Details

The monument includes an isolated prehistoric round cairn located on
unenclosed fellside near the summit of Sunny Bank, 380m north west of
Willywood Well, from where there are extensive views in all directions except
the east. It consists of grass-covered mound of stones measuring 5.5m in
diameter by 0.4m high.

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 round cairn 380m north west of Willywood Well survives well and will
contain undisturbed archaeological deposits within the mound and upon the old
landsurface beneath.

Source: Historic England

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. LXXVIII, (1987), 19-25

Source: Historic England