Ancient Monuments

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Ring cairn on Langcliffe Scar, 800m ESE of Victoria Cave

A Scheduled Monument in Settle, North Yorkshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 54.0788 / 54°4'43"N

Longitude: -2.2369 / 2°14'12"W

OS Eastings: 384598.579736

OS Northings: 464794.804825

OS Grid: SD845647

Mapcode National: GBR DPT8.JL

Mapcode Global: WHB6K.MQ1Y

Entry Name: Ring cairn on Langcliffe Scar, 800m ESE of Victoria Cave

Scheduled Date: 7 March 1996

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1014353

English Heritage Legacy ID: 27934

County: North Yorkshire

Civil Parish: Settle

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): North Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Langcliffe St John the Evangelist

Church of England Diocese: Leeds

Details

This well defined ring cairn is situated on a slight north east facing
gradient on Langcliffe Scar. The bank has a width of 2m-2.5m and an average
height of 0.2m defining an internal area of 16m in diameter. The cairn has an
overall diameter of 21m. The ring cairn is situated within 200m of a
prehistoric settlement site. The settlement site is not included in the
scheduling.

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

A ring cairn is a prehistoric ritual monument comprising a circular bank of
stones up to 20m in diameter surrounding a hollow central area. The bank may
be kerbed on the inside, and sometimes on the outside as well, with small
uprights or laid boulders. Ring cairns are found mainly in upland areas of
England and are mostly discovered and authenticated by fieldwork and ground
level survey, although a few are large enough to be visible on aerial
photographs. They often occur in pairs or small groups of up to four examples.
Occasionally they lie within round barrow cemeteries. Ring cairns are
interpreted as ritual monuments of Early and Middle Bronze Age date. The exact
nature of the rituals concerned is not fully understood, but excavation has
revealed pits, some containing burials and others containing charcoal and
pottery, taken to indicate feasting activities associated with the burial
rituals. Many areas of upland have not yet been surveyed in detail and the
number of ring cairns in England is not accurately known. However, available
evidence indicates a population of between 250 and 500 examples. As a
relatively rare class of monument exhibiting considerable variation in form,
all positively identified examples retaining significant archaeological
deposits are considered worthy of preservation.

The ring cairn survives intact and will therefore retain its archaeological
deposits. It also lies close to prehistoric settlement and cave sites.

Source: Historic England

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