Two round cairns 415m and 420m NNE of The Cockpit, Moor Divock

List Entry Summary

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Location

The monument may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

Legacy System Information

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Asset Groupings

This list entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.

List entry Description

Summary of Monument

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Reasons for Designation

Round cairns are prehistoric funerary monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as stone mounds covering single or multiple burials. These burials may be placed within the mound in stone-lined compartments called cists. In some cases the cairn was surrounded by a ditch. Often occupying prominent locations, cairns are a major visual element in the modern landscape. They are a relatively common feature of the uplands and are the stone equivalent of the earthen round barrows of the lowlands. Their considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

Despite surface disturbance to the westerly of the cairns, the two round cairns 415m and 420m NNE of The Cockpit survive reasonably well. The monument lies within an area of open fell rich in prehistoric monuments and will contain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mounds and upon the old landsurface beneath. Additionally it lies at the western end of an alignment of funerary monuments stretching for over 1.5km along the natural communication route over a col between the Lowther and Ullswater valleys. It thus indicates the importance of this area in prehistoric times and the diversity of monument types to be found here. The monument will contribute to the study of the ceremonial function of cairns and other spatially associated monuments in the area.

History

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Details

The monument includes two round cairns located on Moor Divock 415m and 420m NNE of The Cockpit stone circle. It includes a larger, oval mound of partly turf-covered stones up to 0.3m high with maximum dimensions of 10.6m by 9.5m. There are some irregularly-shaped surface hollows on the western side of this cairn. Immediately to the east is a smaller, slightly oval mound of partly turf-covered stones up to 0.25m high with maximum dimensions of 4.6m by 4.4m. The eastern edge of this smaller cairn is kerbed. Also included is the archaeologically sensitive area between the cairns.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Selected Sources

Books and journals
Quartermaine, J, Askham Fell Survey Catalogue, (1992), 17-18
Other
Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988)
Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988)

National Grid Reference: NY 48516 22583

Map

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This copy shows the entry on 18-Oct-2017 at 05:37:31.