An ancient graveyard has been discovered along with other Bronze Age remnants on Askwith Moor.

Two multi-cairn sites, believed to be previously unrecorded prehistoric burial grounds, are now being examined on a recently burnt section of the moor.

The finds were made by a group of antiquarians and amateur archaeologists who had initially ventured out on Thursday, May 13 just to have a look at some of the already documented cup-and-ring stone markings.

But Paul Bennett, Dave Hazell and Robert Hopkins found their attention instantly drawn to stone patterns in an area, not far from the moor’s triangulation pillar, where the heather had been burnt back – and were soon frantically trying to figure out the extent of their discovery.

It turned out to be an eight cairn site which, after checking with North Yorkshire County Council’s archaeological consult-ant, they believe has never been recorded.

The trio, joined by fellow enthusiast Michala Douglas, have found more tomb cairns including several at High Low Ridge, along with “extensive evidence” of other prehistoric remains – including hut circles, walling and cup-and-ring stones.

Forty-seven-year-old Mr Bennett, of Oakworth, said: “It blew our heads off really, this is the best find I’ve ever had and we’ve been going back and forth over the moors over the last week and uncovered even more material. The first find was made on May 13 on the slopes south of the Askwith Moor triangulation pillar where the heather’s been burnt back, which really reveals a lot.

“There are a lot of known cup and ring stone markings up there and we’d gone to have a look at some of the good ones when we found a cluster of at least eight or nine cairns, that are clearly visible. These tombs are clearly there and they are impressive.

“At the bottom of the ridge are the remains of documented medieval clearance cairns; but these differ considerably in size and form from the cairns we’ve found on top which are from a much earlier historical period.”

Paul has been posting his discoveries on his website, megalithix.wordpress.com, where he writes of the first Askwith Moor find: “Most of the cairns were typical of those scattering the moors above Ilkley, Bingley and elsewhere in the mid-Pennines, measuring an average of just three yards in diameter; but two of them had been given extra attention and stood out as they had much whiter, upright stones positioned at their northwestern edges.

“These uprights were only small, less than three feet high, but were placed in the same deliberate position for some reason.

“The two larger tombs measured nine and 11 yards respectively in diameter, and are surrounded by larger rocks and walling.

“We know that human beings have been on these moors since mesolithic times from the excess of flints, blades and scrapers found here.

“Very near to these newly discovered tombs, Mr Cowling – in Eric Cowling Rombald’s Way (1946) – told that: ‘On the western slope of the highest part of Askwith Moor is a very interesting flaking site. For some time flints have been found in this area, but denudation revealed the working place about August, 1935. There were found some 20 finished tools of widely different varieties of flint’.”

Paul also believes the apparently contradictory sounding High Low Ridge, where the second group of cairns were identified, may hold a clue in its name about the local landscape.

Pointing out that in Old English the word hlaw or lowe meant an artificial or burial mound, he said: “Which is exactly what we have found here – or several of them scattered about.”

Paul and the group are now busy writing up their findings and sending the details to the relevant archaeological bodies so they can be checked and verified. They have also begun further investigations on nearby Snowden Moor, where they are convinced further new evidence about the lives of our ancestors is waiting to be found.