Ancient Monuments

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A cairn and a carved rock on a prominent knoll, south of the road from Barningham to East Hope, 690m WSW of Haythwaite, Barningham Moor

A Scheduled Monument in Hope, County Durham

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Coordinates

Latitude: 54.4752 / 54°28'30"N

Longitude: -1.9229 / 1°55'22"W

OS Eastings: 405092.345806

OS Northings: 508877.067537

OS Grid: NZ050088

Mapcode National: GBR HJ0P.HJ

Mapcode Global: WHB4S.FSK2

Entry Name: A cairn and a carved rock on a prominent knoll, south of the road from Barningham to East Hope, 690m WSW of Haythwaite, Barningham Moor

Scheduled Date: 24 October 1997

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1017413

English Heritage Legacy ID: 30464

County: County Durham

Civil Parish: Hope

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): County Durham

Church of England Parish: Barningham St Michael and All Angels

Church of England Diocese: Leeds

Details

The monument includes a grass covered stone cairn 5m in diameter, and a carved
rock which is in the north east side of the cairn. It is situated on
Barningham Moor, in the modern sheep grazing enclosure known as Scale Knoll
Allotment. The knoll on which the monument is situated is the second knoll
from the east in a line of four prominent knolls of glacial origin.
The cairn has been slightly disturbed by stone robbing; it stands to a
height of 0.4m.
The carved rock is visible in the northeast edge of the cairn, and is partly
covered in vegetation. It is not possible to establish whether the carved rock
is part of the cairn material or if it predates the cairn. The visible part of
the rock measures 0.6m by 0.45m by 0.05m. The carving is in particularly good
condition and consists of one cup with a partial ring.

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.

Prehistoric rock carving is found on natural boulders and rock outcrops in
many areas of upland Britain. It is especially common in the north of England
in Northumberland, Durham, and North and West Yorkshire. The most common form
of decoration is the `cup' marking, where small cup-like hollows are worked
into the surface of the rock. These cups may be surrounded by one or more
`rings'. Single pecked lines extending from the cup through the rings may also
exist, providing the design with a `tail'. Other shapes and patterns also
occur but are less frequent. Carvings may occur singly, in small groups, or
may cover extensive areas of rock surface. They date to the Late Neolithic and
Bronze Age periods (2800-c.500 BC) and provide one of our most important
insights into prehistoric `art'. The exact meaning of the designs remains
unknown, but they may be interpreted as sacred or religious symbols. All
positively identified prehistoric rock carvings sites will normally be
identified as nationally important.
The carved rock and cairn 690m WSW of Haythwaite form part of a wider group
of carved rocks and other archaeological remains of prehistoric date on
Barningham Moor. The carving on the rock survives well. Although the cairn has
been slightly disturbed by stone-robbing, it retains evidence of its form and
location. It also forms an important part of the context of the carved rock.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Beckensall, (1997)

Source: Historic England

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