Rosebrough Moor round cairns

The two round cairns west of Old Stell Crag are reasonably well-preserved and provide insight into Bronze Age cosmology and funerary rituals. Excavation has shown the cairns to contain archaeological deposits relating to their use as burial mounds. The value of the monument is increased by its proximity to the Longstone Hill cairn cemetery which lies close to the north.

The monument includes the remains of two round cairns of Bronze Age date, situated on the south and south west facing slopes of a hill overlooking Sandyford Burn. The northernmost cairn lies a little below the summit of the hill and measures approximately 18.2m in diameter and stands to a maximum height of 2m. Partial 19th century excavation uncovered a central cist oriented north east to south west containing bone and some burnt stone. The second cairn is situated about 370m SSW of the first cairn, on the lower slopes of the hill. This cairn has a diameter of about 8.5m and stands to a maximum height of 0.8m. The cairn was partially excavated by Canon Greenwell in the 19th century and found to contain a cist with a cover slab, containing an inhumation and a Bronze Age pot known as a Beaker. Resting on the stone cover was an upturned urn containing the cremated remains of two adults and a flint knife. Further archaeological remains exist in the vicinity of this monument, but are not included as they have not been assessed.