Details

The monument includes the remains of a Bronze Age round cairn situated in a prominent location on the summit of Benty Hill. The cairn measures approximately 10m in diameter and stands up to 1m high. A kerb of edge set stones visible on its western side survives elsewhere as a buried feature and indicates this is a burial mound.

SOURCES
PastScape Monument No:- 13752
NMR:- NY64SE1
Cumbria HER:- 2793

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.
Parkin's Stones round cairn is well-preserved and its distinctive landscape setting makes it a good example. The monument provides insight into the character of Bronze Age funerary rituals and will contain archaeological deposits relating to the construction and use of the burial mound.

Source: Historic England