Details

The monument includes a variety of prehistoric sites on Barningham Moor
distributed across Eel Hill and Cross Gill along a natural terrace. The
prehistoric sites include a stone circle, three cairns, 44 carved rocks, a
complex unenclosed settlement, a burnt mound, an enclosure and a boulder wall.
The stone circle is located at the head of Osmaril Gill, 290m south of Eel
Hill. It consists of an approximate circle, 13m in diameter, of seven
sandstone boulders with an additional group of three boulders 10m to the south
east. This additional group of boulders may be part of the same circle or they
may form outliers to the main circle.
The three cairns vary in size from 4m to 13m in diameter, and from 0.3m to
0.9m in height. The largest cairn has a cup and groove marked rock built into
its side.
The 44 carved rocks are sandstone boulders of various dimensions. The majority
are located along the 410m contour east of Eel Hill and Osmaril Gill, but
others are scattered throughout the area. All but two are earthfast, these two
being situated in the scree and boulders on the steep east side of Osmaril
Gill. The carvings vary in complexity from single cups to complicated designs
with cups, rings and grooves.
The unenclosed settlement is on a north facing terrace at the foot of a steep
slope, east of Osmaril Gill. It consists of several enclosures and hut
circles, arranged along the terrace. There are also field boundary banks, and
an outlying enclosure with hut circles to the north west of the main
settlement area.
The burnt mound is north of the settlement, on the slope below the terrace. It
consists of a pile of heat-reddened and cracked small stones. There is an oval
hollow in the centre of the mound.
The enclosure, located north of Eel Hill, is subrectangular, 25m by 15m. The
banks are 2m wide and 0.2m high, and are composed of sandstone rubble with
large boulders and occasional tall stones known as orthostats. The enclosure
is likely to have been used in prehistoric times to contain stock. It may have
formed part of a larger settlement which is no longer visible.
The boulder wall is 20m long and about 3m wide. It survives to a maximum
height of 0.5m, and effectively closes off the upper part of Osmaril Gill. A
flint scatter is visible in an erosion patch on a small promentory on the east
side of Osmaril Gill, where the Gill opens out onto the lower plain.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 5 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Unenclosed hut circle settlements were the dwelling places of prehistoric
farmers. The hut circles take a variety of forms. Some are stone based and are
visible as low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area. Others were
timber constructions and only the shallow groove in which the timber uprights
used in the wall construction stood can now be identified; this may survive as
a slight earthwork feature or may be visible on aerial photographs. Some can
only be identified by the artificial earthwork platforms created as level
stances for the houses. The number of houses in a settlement varies between
one and twelve. In areas where they were constructed on hillslopes the
platforms on which the houses stood are commonly arrayed in tiers along the
contour of the slope. Several settlements have been shown to be associated
with organised field plots, the fields being defined by low stony banks or
indicated by groups of clearance cairns.
Many unenclosed settlements have been shown to date to the Bronze Age but it
is also clear that they were still being constructed and used in the Early
Iron Age. They provide an important contrast to the various types of enclosed
and defended settlements which were also being constructed and used around the
same time. Their longevity of use and their relationship with other monument
types provides important information on the diversity of social organisation
and farming practices amongst prehistoric communities.

Funerary cairns date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed
as stone mounds covering single or multiple burials. They are a relatively
common feature of the uplands. Their considerable variation in form, and
longevity as a monument type, provide important information on the diversity
of beliefs and social organisation amongst prehistoric communities. A
substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.
Prehistoric rock carving is found on natural boulders and rock outcrops in
many areas of upland Britain. It is especially common in the north of England
in Northumberland, Durham, and North and West Yorkshire. The most common form
of decoration is the `cup' marking, where small cup-like hollows are worked
into the surface of the rock. These cups may be surrounded by one or more
`rings'. Single pecked lines extending from the cup through the rings may also
exist, providing the design with a `tail'. Pecked lines or grooves can also
exist in isolation from cup and ring decoration. Other shapes and patterns
also occur but are less frequent. Carvings may occur singly, in small groups,
or may cover extensive areas of rock surface. They date to the Late Neolithic
and Bronze Age periods (2800-c.500 BC) and provide one of our most important
insights into prehistoric `art'. The exact meaning of the designs remains
unknown, but they may be interpreted as sacred or religious symbols. All
positively identified prehistoric rock carvings sites will normally be
identified as nationally important.
Stone circles are prehistoric monuments comprising one or more circles of
upright or recumbent stones. Stone circles are found throughout England
although they are concentrated in western areas, with particular clusters in
upland areas such as Bodmin and Dartmoor in the south west and the Lake
District and the rest of Cumbria in the north west. This distribution may
be more a reflection of present survival rather than an original pattern.
Where excavated they have been found to date from the Late Neolithic to the
Middle Bronze Age (c.2400 - 1000 BC). We do not fully understand the uses for
which these monuments were originally constructed but it is clear that they
had considerable ritual importance for the societies that used them. In many
instances excavation has indicated they they provided a focus for burials and
the rituals that accompanied interment of the dead. Some circles appear to
have had a calendrical function, helping mark the passage of time and seasons,
this being indicated by the careful alignment of stones to mark important
solar or lunar events such as sunrise or sunset at midsummer or midwinter. At
other sites the spacing of individual circles throughout the landscape has led
to a suggestion that each one provided some form of tribal gathering point for
a specific social group. As a rare monument type which provides an important
insight into prehistoric ritual activity, all surviving examples are worthy of
preservation.
A burnt mound is an accumulation of burnt (fire-crazed) stones, ash and
charcoal, usually sited next to a river or lake. On excavation, some form of
trough or basin capable of holding water is normally found in close
association with the mound. The size of the mound can vary considerably; small
examples may be under 0.5m high and less than 10m in diameter, larger examples
may exceed 3m in height and be 35m in diameter. The shape of the mound ranges
from circular to crescentic. The associated trough or basin may be found
within the body of the mound or, more usually, immediatly adjacent to it. At
sites which are crescentic in shape the trough is normally found within the
`arms' of the crescent and the mound has the appearance of having developed
around it.
The main phase of use of burnt mounds spans the Early, Middle and Late Bronze
Age, a period of around 1000 years. The function of the mounds has been a
matter of some debate, but it appears that cooking, using heated stones to
boil water in a trough or tank, is the most likely use. Some excavated sites
have revealed several phases of construction, indicating that individual sites
were used more than once.
Burnt mounds are found widely scattered throughout the British Isles, with
around 100 examples identified in England. As a rare monument type which
provides an insight into life in the Bronze Age, all well preserved examples
will normally be identified as nationally important.
This complex of remains on Barningham Moor survives well and will return
significant information on prehistoric settlement and rural activity on the
Moor. Additionally they form part of a wider prehistoric landscape in this
area which includes further carved rocks and settlement evidence.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Beckensall, S, Rock Carvings of Northern Britain, (1986), 28
Beckensall, S, Rock Carvings of Northern Britain, (1986), 28
Beckensall, S, Rock Carvings of Northern Britain, (1986), 28
Beckensall, S, Rock Carvings of Northern Britain, (1986), 28
Beckensall, S, Rock Carvings of Northern Britain, (1986), 28
Beckensall, S, Rock Carvings of Northern Britain, (1986), 28
Beckensall, S, Rock Carvings of Northern Britain, (1986), 31
Laurie, T, 'Archaeological Newsbulletin Series 2' in Archaeological Newsbulletin CBA Regional Group Three, (1977), 13
Laurie, T, 'Archaeological Newsbulletin Series 2' in Archaeological Newsbulletin CBA Regional Group Three, (1977), 11
Other
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Beckensall, (1997)
Laurie, T, (1997)

Source: Historic England