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 some disturbance to the cist and partial mutilation of the monument by
the construction of two shelters on its northern edge, this cairn survives
reasonably well. It will contain further evidence of interments within the
cairn and upon the old landsurface beneath.
Details
The monument is a round cairn located on a ridge at the northern end of The
Tongue between the valleys of Trout Beck and Hagg Gill. It includes a
mutilated oval mound of stones up to 0.5m high with maximum dimensions of 14m
by 10m. Close to the cairn's centre is an upright stone which is the eastern
end of a stone-filled cist. A second large stone from the cist has been
displaced and lies nearby on the surface of the cairn. Two shelters have been
built on the northern edge of the mound using stones from the cairn and
incorporating other large stones from the cist, including what appears to be a
capstone. 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:
22548
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other Darvill,T., MPP Single Monument Class Description - Bowl Barrows, (1988) RCHME, Westmorland, (1936) SMR No. 1926, Cumbria SMR, Two Cairns on N. End of The Tongue, Troutbeck Park, (1985)
Legal
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.
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