Hindscarth, a gentleman of Keswick and Mount Pisgah

People love journeying to the lake district for a fell walk. This usually entails an exerting walk up a ridge, hopefully taking in the views of the surrounding fells and lakes. Some ridges are sought out for the exhilaration and perception of danger, Striding Edge, Swirral Edge, Sharp Edge, or Hall's Fell Ridge, these being the popular iconic ridge routes. Other ones are more rounded and a walker can spend greater time in the company of companions, walking and viewing the area with little risk of a serious fall, yet beautiful in its opening vistas. One such ridge among others, is the footpath from Little Town to the summit of Hindscarth, especially so if walked in autumn when the fell is clothed in the deep purple haze of the heather. This fell has the added advantage of a view into Goldscope mine, where the early German miners cut into the mineral vein for its rich deposits of copper and lead.

The vein of Goldscope Mine, Hindscarth

You can branch off and walk into the mine. It is dark, but relatively safe with no drops or branch-offs, (though do your internet research) but you will need a torch. If you carry on up the ridge it is initially steep but flattens in places to make a reasonably hard walk with excellent views of Keswick when you turn round to monitor your progress.

Goldscope (Scope End) Ridge, the first cairn just in view

The view back down Scope End ridge, looking to Keswick

 Above, my wife is beginning the last push to the first cairn which Wainwright refers to in book six as:

 'a big circular cairn of some antiquity, the Ordnance Survey maps giving it distinction by the use of the lettering reserved for objects of historic interest. This is the cairn predominantly seen from Newlands and it commands the finest view from the mountain.'

Looking back to Keswick, the first cairn (referred to as above by Wainwright), in view

It is at this point I add that I have come across something to add to the knowledge of Hindscarth, a fell which was always rather barren in historic references. It by no means explains this cairn and/or its builder entirely, but certainly adds to its interest. 

The summit cairn

I came across a newspaper article from 1807 that mentions Hindscarth as follows (and I quote in full):

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'Mount Pisgah - A gentleman now (and for a long time past) resident in Keswick, began a few years ago to erect a carrack, or pillar of stones (without masonry) on the summit of Hindscarth; a mountain well known to tourists, as well as the inhabitants of the neighbouring parts. This he undertook to rear a Monument of Esteem for the dwellers in the Vale of Newlands, with whom he had formerly lived with much comfort, whilst a boy. His mode of constructing it is singular. He devoted one day in each year, only to its elevation; when, being well respected by his neighbours, he has the assistance of as many of them as he thinks necessary.     

-The pillar (if it may be so called) is of a pyramidical form; and from the repeated annual accumulation of stones, it has now become a very prominent object, altering in some respect the appearance of the mountain; which is at the head of Newlands. It is now 40 feet in circumference, at the base; 15 feet in height; and is to have another days labour bestowed upon it. The founder (and builder) has denominated it Mount Pisgah, from the circumstance of his having it in view from the windows of his present residence - In other respects, Mount Pisgah commands a most delightful prospect of the Vale of Keswick and Under-Skiddaw.'

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Perplexingly, this initially threw up many other questions that seemed difficult to answer:

• Who was the unnamed Keswick gentleman resident?
• Why was the cairn so comprehensively destroyed?
• Who destroyed it?

The 'cairn of some antiquity' referred to, will not be the summit one, and will be the next one along the ridge, towards Newlands. It would be 40 feet in circumference, but is not now 15 feet high, although there is a clear and large debris field around it, although large sections of this are now grass covered. This field shows the cairn would have been considerably higher.

A check of Cumbria Archives shows no early reference to Hindscarth or Pisgah, including this unknown reference to the Pisgah name or the more commonly known one on Pillar Rock.

The boulder field around the summit cairn

With reference to Pillar Rock in the Ennerdale valley, knowing the view from this and Hindscarth, the explanation contained within the below biblical quotation is obvious for their original source.

 "Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-4;

See below for the 'whole of the land' view from Hindscarth, and one can see the obvious comparison with the biblical 'promised land'. It also stated in the article: '.... altering in some respect the appearance of the mountain' and it would have been clearly visible from Keswick. Some of it may have been robbed to form the more modern summit cairn.

The view down Scope End from the first cairn.

A drone image may show the scar or give clues to the destruction and laying waste to the original cairn; it is so close to any walker, under their nose, that it is easily missed as natural to the vicinity, but closer inspection shows a clear debris field out of context with the immediate area.

One aspect to the news article is that it was not an old tale retold by the writer; the references to '.... it has now become ....' and '.... is to have another days labour bestowed upon it.' show it to be present and still under construction at the time of the news article. That it has now largely disappeared just raises a debate, namely the mystery of the lost cairn (or the whole of it) on 'Mount Pisgah'.

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***2nd January 2016 Update***

Following the publishing of this article (now amended) on social media, I had made a schoolboy error and Andy Beck (a knowledgeable person on The Lakes) put on a comment. He believed this to be the lower cairn which is marked on the OS maps and also pointed out my error of originally referring to the circumference as the diameter(my old engineering foreman would have turned in his grave). I had initially disagreed with Andy, but on reflection I came to agree with him and I thank him personally for having moved the subject on.

**Update 2nd August 2019**

These blogs are always a work in progress and whilst researching another Newlands Valley matter I came across another reference to the cairn. In a news article of 1880: '...….. Following the ridge you come to a slope leading to John Grave's man, as a now ruined cairn of stones is called on the top of Hindscarth. Hindscarth is better known among the shepherds as Mount Pisgah. …..' There was a further article in 1821 that shows William Jacksons Solicitors of Keswick, stating that a John Grave of Keswick had by indenture of Assignment, assigned and transferred all his personal estate and effects to a John Banks. Other evidence shows a John Grave as one of three church wardens at Crosthwaite Church in the year 1817 - 18. There is probably some work still to be done on parish registers, if possible, to try and tie up a John Grave commencing in Newlands and moving to Keswick, but it seems clear that a man of that name was the cairn builder. Certainly from Keswick the 15 feet cairn would be clearly visible on Hinsdscarth.

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**I have previously published this account, and other new material, for public knowledge. I did so in the expectation that anyone wishing to further expand that public knowledge would do so by highlighting this original account, and then adding new information they discover themselves. Sadly I am aware of one site that has repeated a large section of an account of another all but forgotten lakeland memorial to two boys that drowned and making out it was new, despite his following my many new lakes history accounts. I was asked by a person writing a book for Wasdale MRT for the generation of funds to assist that worthy cause. I gladly agreed to its use and he stated he would reference my original account. Such a stance by the latter is an honourable one; I hope the former person reflects on his conduct and no longer copies my work and then makes out he has found a new lakes history; that is dishonourable and diminishes him.**

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