Reasons for Designation
The Cumbrian uplands comprise large areas of remote mountainous terrain, much
of which is largely open fellside. As a result of archaeological surveys
between 1980 and 1990 within the Lake District National Park, these fells have
become one of the best recorded upland areas in England. On the open fells
there is sufficient well preserved and understood evidence over extensive
areas for human exploitation of these uplands from the Neolithic to the post-
medieval period. On the enclosed land and within forestry the archaeological
remains are fragmentary, but they survive sufficiently well to show that human
activity extended beyond the confines of the open fells. Bronze Age activity
accounts for the most extensive use of the area, and evidence for it includes
some of the largest and best preserved field systems and cairn fields in
England, as well as settlement sites, numerous burial monuments, stone circles
and other ceremonial remains. Taken together, their remains can provide a
detailed insight into life in the later prehistoric period. Of additional
importance is the well-preserved and often visible relationship between the
remains of earlier and later periods, since this provides an understanding of
changes in land use through time. Because of their rarity in a national
context, excellent state of preservation and inter-connections, most
prehistoric monuments on the Lake District fells will be identified as
nationally important.
Despite being crossed by a modern road, Weasel Hills prehistoric cairnfield,
associated field system, hut circle and funerary cairn immediately north and
north west of High Wath Fold survives well and is one of numerous well-
preserved prehistoric landscapes located within the Cumbrian uplands. In
conjunction with other prehistoric remains in the vicinity the monument
represents evidence of long term management and exploitation of this area in
prehistoric times.
Details
The monument includes the earthworks and buried remains of Weasel Hills
prehistoric cairnfield, associated field system, hut circle and funerary cairn
immediately north and north west of High Wath Ford. It is located on gently
sloping ground on Caldbeck Common and lies either side of the minor road
between Mungrisedale and Caldbeck. The monument represents Bronze Age
exploitation of this landscape and is sub-divided into two separate areas of
protection.
The prehistoric cairnfield is centred at approximately NY34733535 and consists
of over 60 circular and oval-shaped clearance cairns up to 0.6m high. The
circular cairns measure between 2.8m to 7.5m in diameter while the oval-shaped
cairns measure between 2.8m to 16.5m long by 1.2m to 8.9m wide. A field system
associated with the cairnfield lies either side of the minor road. To the west
of the road the field system consists of a large horseshoe-shaped enclosure,
centred at NY34683552, which is open on its south side and includes numerous
lengths of stone bank which may have formed field boundaries, and two
lynchets. To the east of the road the field system consists of a small
horseshoe-shaped enclosure, three parallel lengths of stone wall each about
130m apart running downhill, and a number of short lengths of stone banks and
lynchets running across the hillslope. At NY34643635 there are the remains of
a hut circle about 7m in diameter, while at the eastern edge of the monument
at NY35073536 there is an oval-shaped funerary cairn measuring 11m north-south
by 10m east-west and up to 1.1m high on its downslope east side.
All modern field boundaries and the surfaces of all modern tracks are excluded
from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
