Cairn to SW of Hardknott Castle forum 1 room
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Just interested in what The Eds/Cumbrian Stoneheads think of the cairn below the Roman Fort at Hardknott?

Don't think we'll ever get a definitive answer as to whether this actually was a Bronze Age site due to the poor state of preservation, but I would certainly (tentatively) agree with Pastscape that the prominent siting suggests this is a possibility and furthermore too exposed for a sheepfold?

For reference Pastscape (MONUMENT NO. 984049) states:

Situated on a false crest overlooking Eskdale at NY 2171 0131, some
140 m to the SW of Hardknott Roman fort, there is a mound of stones,
mainly turf covered, which measures about 12 m in diameter and up to
0.4 m high. Its centre is hollowed out to ground level though it
contains some loose stone. A path, possibly on the line of the Roman
road, cuts across the S tangent. The prominence of the position
suggests this feature may be a burial cairn. However, on Dymond's
plan (1a) it is annotated, possibly correctly, as a `ruined fold',
and is described in the text as a ring of cobbled stones 17 ft
internally and 8 ft wide. It was tested by digging but no finds were
made. (1)

Hi Gladders,

I hope this helps:-
The Archaeology Data Service (ADS) website is extremely good (use the map). At the home page select "Archsearch", then on the right hand side select "Map", zoom into the area you are interested in, click on the two corners of the area you want, and away you go. From it this is what they have to say about the site you mention:-

http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archsearch/map.jsf

"A probable round cairn consisting of a consolidated mound of stone 7.0 meters in diameter and 0.5 meters in height. It is situated on high ground over looking Eskdale (field inspector, 1973). A cairn is marked here on the OS 6" (prov) 1956. It could not be located (Crawford, G. & George, C. 1983, site 1367)."

I've seen the cairn, and it does look like the numerous Bronze Age cairns throughout Cumbria. The difficulty lies with the fact that non-ancient cairns of a more modern period can look similar, if they are off the beaten track and remain un-messed with by walkers.

I hope you find the ADS site link interesting, and am sorry that I can't answer your question more positively.

Cheers,
TE.