Details

The monument includes a round cairn situated in a prominent position at the
top of the eastern scarp edge of the Hackness Hills.
The cairn has a stony mound which stands up to 0.9m high and measures up to
11m in diameter. In the centre of the mound there is a hollow which is the
result of partial excavation in the past.
The cairn lies in an area where there are many other prehistoric burial
monuments.

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 limited disturbance, the round cairn on Suffield Moor, 540m north west
of Beacon Farm has survived well. Information about the original form of the
cairn and the burials placed within it will be preserved. Evidence for earlier
land use and the contemporary environment will also survive beneath the mound.
The cairn was originally among a group of at least twelve burial monuments
distributed across the south eastern part of Suffield Moor. Such clusters
provide important insight into the development of ritual and funerary practice
during the prehistoric period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Title: Forestry Commission Areas North York Moors Archaeological Survey
Source Date: 1992
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England