Prehistoric cairnfield and two associated hut circles on Corney Fell, 860m north of Buckbarrow Bridge

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.

Cairnfields are concentrations of cairns sited in close proximity to one another. They often consist largely of clearance cairns, built with stone cleared from the surrounding landsurface to improve its use for agriculture, and on occasion their distribution pattern can be seen to define field plots. They were constructed from the Neolithic period (from about 3400 BC) although the majority of examples appear to be the result of field clearance which began during the Bronze Age (2000-700 BC). The considerable longevity and variation in size, content and associations of cairnfields provide important information on the development of land use and agricultural practices. Cairnfields also retain information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation during the prehistoric period. The prehistoric cairnfield and two associated hut circles on Corney Fell, 860m north of Buckbarrow Bridge survive reasonably well and form part of a well preserved prehistoric landscape extending along the fellsides of south west Cumbria. In conjunction with a wide range of 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 a prehistoric cairnfield and two associated hut circles located on the west facing slopes of Corney Fell, 860m north of Buckbarrow Bridge. It represents evidence for the prehistoric exploitation of this landscape and includes a short length of stone bank and about 40 round and oval shaped clearance cairns up to 0.6m high, the round cairns measuring between 1.5m to 6.2m in diameter, the oval shaped cairns measuring between 2.8m to 6.7m long by 2m to 5.1m wide. The majority of the cairns occupy a small natural terrace on the hillside overlooking the remainder of the cairns within this cairnfield. On the northern edge of this terrace, at SD13369127, there is a hut circle measuring approximately 11m by 7m with a small three sided enclosure attached to its northern side. On the hillslope immediately below the terrace lie the remainder of the cairns, including an alignment of five interpreted as representing the line of an old boundary in which sporadic patches of stone were piled against a fence or hedge. At SD13259114, at the southern edge of this group of cairns, there are the ill defined remains of a hut circle situated against a prominent curved stone bank which, with faint traces of other banks, may have originally formed a small enclosure.

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:

32841

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Quartermaine, J, Leech, R H, Upland Settlement of the Lake District: Result of Recent Surveys, (1997), 20-6
Quartermaine, J, Charlesground Gill Survey Catalogue, (1985)
Quartermaine, J, Charlesground Gill Survey Catalogue, (1985)
Quartermaine, J, Charlesground Gill Survey Catalogue, (1985)

End of official list entry

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