| Summary : An extensive Bronze Age cairnfield on Great Ayton Moor. Up to 150 cairns have been identified, most of which are presumed to be clearance cairns. A number of the cairns have been recorded separately as ring or round cairns, where they were considered funerary. Two were excavated during investigations focused on the Neolithic cairn between 1953 and 1960 and produced no real dating evidence. Ordnance Survey field investigation in the 1960s suggested that a slight field pattern could be traced, with lynchets occurring on the eastern fringes of the main group of cairns, and slight baulks and lines of gathered stone visible in a smaller groups on the northwest. Air photograph evidence has produced no evidence for a field system. Many of the cairns were mapped from air photographs as part of the North York Moors NMP 2. Most are extant on the latest 2009 vertical photography, but many are obscured under dense moorland vegetation. Scheduled. |
More information : (Area centred NZ 5960 1150). Tumuli.
(An extensive group around various BA and probably BA features - for
which see separate records - on Great Ayton Moor). (1)
A main group of about 140 cairns with an outlying group of 12 more
(centred at NZ 5935 1195) on the northwest. The main group is in
heather but the minor group falls in a cleared area.
Resurveyed and revised at 1/2500. (2)
All these cairns are almost certainly stone clearance heaps, probably
BA. A slight field pattern can be traced, lynchets occur on the
eastern fringes of the main group and slight baulks and lines of
gathered stone are visible in the minor group. (3)
Two of the many round cairns were excavated by Hayes (see
plan).
One(cairn G on plan) was constructed of stones, many of which were
burnt, piled around a central slab. A deposit of iron pan lay on the
underlying rock. Two scraps of calcined flint and a piece of
charcoal were the only finds.
The other ('H' on plan), also contained many burnt stones and overlay
a layer of iron pan, in which were a flint chip and charcoal. Two
unworked flint flakes and a burnt quartz pebble were found. (see
NZ 51 SE 44). (4)
NZ 593120 - NZ 593115. Round barrows east of Ayton Bank Farm
scheduled.
(Presumably the field clearance cairns are intended). (5)
Around 150 cairns have been identified on Great Ayton Moor, scattered over a considerable area. Most are presumed to be clearance heaps. Two (NZ 51 SE 72 and 73) were excavated during investigations focused on the Neolithic cairn NZ 51 SE 1 between 1953 and 1960 and produced nothing to contradict this suggestion, but also produced no real dating evidence. Ordnance Survey field investigation in the 1960s suggested that a slight field pattern could be traced, with lynchets occurring on the eastern fringes of the main group of cairns, and slight baulks and lines of gathered stone visible in a smaller group on the northwest. Some of the cairns are scheduled as "round barrows".
A total of 71 cairns are visible as earthworks on air photographs, centred at NZ 5955 1155. Two cairns, considered funerary and located adjacent to a Neolithic chambered round cairn, have been recorded separately (UID 1261697 and 1261694). The majority of the cairns are concentrated in the vicinity of the chambered cairn, with some outliers at NZ 5983 1192 and a possible further cairn at NZ 5927 1205. A number have internal depressions possibly suggesting previous excavation. Most are extant on the latest 2009 vertical photography, but many are obscured under dense moorland vegetation.
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