Details

The monument includes a round cairn of Bronze Age date situated within an area
of open moorland east of the Derwent Reservoir.

The monument is situated on an area of level ground directly to the south of
the steep-sided valley that channels the Abbey Brook. This location provides
extensive views over the valley, with good visibility in most directions. The
cairn comprises a low gritstone mound measuring 5m by 4m and standing 0.3m
high. Despite a minor disturbance at the centre of the mound, the majority of
the monument remains intact and the cairn and underlying soil will contain
undisturbed archaeological information. The form and location of the monument
indicate that it is funerary in function and of Bronze Age date. The cairn
represents a ceremonial site and is associated with a small number of
contemporaneous funerary monuments situated within the surrounding moorlands.
Taken together these monuments are indicative of the settlement and ceremonial
use of the surrounding area during the Bronze Age.

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

The East Moors in Derbyshire includes all the gritstone moors east of the
River Derwent. It covers an area of 105 sq km, of which around 63% is open
moorland and 37% is enclosed. As a result of recent and on-going
archaeological survey, the East Moors area is becoming one of the best
recorded upland areas in England. On the enclosed land the archaeological
remains are fragmentary, but survive sufficiently well to show that early
human activity extended beyond the confines of the open moors.
On the open moors there is significant and well-articulated evidence over
extensive areas for human exploitation of the gritstone uplands from the
Neolithic to the post-medieval periods. Bronze Age activity accounts for the
most intensive use of the moorlands. Evidence for it includes some of the
largest and best preserved field systems and cairnfields in northern England
as well as settlement sites, numerous burial monuments, stone circles and
other ceremonial remains which, together, provide a detailed insight into life
in the Bronze Age. Also of importance is the well preserved and often visible
relationship between the remains of earlier and later periods since this
provides an insight into successive changes in land use through time.
A large number of the prehistoric sites on the moors, because of their rarity
in a national context, excellent state of preservation and inter-connections,
will be identified as nationally important.

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 were 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 provides
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 round cairn 1140m north east of Bamford House survives in excellent
condition and is characteristic in form and location of a small round cairn.
Smaller cairns and barrows are typically less common than larger funerary
monuments within the Peak District, this is because their size makes them more
vulnerable to the effects of intaking and agricultural improvement. Despite a
minor disturbance at its centre, the monument remains largely intact and will
retain substantial information about its construction and date.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Bevan, WJ, The Upper Derwent Archaeological Survey 1994-1997, (1998), Ill#112
Bevan, WJ, The Upper Derwent Archaeological Survey 1994-1997, (1998), Ill# 66
Bevan, WJ, The Upper Derwent Archaeological Survey 1994-1997, (1998), 154

Source: Historic England