5,000 Year Old Neolithic Long Cairn in the Yorkshire Dales Receives Protected Status
The Dudderhouse Hill long cairn, located within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, has been granted protected status as a Scheduled Monument by the government, following detailed assessment and advice from Historic England.
Dating to the Neolithic or New Stone Age period (approximately 3400-2400 BC, 5,000 years ago), this rare, prehistoric monument stands as one of the earliest visible structures in England’s landscape.
Today, the cairn survives as a partly turf-covered oval mound of stones approximately 23 metres long, up to 12 metres wide, and 1 metre high.
England’s first farming communities
Long cairns are amongst the oldest visible reminders of our prehistoric past. They are considered to have been some of the first structures communally constructed by humans, and offer valuable insights into the lives, deaths and beliefs of England's first farming communities more than 5,000 years ago.
The Dudderhouse Hill monument is positioned with views towards the prominent peak of Pen-y-Ghent, and appears to mirror the Ingleborough to Simon Fell ridge to the north-west.
The cairn’s deliberate positioning may reflect its ceremonial significance and relationship with the surrounding land. These types of monuments may have served as a way for our ancient ancestors to mark claims to the neighbouring landscape
Stone removal
The scheduling follows concern about recent stone removal from the cairn.
Historic England is reminding visitors to the Yorkshire Dales that moving stones from archaeological monuments, even for innocent purposes such as creating way markers for walkers, can cause serious damage to irreplaceable heritage sites.
As a Scheduled Monument, the Dudderhouse Hill long cairn will now receive the highest level of heritage protection available in England.
Scheduling this remarkable Neolithic long cairn ensures that this rare and fragile piece of our prehistoric heritage receives the protection it deserves.
What makes this discovery particularly significant is that it belongs to a small group of recently identified long cairns in the Yorkshire Dales, an area where these monuments were once thought to be absent. Each discovery helps us build a more complete picture of how our ancestors shaped and understood their landscape.
We are delighted that on the recommendation of Historic England, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has decided to add Dudderhouse Hill Neolithic long cairn to the Schedule of Monuments. This decision recognises the long cairn as one of a relatively small number of such nationally important monuments that survive in the country. It also means we can now plan a holistic repair and interpretation project on the monument, to address the recent damage that the site has suffered.
The Missing Pieces Project: Add your information about Dudderhouse Hill Long Cairn
We would love you to add your story about Dudderhouse Hill Long Cairn to the Missing Pieces Project. It could be a photo or something you know about the Scheduled Monument. You can add photos, drawings, audio, film, or text.
Everything you add is an important piece of the picture. And the more pieces of the picture we have, the better we can celebrate and protect what makes these places special.
Through the Missing Pieces Project, Historic England invites everyone to discover the listed places on their doorstep and contribute their own unique piece to the picture by adding photos, videos, stories and memories on the National Heritage List for England.
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