Weasel Hills prehistoric cairnfield, associated field system, hut circle and a funerary cairn, immediately north and north west of High Wath Ford

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.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

34958

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Turner, V E, Trans Cumb & West Antiq & Arch Soc. New Ser. in Result of Survey Work Carried Out in the Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, Vol. LXXXVII, (1987), 19-25
Turner, V E, Trans Cumb & West Antiq & Arch Soc. New Ser. in Result of Survey Work Carried Out in the Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, Vol. LXXXVII, (1987), 19-25
Turner, V E, Trans Cumb & West Antiq & Arch Soc. New Ser. in Result of Survey Work Carried Out in the Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, Vol. LXXXVII, (1987), 19-25

End of official list entry

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