Kirkcarrion: Difference between revisions
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Adding short description: "Hilltop tumulus and copse in County Durham, England" |
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{{Short description|Hilltop tumulus and copse in County Durham, England}} |
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{{Orphan|date=November 2006}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
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{{coord|54.6094|-2.0958|display=title|region:GB_scale:2000}} |
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[[File:Kirkcarrion-Middleton-In-Teesdale.jpg|thumb|Kirkcarrion]] |
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| ⚫ | '''Kirkcarrion''' is a copse of pine trees, surrounded by a stone wall, on a hilltop near [[Middleton-in-Teesdale]], [[County Durham]], [[England]]. The trees, which were planted in Victorian times, cover a [[tumulus]] which is reputed to be the burial place of a [[Bronze Age]] chieftain, Prince Caryn, who ruled before the days of the Romans. The site is a Bronze Age [[round barrow]] on the top of Lunedale Ridge, where it looms over the small town of Middleton-in-Teesdale some 400 feet below. |
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The name Kirkcarrion is conjectured to derive from ''Carreg Caryn'', or "burial mound of Caryn". Kirkcarrion is also sometimes referred to as "Caryn's Castle", a name for which ''Caer Caryn'' might be a potential rendering in Brythonic. |
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It has been suggested that Caryn was a Brigantean chief, although this seems unlikely, as the [[Brigantes]] were a tribe of the later [[Iron Age]]. Excavations in the 19th century are said to have yielded a [[cist]] burial and a funerary urn with charred bones inside. The artifacts, the current whereabouts of which is uncertain, are thought to have ended up in the possession of Lord Strathmore, who subsequently built walls around the site and planted the trees within. |
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One legend states that within the circle of trees is a spot where no wind blows, no matter how inclement the weather. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Dominating the Moors above [[Lunedale]], and visible from miles, the [[Scotch Pine]] covered tumulus of Kirk Carrion is one of [[Teesdale]]'s major [[Bronze Age]] burial sites. Thought to have been constructed sometime around 1400 BC, this elaborate chieftain's tomb was excavated in [[Victorian]] times. The name Kirk Carrion itself is derived from [[Kirk]] (Church or Churchyard) and Carrion (The believed name of the Chieftain- not Carrion as in dead bodies!). As befits a site of such antiquity, there are several local legends about the spot. It is said that within its circle of trees there is a place where no wind ever blows, no matter how rough the weather, but since the location of this point itself is supposed to be constantly shifting, it is a difficult thing to verify. The site is also reputed to be haunted. The identity of the ghost varies - the original [[Bronze Age]] inhabitant, one of the Victorian diggers or the land-owner who gave permission for the excavation - but the vengeful nature of the spectre remains a fairly constant feature in all versions. Kirk Carrion is said to lie on the meeting point of several [[Ley Lines]], and 'dowsing' on the site can produce interesting effects! Whatever the truth of the stories, at times the mound can be an unusual and oddly atmospheric sight, even in full sunshine. |
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Latest revision as of 00:02, 23 May 2024
54°36′34″N 2°05′45″W / 54.6094°N 2.0958°W
Kirkcarrion is a copse of pine trees, surrounded by a stone wall, on a hilltop near Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, England. The trees, which were planted in Victorian times, cover a tumulus which is reputed to be the burial place of a Bronze Age chieftain, Prince Caryn, who ruled before the days of the Romans. The site is a Bronze Age round barrow on the top of Lunedale Ridge, where it looms over the small town of Middleton-in-Teesdale some 400 feet below.
The name Kirkcarrion is conjectured to derive from Carreg Caryn, or "burial mound of Caryn". Kirkcarrion is also sometimes referred to as "Caryn's Castle", a name for which Caer Caryn might be a potential rendering in Brythonic.
It has been suggested that Caryn was a Brigantean chief, although this seems unlikely, as the Brigantes were a tribe of the later Iron Age. Excavations in the 19th century are said to have yielded a cist burial and a funerary urn with charred bones inside. The artifacts, the current whereabouts of which is uncertain, are thought to have ended up in the possession of Lord Strathmore, who subsequently built walls around the site and planted the trees within.
One legend states that within the circle of trees is a spot where no wind blows, no matter how inclement the weather.
External links
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