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.
Details
The monument includes Lath Rigg prehistoric cairnfield, hut circle and
associated field system on Thwaites Fell 600m NNW of Thwaite Yeat. It is
located on gently-sloping fellside south and east of minor roads crossing
Corney Fell and represents Bronze Age exploitation of this landscape. The
cairnfield consists of over 100 round and oval-shaped clearance cairns up
to 0.6m high; the round cairns measuring between 1.8m-7.9m in diameter,
the oval-shaped cairns measuring between 2.4m-9.5m long by 1.5m-6m wide.
At SD18068906, on a plateau above the confluence of two streams, there are
the remains of a stone hut circle measuring approximately 13m in diameter.
Associated with the cairnfield and hut circle are faint traces of a field
system formed by fragments of enclosures defined by stone banks or walls.
There are two enclosures, both situated towards the northern end of the
monument. The larger enclosure comprises a stone bank extending for
approximately 100m as two separate lengths of bank flanked by cairn-free
areas on either side. The smaller enclosure is represented by two
separate lengths of wall set at right angles to each other thus appearing
to form the north and west sides with an entrance at the north west
corner.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
35014
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
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.
End of official list entry
