Round cairn 490m south east of White Raise round cairn, Askham Fell

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 limited antiquarian investigation of the centre of the monument, the round cairn 490m south east of White Raise round cairn survives well. This investigation located human remains and pottery, and further evidence of interments and grave goods will exist within the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath. The monument lies within an area of open fell rich in prehistoric monuments, and is situated upon an alignment of funerary monuments stretching for over 1.5km along the natural communication route over a col between Lowther and Ullswater valleys. It thus indicates the importance of this area in prehistoric times and will contribute to the study of the ceremonial function of cairns and other spatially associated monuments in the area.

Details

The monument is a round cairn located on top of a very low hillock on Askham Fell 490m south east of White Raise round cairn. It includes a slightly flattened oval mound of stones up to 1.4m high with maximum dimensions of 17m by 15m. Near the western end of the cairn's summit is a line of three orthostats up to 0.5m high aligned north-south. A series of three stone banks extend from the body of the cairn. The longest measures 10m long by 2.5m wide by 0.25m high, is orientated north east - south west, and points directly towards Askham Fell stone alignment. On the cairn's north eastern side are two further shorter banks up to 4.5m long. Limited antiquarian investigation opposite the largest orthostat by Canon Simpson located a cremation beneath fragments of an inverted urn, the rim of which was 0.33m in diameter.

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.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

22528

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Quartermaine, J, Askham Fell Survey Catalogue, (1992), 23-4
Quartermaine, J, Askham Fell Survey Catalogue, (1992), 23
Quartermaine, J, Askham Fell Survey Catalogue, (1992), 21

Other
To Quartermaine,J (Site surveyor), Clare, T (County Archaeologist),
SMR No. 2945, Cumbria SMR, Moor Divock, (1985)

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