Crawley Edge Cairns

The Crawley Edge Cairns are a group of 42 Bronze Age round barrows, cairns, and clearance cairns on a south-facing slope in Crawleyside, near Stanhope, County Durham. Ranging from 1.8m to 8.5m in diameter and 0.2m to 1m high, many retain traces of surrounding kerbs. Excavations in the 1970s dated the site to 2000-1500 BC and uncovered a collared urn containing cremated bone, three jet beads, flint tools, and charcoal. The inclusion of clearance cairns alongside burial cairns indicates agricultural land clearance alongside funerary practices. Cairnfields are uncommon in County Durham, making this a notable example.