Two cairnfields were investigated at Alnham during excavations there by Newcastle University between 1962-63. One (cairnfield A) extends across the small plateau on the east side of Pigdon Burn (area NT 968121). The other (cairnfield B), almost completely destroyed, lies on the southern slope between High Knowes and Coppath Burn (area NT 975122). A similar burial area may have existed at one time towards the foot of Hazeltonrig Hill on the west side of Spartley Burn (area NT 968126), but this is less certain. Cairnfield A contains the remains of twenty two simple stone-built cairns, which have no structural features showing apart from the occasional kerb-stone. They vary in diameter from 10ft to 18ft, and are between 1ft and 3ft in height. Almost all of them show clear indications of robbing. In addition there are traces of six circular ditched enclosures averaging 20ft in diameter, within which there are few if any traces of a cairn or mound.
Two cairns, and one of the ditched enclosures were excavated. One of the cairns was found to be covering a surface cremation, and yielded a bronze ring-headed pin of a type closely resembling the Irish series of the 1st/2nd centuries AD, but a case can be made for an origin in Yorkshire Eastern Second 'B'. The second cairn was greatly robbed, but contained evidence of an inhumation, and a barbed and tanged arrowhead, and two sherds of a collared and and cordoned Bell beaker were found. In the ditched enclosure there was no trace of a burial, and a flint scraper, and fragment of jet were the only finds. The destroyed burials in cairnfield B would probably have escaped notice but for the faint traces of a circular ditch some 33ft diameter containing indications of a well-spread mound. Excavation showed that two small pits had been sunk in the internal area, which although robbed, contained indications of cremations, and five weathered stone slabs in the external ditch may have formed a small box cist. Finds included 17 flints; a fragment of a possible tripartite urn; and two sherds of Romano-British pottery. (1)

NT 96751215 Nine well-formed cairns are prominent in field 'A' (see photographs for two examples) the others are little more than odd stones protruding through small tussocks of grass. Similarly with the 'ditched enclosures', that excavated, and perhaps three others are discernible as superficial depressions, no more can be identifiable in the coarse tufted grass covering. Surveyed at 6 inch scale.
The single excavated cairn at NT 97361213 in 'B' survives only as a slight circular depression. Surveyed at 1:2500. There are no others visible in the area, and the former existence of a 'field' is based on the assumption that it was an extension of, or similar to 'A'. (a)
Nothing resembling a cairn cluster was noted in a perambulation of the lower slopes of Hazeltonrig Hill. (2)

None of these stony mounds appear to be purpose constructed. They are unconsolidated and irregular in shape and although no obvious traces of a field system are visible amongst the coarse hummocky grass, ie lynchets or field banks, it is obvious that they are a result of stone clearance. The fact that the odd mound has been found to contain a burial is not uncommon. (3)

Sub-circular enclosure surviving as a slight earthwork within High Knowes cairnfield. No internal features; external bank very slight. Uncertain whether there had been a covering mound or cairn in the interior. External diameter c.9.5m, internal diameter c.5.65m, ditch 0.9m wide, outer bank 0.15m high x 1m wide. Mini-henge or causewayed barrow. (4)

NT 967122. High Knowes cairnfield cord rig contemporary with unenclosed timber-built settlement with ring ditch houses. Small plot cultivation. (5)

NT 967122 High Knowes, cord rig occurs in small discrete plots of 30-60 square metres. (6)

NT 96771212. The remains of a cairnfield (cairnfield A above), an unenclosed settlement and an area of cord rig cultivation. The cairnfield includes up to 32 cairns, 2 of which were excavated in 1962-3. Scheduling amended.

NT 97371213. The remains of an unenclosed hut circle settlement, comprising a single Bronze Age hut circle. The site was excavated in 1963-4 and two small pits containing burnt wood and bone were revealed. Several worked flints and some fragments of pottery were also discovered. Scheduled.

Cairnfield, unenclosed hut circle settlement and area of cord rig 190m north east of Pigdon's Leap. The scheduling was revised on 10 October 2001. The monument includes the known extent of the upstanding and buried remains of a cairnfield, an unenclosed settlement and area of cord rig cultivation of Bronze Age date, situated on the east bank of the Pigdon's Sike, a tributary of the Spartley Burn. The cairnfield, situated on a level shoulder is visible as the remains of up to 32 irregularly shaped mounds of stone. In size, the cairns can be divided into two groups; there are about five larger cairns ranging in size from 4m to 6m in diameter, which stand to a height of 0.4m to 0.5m. The remaining cairns are considerably smaller than this, being on average 2m in diameter and 0.1m high. Two of the larger cairns were partially excavated in 1962-3. The first, which is situated towards the western end of the cairnfield, is visible as a circular stone built mound 6m wide and 0.5m high with a large hollow at its centre. Upon excavation this cairn covered an irregularly shaped area demarcated by a narrow rock cut trench 0.6m wide. On the inside edge of the trench there was a low bank of earth and brash, largely upcast from the diggin of the trench. The inner side of this low mound was marked by an insubstantial kerb of small stones which enclosed a roughly circular area 4m in diameter. Contained within this area there was a spread of burnt wood containing a scatter of worked flints; at the centre of this deposit small pieces of burnt bone were recovered associated with a decorated bronze pin of Bronze Age date. This spread of wood and bone is thought to represent the remains of a funeral pyre. The second cairn situated at the south east side of the cairnfield contained a shallow hollow interpreted by the excavator as a grave; the lack of burial was thought to be due to earlier disturbance of the centre. In addition to small pieces of flint, an arrowhead and two pieces of pottery of Bronze Age form were discovered. At the south western edge of the cairnfield, on gently sloping ground, there is a discreet group of five circular enclosures defined by ditches. These are thought to be the remains of circular, timber houses forming an unenclosed settlement. Each is visible as a level circular or oval platform, set into the slope and defined by a ditch. The most prominent measures 7.5m in diameter within a surrounding ditch 2.5m wide and 0.2m deep. There is an entrance in the south east side visible as a raised causeway 2m wide. This hut circle was partially excavated in 1962-3 when a low mound surrounding the ditch was uncovered and a flint tool and a fragment of jet were found. The four remaining hut circles are less well pronounced as their ditches have become infilled with silt. They range in diameter from 9m to 12m overall and are largely visible as a scarp marking the backs of the platforms where they are terraced into the slope. These scarps vary in size from 0.2m to 0.45m high. The most westerly of the hut circles contains a small cairn 3m in diameter and 0.35m high at its centre. At the northern end of the cairnfield there is a small area of cord rig cultivation visible across an area measuring 32m by 24m. The narrow furrows, which are visible as a change in vegetation colour, are abour 0.25m wide and about 1.5m apart.
The cairnfield, unenclosed hut circle settlement and area of cord rig survives well. The distribution of individual cairns within the cairnfield will add to our understanding of the way in which prehistoric field plots were organised. The association of the cairnfield with cord rig cultivation will also enhance our knowledge of agricultural practice at this time. Partial excavation has shown that at least some of the individual cairns contain funerary remains which are important for the information they can provide about the date of the cairnfield and the beliefs of the society who used it. The unenclosed settlement is well-preserved, and the form and method of the construction of the houses will add to our knowledge of the nature and use of this type of settlement. Taken together, with other prehistoric settlements and field systems in the vicinity, the settlement, agricultural and funerary remains are an important addition to our knowledge of settlement and society at this time. (7)

NRHE has 1 main record NRHE UID 1033822 and 3 separate records which form part of this site, NRHE UID 1197321, 1196692 and 1196696. However with no accurate grid reference to locate the 3 smaller sites, they have been included in this record. As all of the 3 smaller NRHE sites have details in the Summary Description but not in the Full Description field it is difficullt to establish which references the text relates to [see Summary Description field in this record] (8)

It is difficult to equate those features now visible on the ground centred at NT 967 121 to the excavators' plan of cairnfield A (B is dealt with and numbered separately). Of the eight circular structures shown on Jobey and Tait's plan [numbered NT 9612/19-26] only five [NT 9612/19-23] can be identified including the excavated example [NT 9612/19]. Likewise some 32 cairns are now visible [NT 9612/27-32] including the excavator's cairn 1 [NT 9612/27] and 2 [NT 9612/31]. In addition to the circular structures and the cairns, to the S of the site where the natural slopes steepen towards the gulley of Spartley Burn, there is a series of terraces, in part probably natural, separated by vague unsurveyable lynchets up to 1.2 m high [NT 9612/34]. Whilst ill-defined, this series strongly resembles the remains of a prehistoric field system. To the N of the site is a small area of cord rig [NT 9612/35] measuring 32 m by 24 m; this adjoins tussock grass which usually masks all trace of cord rig, so probably this cultivation was more extensive. The five ditched enclosures remaining [NT 9612/19-23] appear to be
similar, differing only in their size and state of preservation. They comprise a platform, circular or oval, encircled by a ditch and set into the S-facing hillslope. The best example, that dug by Jobey and Tait [NT 9612/19], measures about 10 m in diameter between the centres of a ditch, now 2.5 m wide and 0.25 m deep. A single causeway, only 2.0 m wide, can be identified in the ESE arc but this sector and the central platform have been mutilated presumably during the course of the excavations. The entrances to the other ditched enclosures [NT 9612/20-23] cannot be seen, though it seems likely that, if they existed, they would have been sited between the back- scarp and putative front apron like 19 to the E or SE. In nos. 20-23 the ditch is silted and only discernible around the N arc where the most prominent feature is a back-scarp from 0.2 m-0.45 m high. A front apron, 0.1 m high, is visible in no. 20, suggesting that it is oval, 6.0 m E-W by 5.0 m transversely between ditch centres, but this apron is absent in the other examples all of which measure about 7.0 m across from E-W between ditch centres. Centrally placed within no. 22 is a turf-covered pile of stones, 3.0 m in diameter and 0.35 m high; whether this cairn is contemporary with the platform or not cannot be determined without excavation. All of these structures [NT 9612/19-23] form a fairly close group between the scattered cairns [NT 9612/27-32] to the N and the lynchets and terraces [NT 9612/34] to the S. Of the cairns the largest is cairn 1 [NT 9612/27] excavated by Jobey and Tait; it measures 6.0 m in diameter and 0.5 m high, and shows evidence of disturbance by the excavations. Cairns 28-31, from 3.5 m-5.0 m in diameter and up to 0.4 m high, also show signs of digging in the form of a central depression. The remaining cairns [NT 9612/32] are small, down to 2.0 m in diameter and 0.1 m high, and all have a stony content. In only one of the three features excavated by Jobey and Tait, Cairn 1 [NT 9612/27], were human remains found. Cairn 2 [NT 9612/28] contained a "shallow grave" in which were found two sherds of Beaker pottery; an inhumation is assumed but no trace was found. The excavations appear to have assumed that the ditched enclosure [NT 9612/19] is another form of funerary monument (they describe it as "burial no. 3") but no burials or grave pits were found to support this classification. A more likely explanation of the ditched enclosures is that they are ring-groove or ring-ditch houses, scarped into the hillslope with evidence of associated cultivation in the form of terraces and lynchets [NT 9612/34] and cord rig [NT 9612/35]. With regard to the cairns, the biggest, Jobey's cairn 1 [NT 9612/27], may be a burial mound, or it may be a clearance cairn utilised for funerary purposes; the remainder are much smaller and most may be simply stone clearance heaps broadly contemporary with the huts. This hypothesis can only be settled with certainty by excavation. (8a)

NT 968 123. Cairnfield S of High Knowes. Scheduled No ND/459. (8b)