Could a Cumbrian Hill Hide the Grave of Viking King Ivar the Boneless?

For centuries, the final resting place of Ivar the Boneless, a formidable Viking leader who ravaged England in the 9th century, has remained a mystery. Now, an archaeologist believes he may have pinpointed the location: a grassy hill in Cumbria, UK, known as The King’s Mound.

Archaeologist Steve Dickinson has spent years researching Icelandic sagas and medieval writings, attempting to separate fact from legend surrounding the Viking king Ivarr the Boneless – also known as Ivarr the Legless or Ivarr the Dragon. His research has led him to believe that The King’s Mound could be the site of a significant Viking burial.

The King’s Mound and Historical Texts

Dickinson’s theory centers around the name “Coningeshou,” found in many historical documents relating to Ivar the Boneless, which he interprets as “King’s Hill.” Initial investigations using metal detectors have revealed promising finds, including large ship rivets and lead weights potentially used for weighing silver.

A Potential Viking Ship Burial

If Dickinson’s hypothesis is correct, The King’s Mound could contain a ship burial – a practice where a prominent figure was buried inside a ship, along with grave goods reflecting their status and the community’s respect. This practice was also seen in the Anglo-Saxon ship burial discovered at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk.

According to Dickinson, a ship burial at The King’s Mound would include items such as jewelry, insignia, weapons, food, and even sacrificed animals. He suggests this discovery could indicate the presence of a “Viking necropolis” along the Cumbrian coast.

Ivar the Boneless: A Viking Legacy

Ivar the Boneless was the son of the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok and a leader of the “Great Heathen Army” that conquered large parts of England in the 9th century. He founded a Viking dynasty in Dublin and played a pivotal role in shaping the history of Europe.

Dickinson plans to conduct soil testing later in 2026 to determine if the mound is indeed a burial site. If confirmed, it would be one of only 16 known monumental ship burials in north-west Europe and the first discovered in the UK.

Further Research and Viking Presence in Cumbria

Historians have long argued that Vikings settled in Cumbria, supported by the high concentration of Scandinavian place-names in the county. A 2001 DNA study showed that Penrith in Cumbria had strong evidence of Norwegian Viking ancestry, with over a quarter of men sampled sharing a direct male ancestor from Norway.

The discovery of the first radiocarbon-dated Viking Age longhouse in England, identified in the Kentmere valley in the 1980s, further supports this theory.