Latest Fieldnotes

This is not the most accessible site I’ve been to. I won’t go into the details of how I eventually got here but I can say that all my efforts were very worthwhile.
I was completely taken aback by the size of the monument. The photos I’ve seen of it elsewhere don’t show its scale. I guess I hadn’t really thought about the fact that this is a grave and that the cist would need to be big enough at least to hold an adult human body. The turned over capstone is 2 meteres long on its flat side.
This site is marked as a barrow on the OS maps. On archaeology.ie it’s marked as a cist with a barrow right beside it. I believe that the barrow and this cist are one and the same. There are remains of the mound still surviving.
I loved the views from up here across the Dublin plain. Once again Howth is prominent over to the north-east.

Marked as a Ringfort (unclassified) on archaeology.ie, this is the nearest monument to my house. I’ve been pondering heading up there for a while now and finally went this morning.

The 2nd left turn after Bohernabreena catholic church leaves you on a road above the field with the ‘ringfort’. Down through two small fields and through the tangle of briars and gorse (I wouldn’t attempt this outside of the winter months), the archaeology.ie placement is fairly accurate.

In his book Glenasmole Roads, Patrick Healy has this to say: “Four hundred yards to the east of Bohernabreena House is a fine ring fort in a field of furze with a spring of water beside it. It is 30 yards in diameter and surrounded by a bank. The area inside is levelled and bears evidence of having been tilled at some distant period.” The photo used in the book is nondescript and shows the top of field, not the ‘ringfort’ as captioned.

So what is this? I would describe it as an embanked enclosure of the mini-henge type. The banks rise to about a metre from the north-east back around to the north-west. The northern part of the circle is open and falls away to a depth of about 2 metres, where lies the aforesaid ‘spring’. The most striking thing about the site is the view across the city towards Howth and Lambay. Was it a ceremonial enclosure, a place to view some solar or lunar event?

The interior of the circle is flattened but slopes from south to north and there’s another gap/opening in the bank on the eastern edge where the views towards Howth would have been best.
Was it a habitation site, a so-called ringfort? Maybe, maybe not.

KIrkton Fort is Situated on Castle hill near Crawford in South Lanarkshire on the banks of the river Clyde. The fort is situated to the south of the site with the larger earthwork believed to be the site of the main settlement. It is one of three such forts situated on the same hill. It can be seen From the A702 and the M74 or close up from the aptly named Camps Road. Not to be confused with the fort of the same name just around the corner on the same hill.

Castle Crawford Farm Fort is a Prehistoric Hill Fort Situated on Castle Hill near Crawford in South Lanarkshire on the banks of the river Clyde . It is one of three such forts situated on the same hill. It can be acessed via the aptly named camps road off the A702 as you leave Crawford

KIrkton Fort is a small oval shaped Prehistoric Hill Fort Situated on Castle hill near Crawford in South Lanarkshire on the banks of the river Clyde . It is one of three such forts situated on the same hill. It can be seen From the A702 and the M74 or close up from the aptly named Camps Road.

I liked Trusty’s Hill, unusually for an iron age hill-fort or any hill-fort for that matter it feels cosy. I know that sounds daft, but it does feel cosy. It doesn’t take much imagination to see the original occupants of this small fort sitting quite smugly looking out at the surrounding landscape. The fort was excavated in 1960 and this revealed evidence of two periods of activity, the original Iron Age construction and later work dating to the 6th-7th centuries of poorer quality. There is not a lot to see but there are remains of an oval stone built guard hut close to the entrance and the usual ramparts and ditches to examine. As a bonus there is, close to the entrance and the guard hut, some Pictish symbols carved into a rocky outcrop. A double disc and Z rod and a beastie thing that is less distinct these are under the protection of what looks like a tank trap!

A summit of South Lanarkshire, Arbory Hill rises to 429m (1407 feet) a mile (1.5 km) east northeast of Abington. The remains of a well-preserved Iron Age hill-fort crowns the hill, comprising a walled enclosure and huts circles surrounded by a double rampart. The village of Abington, River Clyde, the A74(M) motorway and main-line railway are all squeezed into the narrow valley to the west

Bodsberry Hill was an unenclosed plateau settlement believed to have been constructed in the Bronze Age between 2000 and 1500 bc. It is located next to the m74 About a mile south from junction 14 and can be told apart from surrounding hills by the fact there are no trees on the top of it.

Devonshaw Hill fort is on a rocky knoll at the end of the steep-sided spur that projects SW from Devonshaw Hill, about 430m NE of Woodend farmhouse, is occupied by the remains of a fort and enclosure. . The site is located about 1 mile from Abington Service station at junction 13 of the m74, on the A702 Edinburgh Road and can be seen from some distance.

Visited 21.2.2009. Approached from Burley Road and then Hollis Place. The stone sits at the junction of Hollis Place and Westfield Road, which continues west past the stone as a footpath. A steep set of steps leads down to the stone from the north.

The stone is sadly unloved and sprayed with grafitti, which I suppose at least means that someone has noticed it. It’s not in its original location, and when you read the small information plaque, you also realise it’s not actually the original stone itself, but a replica (a cast?). The sign gives no clue as to what happened to the original.

A small note to Paulus’ directions – the Oblong Resource Centre has now moved to another part of town (near Hyde Park Corner).

Visited 21.2.2009, approaching along the beck from the south (along the “Meanwood Valley Trail” footpath). Plenty of snowdrops and crocuses in evidence, making for a lovely spring day. The stone is an attractive pointed piece of granite, five feet or so tall. It is a striking bright green colour, from the moss and lichen covering it. Being granite, it would take a lot to wear it down and there are certainly marks which could be water erosion lines.

However, it is quite “sharp” along the edges, which may indicate a younger age. I have been looking at the available editions of the largest scale OS maps (County Series 25 inch to the mile) from the 1880s onwards, up to the latest 1:1250 scale OS maps. The stone is not marked on any of them, which is odd if it has always been there – having said that, it’s odd that’s it’s not shown on the OS even now, as it is certainly substantial enough to merit a “stone”. My visit also took me to the Uni campus at Beckett Park, where estate maps of the area from the earlier 18th century are on display – until the early 18th century this whole area was owned as part of the landholdings of nearby Kirkstall Abbey, so it would be interesting to know what the Cistercian monks would have made of a prehistoric pagan monument being on their land, if it was there then.

Worth a visit, Meanwoodside is easily accessible and has a car parking area.

Visited this barrow today and found it devoid of plants!
The Elder was cut to the ground and the brambles banished.
The stones looked great and the “Monumental” vibe was very stong.

Havn’t seen the place looking this good for years.

Chance – Feb 2009

From the A865 at Gramasdail take turning towards Flodaigh. After the 1st loch south of the road is a gate and little track which helps for the first few paces. The circle is about 300m from the road. Boggy!

Viewed from road (B4070 near Keeper’s Lodge) 15.2.2009 as part of visit to West Tump. The barrow is of a large diameter – 25 paces according to Grinsell and O’Neil, but very ploughed down, reducing the height to a metre or less.

One for the very keen.

The even more ploughed down remains of two further round barrows are (barely) visible in a ploughed field to the SE near Climperwell Farm (SO916119). For the very, very keen.

I did see some deer in the nearby Hazel Hanger Wood though, which made the walk worthwhile!

It’s a shame that when D18 was restored they decided on very shiny stainless steel rods which are a bit too visible.

The stone stands about 1.80m above the peat level.
It takes a fair while to get to this stone through the deep forest. But thanks to the Forestry Commission there are road-like tracks leading near to it. (0.5 km).
Very solitary and peaceful.

These ones are rather small and submerged. There is another Stone perfectly aligned on the OS map (NF 865 729) 2.5km WNW. I have not been there and on that day I could not see it. But even on a clear day I doubt that with the peat that high anything can be seen. Non the less it is an intriguing line of sight.

A couple of fields east of the cross at Killmeen Creamery and a short distance south of the road, are two stones, recorded separately in the Archaeological Inventory*. Only 26m divides them – a unique stretch if they initially formed a stone row, but uncommonly close for individual standing-stones. Both were knocked accidentally, by a reversing trailer, some time before the compilation of the Inventory records.

The northern slab has been partially re-erected and the stone on which it balances, though tall, may be an original support. There is no guarantee that the southern stone is exactly at its original position. A shallow depression in the ground, a couple of metres to the east, could as easily be the source. The present positions seem to roughly agree, however, with those shown on the early 20th century OS map – forming an inter-stone alignment running NNW-SSE. This, given human error, would match the N-S upright-slab orientation recalled by the landowner. The direction is, again, of course, unusual for a local stone row, but may not rule out the remains of some large free-standing monument or habitation.

Permission to visit may be obtained from the farmhouse on the opposite side of the road. One for the obsessive, perhaps.

*Archaeological Inventory of Cork, 1992; No.302, No.303, 51

Visible on the rise to the west of the road between the circles of Knocks N and Knocks S is this leaning pillar; 1.25m high* and intermittently pocked, as if by wormholes, on its flat top surface. Its longer axis is oriented NE-SW. The 1st Edition OS Map indicates an accompanying stone, most likely a paired continuation of the orientation.

*Archaeological Inventory of Cork, 1992; No.427, 61

Wow! Visited 15.2.2009. Entered the wood from Cranham Lodge Sawmills (thanks for the tip Hamish) and then cut SE along various minor tracks. I had read Rhiannon’s comments about the barrow being so big you couldn’t miss it and scoffed, thinking that the trees would obscure it. I was wrong, Rhiannon was right – at this time of year you can see it pretty well, particularly in the snow. My advice to anyone trying to find it is to find a high spot in the wood and look around (this won’t work in the summer!).

Seen from the west, the barrow appears as a lowish ridge, and I had to walk around the south side to be sure I had found it. From the SE, the “horned extremity” of the forecourt is clearly visible.

“She stands all alone/You can hear her hum softly”.

Let me say that I am not usually susceptible to atmosphere/vibes, etc. But here! All the other barrows I have ever visited have just felt like “it” – this one definitely felt like “she”. A she who had seen better days and was looking rather past her best, but definitely a she. A very welcoming spot, I had the odd feeling that West Tump wanted visitors and that she felt rather lonely in the woods, an aging princess in need of a suitor. Clearly I’m going soft or mad.

The forecourt is clearly descernable at the eastern end, above this is a roughly circular excavation scar. The barrow is also used by mountain bikers to give their woodland ride a bit more excitement, and a dirty brown stripe runs along her back through the snow. I sat for ten or fifteen minutes in the snowy forecourt, where the remains of four people from 4,000 years ago were found. A lovely, peaceful spot, with only the birds singing and the white clothed barrow for company.

“She fills the bags ‘neath her eyes with the moonbeams, and cries ‘cos the world’s passed her by. Didn’t time sound sweet yesterday?”

As I left I found my eyes drawn back to the barrow, which is clearly visible through the trees at this time of year. But it’s off to the busy B4070 and Hazel Hanger Wood. I will be back.

Visited 15.2.09 on a walk to West Tump. Here on the western edge of the Cotswold escarpment, the snow still lies fairly thickly over the high ground. Approached from the NW, the Cotswold Way meets and then follows the line of the NW rampart of the fort. To be honest, unless you’re looking at a map, the ramparts don’t exactly leap out at you – more a slight elevation along the contour of the hill. Along this side the fort is openly accessible. At the south-western point of the fort, the rampart turns east and follows a field wall before continuing ENE. The interior of the fort is within a fenced-off field (four strand barbed wire fence and low drystone wall) but can be seen from the wood (if you go up to the wall the rampart is visible going into the field). Today the interior was covered in pristine snow, only bird and fox trails across it. As it crosses the field, the rampart was visible sticking through the snow, but it’s very low and unimpressive.

From here, it’s off to the road running eastwards through Buckholt Wood and then to West Tump long barrow.

Visisted May 2008.

White Cairn lies close to the A826, south of Aberfeldy. The whole of this landscape is littered with archaeology from across the ages, including hut circles, field sysytems and Pitcarmick type houses.
The cairn was excavated in the 1950s and was once surrounded by “a circle of free standing boulders set at irregualr intervals”. Fragments of Beaker pottery were found in the cist.

Today it is a jumble of stones, the cist fallen in on itself but still cleary defined. Some beautiful pieces of quartz stone lie scattered around the site. It is believed the cairn originally measured approx 60 in diameter. The landscape is bleak and unforgicving and all the more intriguing, considering this place had been inhabited and farmed for thousands of years.

Dunmore is a prehistoric fort on a prominent hill overlooking Callander. It is defended by the remains of four walls on all sides except the east where steep slopes provided sufficient defence. An enclosure below the fort on the north may be contemporary.

Dunmore is the most impressive of a number of forts in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs area. Most of them were probably constructed not simply for defence and security, but also to display the power and status of their builder

This oval fort is situated at about 500 ft OD on the summit of a rocky hillock; it measures 152 ft NNW-SSE by 62 ft transversely. It is defended by a partly rock-cut ditch, 35 ft broad and 16 ft in maximum depth, starting at the brow of the steep slope on the W, passing round the E side to end on the cliffs in the S. Soil from the ditch forms a rampart above the counterscarp, while a parapet mound crowns the scarp in the N.
A well-defined approach enters into a slight hollow at the lowest point of the interior. An ill-defined outwork flanks the S side of the approach. In the interior are three slightly hollowed circular areas which may be hut sites.
RCAHMS 1920, visited 1913; R W Feachem 1956

Castell Mawr, a site just to the south of Castell Henllys in Pembrokeshire, has been considered an Iron Age hillfort for many years. However, in 1988 Harold Mytum and Chris Webster, archaeologists from the Universities of York and Southampton, published a report of their geophysical survey of the site. They concluded that Castell Mawr could be reinterpreted as a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age henge, which was later re-used in the Iron Age as an enclosed farmstead. The site is surrounded by Iron Age hill forts (Castell Henllys is only 1200m to the north) and is not particularly defensible. It has no external ditch, but a massive internal one between 10 and 15m wide and still up to 3m deep in places.