Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Round cairn 515m south east of White Raise round cairn, Askham Fell

A Scheduled Monument in Askham, Cumbria

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 54.5921 / 54°35'31"N

Longitude: -2.7857 / 2°47'8"W

OS Eastings: 349330.130088

OS Northings: 522157.621452

OS Grid: NY493221

Mapcode National: GBR 8HZB.QN

Mapcode Global: WH81J.5VR1

Entry Name: Round cairn 515m south east of White Raise round cairn, Askham Fell

Scheduled Date: 31 July 1995

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1007358

English Heritage Legacy ID: 22529

County: Cumbria

Civil Parish: Askham

Traditional County: Westmorland

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Cumbria

Church of England Parish: Askham with Lowther

Church of England Diocese: Carlisle

Details

The monument is a round cairn located on Askham Fell 515m south east of White
Raise round cairn. It includes a partly turf-covered oval mound of stones up
to 0.25m high with maximum dimensions of 3.8m by 2.8m.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

The monument is a rare survival in Cumbria of an undisturbed example of this
class of monument and will contain undisturbed archaeological deposits within
the mound and upon the old landsurface beneath. It 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.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Quartermaine, J, Askham Fell Survey Catalogue, (1992), 23-4
Quartermaine, J, Askham Fell Survey Catalogue, (1992), 21
Other
Darvill, T, MPP Single Monument Class Descriptions - Bowl Barrows (1988), (1988)

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.