Details

The monument includes a Bronze Age urnfield and its enclosing bank. It is
situated on the edge of a natural terrace 440m north west of Rough Bottom on
Midgeley Moor.
The bank is subcircular, approximately 41m in diameter, 7m wide and 0.5m high.
There are traces of an internal ditch, and a small earth mound near the centre
of the ring. This mound was excavated in 1933 and produced half a quern.
Previous excavations in 1897 had produced burnt human bone and fragments of
prehistoric pottery.
A fence which crosses the southern edge of the monument is excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath is included.

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

An enclosed Bronze Age urnfield is a burial ground in which cremations,
usually placed in cinerary urns, were interred within a circular enclosure up
to 30m in diameter. This was formed by either a ditch, a bank, or a bank
within a stone circle. There was normally an entrance or causeway allowing
access into the enclosure, where a central mound or standing stone is
sometimes found. Excavated examples are known to date to the Middle Bronze Age
between the 16th and 11th centuries BC. Enclosed Bronze Age urnfields are
largely found in the north of England, mainly in Yorkshire, Cumbria and
Northumberland, although their distribution also extends into Scotland. They
are a rare type of Bronze Age burial monument, with fewer than 50 identified
examples and provide an important insight into beliefs and social organisation
during this period. All positively identified examples are considered to be
nationally important

The enclosed Bronze Age urnfield 440m north west of Rough Bottom on Midgely
Moor survives well, despite a small amount of disturbance by past excavations.
It will retain cremation burials and other archaeological information. It is
one of several such sites in the Calderdale area.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Roth, H L, Yorkshire Coiners and Old Halifax, (1906), 306
Harwood, H W, 'Halifax Courier and Guardian' in Halifax Courier and Guardian, (1953)
Wilkinson, T, 'Record of the Scientific Society' in Record of the Scientific Society, (1897), 99

Source: Historic England