More information : ('A' SV 9591037) Tumulus & Kistvaen (NR)
Tumulus (NR)
'A' (Hencken's 7, Daniel's 13) see illustration (1). Identified
by Daniel from Troutbeck and Gibson as one of three cairns on
the summit of Buzza Hill "50 yds west of King Edward's Tower"
(published as 'Old Windmill' on OS 25" 1908) Hencken lists a
cairn 30ft diameter with 5ft wide chamber aligned east/west and
Daniel gives its length as 20ft. Ashbee saw it as appearing to
contain a closed cist 8ft long by 5ft wide, probably due to a
fallen capstone sealing part of the chamber. Borlase excavated
two barrows which Troutbeck sites to Buzza Hill (see plans) but
no pottery or human remains were found.
Their sites cannot now be definitely identified.
One, (Hencken's 6a, Daniel's 1b) was a cairn with earth-filled
chamber aligned north east/south west, walled with "mortared"
masonry 4ft 10ins high. Some of the capstones had previously
been robbed for building. It was apparently the largest of the
group of three cairns attributed to Buzza Hill and was said by
Gibson to be the mound on which the former windmill, "King
Edward's Tower", stands at SV 90641037. This is simply
described as "Carn" in the ONB.
The other cairn (Hencken 6b, Daniel 16) lay 42ft north east of
the above and contained a chamber 14ft long by 4ft wide,
aligned east north east/west south west.
Borlase's mss. describe the sites as Buzza Hill, one chamber
being 22ft long, the other 14ft long, both oriented north
east/south west.
At SV 90591037 is a cairn approximately 12.0m in diameter and
of irregular height, in the centre of which is a closed cist or
chamber (see plan) oriented north east/ south west. The chamber
measures 2.5m x 1.7m, with a depth of 0.9m. It is not clear
whether the stone sealing the north east end is a fallen
capstone or the original endstone; probably the former as its
height is greater than that of the existing capstone at the
other end. This is undoubtedly 'A' (Hencken's 7 and Daniel's 13)
but conforms to either of the two barows portrayed by Borlase.
There is no trace of the barrow which was to the north or north
east of the present Tower.
The Tower stands eccentrically within a kerbed platform 12.0m
in diameter and from 0.4m to 1.0m high. The lower course of
boulders could represent the perimeter of a cairn but the
remainder is clearly of modern construction.
'A' surveyed at 1:2500 on PFD.
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