Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Round cairn on Cowgate Rigg, 870m north of Brooklands Farm

A Scheduled Monument in Harwood Dale, North Yorkshire

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 54.3591 / 54°21'32"N

Longitude: -0.5112 / 0°30'40"W

OS Eastings: 496847.56993

OS Northings: 496974.139523

OS Grid: SE968969

Mapcode National: GBR SLW1.44

Mapcode Global: WHGBL.3PVL

Entry Name: Round cairn on Cowgate Rigg, 870m north of Brooklands Farm

Scheduled Date: 9 April 2001

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1019769

English Heritage Legacy ID: 34673

County: North Yorkshire

Civil Parish: Harwood Dale

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): North Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Hackness with Harwood Dale

Church of England Diocese: York

Details

The monument includes a round cairn situated on a gentle south west-facing
slope. It lies on Middle Jurassic sandstone towards the eastern edge of the
North York Moors.
The cairn has a stony mound which stands 0.6m high and measures up to 10m in
diameter. In the centre of the mound there is a hollow left by partial
excavation in the past.
The round cairn lies in an area where there are many other prehistoric
monuments, including funerary and ritual monuments as well as field systems
and clearance cairns.

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 Cowgate Rigg, 870m north of
Brooklands Farm has survived well. Significant 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 stony mound. The cairn was originally one of four distributed
across Cowgate Rigg. It is situated within an area which also includes other
groups of burial monuments as well as field systems and clearance cairns. The
association with similar monuments provides insight into the distribution of
ritual and funerary activity across the landscape during the prehistoric
period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Title: Forestry Commission Areas North York Moors Archaeological Survey
Source Date: 1992
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
Site 5.18

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.