Calling Mascot

Beanley Plantation Settlement 1

Image by mascot

Hob Aug 27, 2008 14:32:27

I don't know if you read these forums Mascot, but I hope so, else I'm probably waffling on to myself...

It's nice to see someone else visiting the stuff in Northumberland, especially adding new bits. The Beanley Hillfort looks a bit overgrown with bracken, but the outcrop has really caught my attention.

Loads of times, the hillforts in the area seem to be near outcrop with rock art. I don't know if there is a causal connection, but when I think of Lordenshaws, Chatton, Roughting Linn, Doddington, Old Bewick, there's nearly always both features.

There's got to be a good chance that there is/was something of a rockarty nature hiding in the Beanley plantation.

Oh aye, and welcome to tma :)

tiompan Aug 27, 2008 16:13:37

Replying to Hob

Hob wrote:

There's got to be a good chance that there is/was something of a rockarty nature hiding in the Beanley plantation.

There's always the Beanley Moor "stuff ".

mascot Aug 27, 2008 16:52:16

Replying to Hob

Thanks for the welcome. I'm hoping to fill in some of the holes in TMA up in the NE by looking at some of the less "sexy" sites :-)

The rock outcrop comments are very interesting, the 1822 book mentions the road into the site more than the site (so must have been something then) and it was the most impressive part of the site when I visited. As per the fieldnotes one of the features on the side of the outcrop looks "man made" and the laid stomes at the bottom of the ditch on that side suggest the whole area could have part of an impressive entrance. Couldn't see anything on the other side of the track but there was deep gorse and a small quary/open mine site which could be much more recent.

Worth a trip if you are in the area.

Mac

mascot Aug 27, 2008 19:10:23

Replying to Hob

Hob

Done a bit more digging on this site and found the following:

There were two "cup and ring stones" found nearby but noth were removed and are now in Alnwick Castle museum (Keys to the past links below).

http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N3151

http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N3163

Can't tie them directly but these may be two stones in the Rock Art site listed as Beanley Portable a and Beanley Portable b, noth look very impressive, see:

http://rockart.ncl.ac.uk/panel_detail.asp?pi=324

http://rockart.ncl.ac.uk/panel_detail.asp?pi=325

Also if you look at the latest map on there and on google/virtual earth there is a clear circular ditch settlement just to the North of the rock outcrop (55°27'28.99"N 1°51'24.80"W). The entrance to this is shown on the map and seems clear from the sat images (I LOVE Goggle/Virtual earth!) as facing towards any trackway that would have come out from the site, passing through an "entrance" at the rock outcrop.

Missed this one in my visit so a couple of things to look at when I get the chance to go back. The more you dig on this stuff the more interesting it gets.......

Mac