Details

The monument includes two immediately adjacent round cairns situated on gently
sloping ground overlooking Newton Dale on the southern slopes of the North
York Moors. It is known from archaeological evidence that the southern flanks
of the moors were extensively used in the prehistoric period for agricultural
and ritual purposes. Remains of these activities survive today.
Each of the cairns has a stony mound. These lie 0.5m apart. The eastern mound
is 0.6m high and measures 10m in diameter. The western mound is 4m in diameter
and 0.4m high.

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.

The two round cairns 450m south of Lower Farm have survived well. Significant
information about the original form of the cairns, burials placed within them
and the relationship with other monuments in the area will be preserved.
Evidence of earlier land use will also survive beneath the mounds.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Spratt, D A , 'Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire' in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, (1993), 113-122

Source: Historic England