Scheduled Monument: ROUND CAIRN ON CURBAR EDGE (1008597)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION 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. The cairn is a well preserved example which appears not to have been disturbed and so will retain intact archaeological remains. Also of importance is its association with a number of relict Bronze Age landscapes surviving in this area of the East Moors. DETAILS Curbar Edge is situated in the eastern gritstone moorlands of the Peak District, in an area commonly known as the East Moors. The monument is prominently located 50m from the edge towards its southern end and includes a roughly circular heather-covered gritstone cairn with a diameter of c.12m and a height of c.1.2m. Although the monument has not been excavated, its form and location, together with its proximity to other prehistoric remains, indicate a Bronze Age date. SELECTED SOURCES Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, J - Title: The Peak District Barrow Survey (1989) - Date: 1989