Details

The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of a cairnfield located
on the western side of Howdale Moor. This is the easternmost extent of the
sandstone, heather covered moor characteristic of the North York Moors. Today
the moor is little used but archaeological evidence indicates that this has
not always been the case. The prehistoric period in particular saw extensive
agricultural use of the area. It was also used for burials and activities
associated with the carving of patterns on exposed rock. Remains of these
activities survive today.
The cairnfield occupies level ground to the south east of a small gill with
land sloping down to the south and east. The cairnfield includes at least 17
cairns and extends over an area approximately 150m by 200m. The cairns are
stony mounds measuring up to 5m in diameter and up to 0.5m in height. These
are the result of stone clearance in the Bronze Age to improve the land for
farming. Evidence from other similar monuments in the north of England shows
that such cairns may also have been used for burials or cremations.
The settlement from which this area of land was farmed has yet to be
identified although it is anticipated to have been nearby.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 10 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Cairnfields are concentrations of cairns sited in close proximity to one
another. They often consist largely of clearance cairns, built with stone
cleared from the surrounding landsurface to improve its use for agriculture,
and on occasion their distribution pattern can be seen to define field plots.
However, funerary cairns are also frequently incorporated, although without
excavation it may be impossible to determine which cairns contain burials.
Clearance cairns were constructed from the Neolithic period (from c.3400 BC),
although the majority of examples appear to be the result of field clearance
which began during the earlier Bronze Age and continued into the later Bronze
Age (2000-700 BC). The considerable longevity and variation in the size,
content and associations of cairnfields provide important information on the
development of land use and agricultural practices. Cairnfields also retain
information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation during the
prehistoric period.

The cairnfield 350m south east of Cook House has survived well. Significant
information about the original form of the cairns, any burials placed within
them and its relationship with other monuments will be preserved. Evidence of
earlier land use will also survive beneath the cairns.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Spratt, D A, Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, (1994), 109-122

Source: Historic England