Scheduled Monument: ROUND CAIRN 430M WEST OF CROOKHILL FARM (1019907)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION 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. Often occupying prominent locations, cairns are a major visual element in the modern landscape. Their considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation amongst prehistoric communities. The round cairn 430m west of Crookhill Farm remains largely intact and will contain undisturbed archaeological information. The monument is also important both because of its position in the landscape and in its association with nearby contemporary remains. DETAILS The monument includes a prehistoric round cairn situated within an area of enclosed moorland. The cairn comprises a low grass-covered mound standing within the saddle between the two crags of Crook Hill. This location provides extensive views both east and west over the Derwent and Woodlands valleys and incorporates direct line of sight to contemporary ceremonial monuments. The cairn measures 6.5m by 6m and stands approximately 0.5m high. There are minor disturbances to the centre and south side of the monument. However, the majority of the monument remains intact and the cairn and underlying soil will contain undisturbed archaeological information. The location and physical characteristics of the cairn indicate that it is a funerary monument and is Bronze Age in date. The cairn repesents a ceremonial site and is associated with funerary and clearance cairns to the north west and a stone circle or kerb-cairn to the north east. Together these monuments provide substantial evidence for the Bronze Age settlement and ceremonial use of the surrounding area. SELECTED SOURCES Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, JW - Title: Crookhill Farm Hope Woodlands Archaeological Survey 1994 - Date: 1995 - Page References: 10 Book Reference - Author: Barnatt, JW - Title: Crookhill Farm Hope Woodlands Archaeological Survey 1994 - Date: 1995 - Page References: 10