Standing Stones at Kirksanton, Cumbria - RAC1970.100

These two slim blade-like stones, probably dating from the Bronze Age, stand in the shadow of the looming Black Combe hill to the north and the smaller and more gentle hills that are home to the Lacra stone circles to the east. The tallest stone is 3 metres high while the shorter one is about 2.5 metres tall, and they stand around 4.5 metres apart



A report from the late 18th century suggests that they were originally part of a burial mound which has now gone but if they are in their original position and orientation then their axis of alignment is roughly southwest-northeast, pointing in the direction of Whitcham Beck valley - could it be that they were indicating a safe route between the hills? If we look at the narrow edges of the stones, they are pointing northwest-southeast marking the lowland plain between the sea and the hills - was this another possible trackway or route?

Pennine Horizons Digital Archive

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