Monument record MDR3890 - Wet Withens Cairn, Wet Withens, Eyam
Type and Period (3)
- CAIRN (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- CUP MARKED STONE (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
- CINERARY URN (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
Next to the stone circle on Wet Withens moor "there was, until some years back, one of the most interesting barrows in the Peak of Derbyshire. It covered an area of ground about thirty yards in diameter. When opened many years since, it was found to contain an unbaked urn, inclosing a deposit of calcined bones, and a flint arrow-head". (1)
The site has been scheduled. (5)
This site is so extensively cratered that it is impossible to be certain of its original form. Today it appears to be a long cairn, but displaced cairn material may have radically altered its shape. However, two areas, at opposite ends, can be tentatively identified which may be undisturbed - if so, it may be seen as a long cairn or two adjacent round cairns. One small slab in the disturbed interior has a single cupmark. The two 'intact' areas of cairn are c. 1m high, while eslewhere the height of the rim has been aded to by upcast, reaching a maximum of 1.7m to the north. (9)
This mutilated barrow on the gritstone upland lies next to the Wet Withens stone circle. Today the mound measures 27.5m x 17.5m, giving it the appearance of a long barrow. However, like Highlow Bank, the site could just as well comprise two adjacent round barrows. A cupmarked stone has been found recently amongst the rubble of the interior. (10).
As noted above, amongst the loose rubble of the disturbed central area of the large Wet Withens barrow is a stone block that has a single well-defined cupmark. This is relatively unworn, in a state that is consistent with it having been buried until the 18th or 19th century. While the cupmark looks convincing, the shape of the stone is such that it is unlikely to have been part of a cist or other formal structure. (11)
Photographic record. (12)
Sources/Archives (12)
- <1> SDR2903 Bibliographic reference: Bateman, T. 1848. Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire. p26, 114.
- <2> SDR16951 Bibliographic reference: Wood, W. 1865. History and Antiquities of Eyam 1865.
- <3> SDR12606 Article in serial: Pennington, R. 1875. Notes on Some Tumuli and Stone Circles Near Castleton, Derbyshire. Volume 4. p 383.
- <4> SDR12600 Bibliographic reference: Pennington, R. 1877. Notes on the Barrows and Bone Caves of Derbyshire. 22.
- <5> SDR748 Scheduling record: Ministry of Works. 1961. Ancient Monuments of England and Wales.
- <6> SDR6065 Personal Observation: F1 BHS 08-DEC-65.
- <7> SDR8643 Bibliographic reference: Marsden, B. 1977. The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire. p35.
- <8> SDR16953 Index: NDAT. 0907. 0907.
- <9> SDR2466 Unpublished document: Barnatt, J. 1989. The Peak District Barrow Survey (updated 1994). Site 30:11.
- <10> SDR18968 Bibliographic reference: Barnatt, J & Collis, J. 1996. 'A review & interpretation of extant sites & past excavations', in Barrows in the Peak District. pp 3-94. p 87.
- <11> SDR19474 Article in serial: Barnatt, J & Robinson, F. 2003. 'Prehistoric rock-art at Ashover School and further new discoveries ...', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Vol. 123, pp 1-28. p 21.
- <12> SDR18971 Photograph: Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA). Slide Collection. 5442.1.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2253 7904 (19m by 27m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | EYAM, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR888
- EDR1119
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jul 30 2013 3:48PM