0.4m, and is 0.4m
high. The rubble bank is L-shaped with a maximum width of 2m. The bank runs
northwards from a point 2m west of the edge of the cairn for 43m, then turns
and continues eastwards for a further 14m. It is interpreted as prehistoric in
date and would have defined a field area. Similar fragmentary walls survive
elsewhere on the moor.

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.

Although the cairn 510m WSW of Haythwaite has been slightly disturbed, it
retains evidence of its form and location. The adjacent bank survives well.
Information on its relationship to the adjacent cairn will be preserved,
including information on the changing pattern of land use from burial ground
to agricultural field system. Together, the cairn and the bank form an
important part of the prehistoric landscape of Barningham Moor, which include
numerous other cairns, carved rocks, and evidence for settlements and the
agricultural use of the land. This site will therefore contribute to studies
of such prehistoric landscapes and the changing patterns of land use over
time.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Beckensall, (1997)

Source: Historic England

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