In the hills above Middleton stands a solitary clump of ancient Scots pines. These dark trees mark the site of a tumulus, Kirkcarrion. It was excavated in 1804. They found four flat stones standing on their edges with a fifth slab across the top. Inside a cinerary urn was found and the bones of a Brigantine prince, Caryn.

It was was certainly a place of strategic importance, as it overlooks the point where the valleys of the Tees and the Lune meet.

It is reckoned that in Bronze Age times – 2,000BC to about 500BC – humans piled lots and lots of stones on the top of Kirkcarrion. Perhaps, then, it was a burial place – a barrow – for someone who was very important.

After the Bronze Age, the Brigantes tribe ruled the north of England for several centuries until they were beaten by the invading Roman army. They inherited the rocky hilltop, and it is believed that they buried their Prince Caryn up there. This would account for Kirkcarrion’s name – it was originally Carreg Caryn, the burial heap of Caryn (“carreg” in Welsh means “stone” or “rock”).

My photos were taken in 2018 and 2019 quickly passing by. During my stay in Barnard Castle in 2022 I hope I can go there at night and take some better shots. I have to be careful though. When the moon is out, Caryn´s unsettled spirit is believed to stalk the fells, no doubt lamenting the disturbance of his celtic tomb.

The first two photos are from 2018 taken from the main road leading into Middleton from Forest-in-Teesdale. The other photos were taken in 2019 when we drove up the hill from Middleton and walked towards the mount alongside the road. On the last two photos it is clearly visible in my opinion that the mount is manmade.