Scheduled Monuments›England›The Countess Pillar

The Countess Pillar

England
List entry 1007122
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1007122
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.02 hectares
Grid reference
NY 54616 28957
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

The Countess Pillar is a seventeenth-century monument located near Penrith in Westmorland, erected in 1656 to commemorate Anne Clifford, Countess of Pembroke. The pillar stands as a stone column topped with a sundial and heraldic ornaments, marking the site where the Countess paused on her journey through the region. It was constructed to record her travels in the North of England and reflects the considerable status and landholdings of one of the most notable female figures of the English Civil War period. The monument remains a rare surviving example of a private commemorative pillar from this era and illustrates the importance of aristocratic display and memory in seventeenth-century England.

The Countess Pillar is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1007122. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is The Countess Pillar?

The Countess Pillar is a seventeenth-century monument located near Penrith in Westmorland, erected in 1656 to commemorate Anne Clifford, Countess of Pembroke. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1007122.

Who is responsible for protecting The Countess Pillar?

The Countess Pillar is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1007122.

What other scheduled monuments are near The Countess Pillar?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Romano-British settlement at Cragside Wood (7.7 km), Moated site and annexe east of Setterahpark Wood (8.3 km), Linear stone bank on Askham Fell (8.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about The Countess Pillar

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of The Countess Pillar's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Romano-British settlement at Cragside Wood
7.7 km
Moated site and annexe east of Setterahpark Wood
8.3 km
Linear stone bank on Askham Fell
8.8 km
Ring cairn on Askham Fell including The Cop Stone
8.9 km
Bridge over Heltondale Beck 550ft (170m) S of Widewath
9.3 km
Bridge over Heltondale Beck 250yds (230m) SSW of Widewath
9.3 km
Bowl barrow 80m east of Scarside Plantation
9.6 km
Round barrow 150m east of Scarside Plantation
9.6 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under The Countess Pillar

The Countess Pillar stands on Permian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Permian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

All Scheduled Monuments