Latest Fieldnotes

Humewood Castle is closed presently for renovations and redevelopment (though the golf resort plans are presently being appealed by An Taisce), but luckily I bumped into some people at the gatehouse and was able to venture in for some pics.

The castle is a very large Gothic revival piece from the 19th century complete with walled gardens, lakes and a very large deer park. The co-ords on archaeology.ie place the stone in the middle of a disused tennis court but after some moseying around I spotted a large slab sitting incongruously between two paths very near the castle itself.

The carvings are well worn but immediately obvious once you are close, I doubt there is any time of day or year when the low sun would naturally bring them up at their present location.

A large three ring design with external gutter dominates the panel at about 14” across, surrounded by cups with single or double rings and occasional gutters. Simple cup marks are also dotted around and at the curved top end.

The gent I spoke to (who also assisted me in taking some pics by standing in the sun!) told me it may be moved on the advice of an archaeologist because of the risk of damage being on the verge of the road, it seems to bear fairly recent scars which are thankfully on the un-carved end.

The whole stone is about a metre and a half long, larger than it appeared in previous photos I had seen. Apparently it was found buried while one of the artifical lakes was being built in the castle grounds.

Pictured here are two large tree covered round barrows. The southern barrow is a large bell type, this is 104 feet in diameter and 7 feet in height. The other barrow is a bowl type to the north east of the bell, it is of similar size to it. The bowl has a distinct ditch surrounding most of its circumference.
There are other smaller barrows on this site which I will visit in the near future.

This is a small barrow cemetery, south of Setley plain. It is dominated by a large banked and ditched bell barrow. There are three smaller barrows marked as surrounding the large one. I could only see one small low round barrow to the north west of the large one.

This large bowl barrow is now completely surrounded by a modern housing estate. It is in relatively poor condition and is covered in large pine and cedar trees, it is surrounded by rhoddodendron bushes on its southern and eastern sides. This is probably one of the most accessible barrows anywhere.

South Street Long Barrow SU 0902 6928 (Avebury G 68)

This long barrow has been greatly reduced, so the majority of these field notes will consist of the report on the barrow from W.A.M. Vol. 79 page 23.

I have included some site pictures to show what little remains of this barrow.

Two show the remains from the filled-in side ditch on the south side of South Street, the other two show the remaining mould north of the road and between Adam and Eve, on the Beckhamption Ave.

This long barrow, oriented ESE-WNW, was situated 120 m E of the Longstones and to the N of South Street, a minor road running between Beckhampton and Avebnry Trusloe. Stukeley was the first to record the mound, but his several drawings of the site give no consistent indication of its precise form. Further details of past records are to be found in the account ol the barrow’s excavation
(Ashbee, Smith and Evens 1979: page 250-75).

The earthen and chalk mound was 41.3 m long with a maximum width of 15.0m, and though unfinished appeared to he rectangular in shape. The parallel flanking ditches both ended, at the E, level with the proxinial end of the barrow. This had been delimited by a cresccntic zone ol chalk rubble, into which a late neolithic/beaker pit had been dug subsequently.

Of the ditches the S was the more regularly cut, tapering from E to W, while the N appeared to be unfinished. As at the Beckhampton Road long barrow, the mound behind the frontal chalk rubble was shaped by a series of wooden hurdling bays, here 20 bays to either side ot the long axis. In these had been placed material from the side-ditches, laid down in the order in which they would have been encountered during the quarrying – turves and loose soil against the axis, then sub-soil, with the chalk towards the edges. Towards the front of the mound five large sarsens, and several smaller ones, had been included in the bay structure, but there was no evidence that these represented a collapsed chamber. Two disturbances in the mound at this point would appear to have been the result of the removal of at least four large sarsens, perhaps during the medieval period.

It is possible that it was these, left on the adjacent field boundary, that Stukeley saw and mistakenly drew as a peristalith (1743: Tab. 24). No human burials were found within the barrow.

The construction of the barrow was dated to the second quarter of the third millenium BC by radiocarbon estimations taken from ox vertebrae (2750 +/- 135 b.c.; BM-357) and an antler (2670 =/- 140 b.c.; BM-358a) •from the bottom of the N ditch, and from an antler included in the filling of one of the bays (2580 +/- ±110 b.c.; BM-358b).

I agree with the above comments. I visited the three brothers in April 2008 and didn’t find them too hard to find though they weren’t obviously apparent (seemingly it has been made easier since earlier attempts described). They have a nice calming atmosphere and the spring walk to find them has some otherworldly qualities.
I took a friend who is a keen walker but had no previous interest in standing stones and he is now keen to visit sites in Cumbria, so as with johnp’s post perhaps the 3 brothers do possess the ability to convert.

Visited this early yesterday morning, just before the rain set in. At least, I believe I visited it! As Mr Hamhead says, it’s quite featureless out here apart from the copious stones, and climbing up the incline even the field boundary below disappeared from sight.

Parking is possible just to the east of the farm itself. Continue on foot up the lane, turn right and stick to the wall. At the third field boundary (where the gorse peeks over the wall), strike away from the wall at 90 degrees and head up the hill. Look for a clear area amongst a couple of arcs of stones before the crest of the hill , and you’re there!

THE RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE INSIDE CASTLERIGG STONE CIRCLE

I’ve been to Castlerigg many times over the last 20+ years. Two brief visits in late April 08 reminded me about the rectangular enclosure within Castlerigg. No other stone circle, apparently, has one of these, and officially it’s of unknown purpose.

In 1984 or early 1985 I visited with my good friend the late Steve Whitaker, and his interest in the area led me to figure out at least part of the secret of the rectangular enclosure, which I may say was very exciting.

I confirmed my findings as much as possible at the time with help from the Lake District National Park information office. Research in old documents confirmed that others found the same things many decades ago, and reported them in learned journals, but the facts had been forgotten.

I thought the findings, or rediscoveries, were a small sensation, but the National Park people didn’t seem to think it was worth adding the information to their documentation of the circle, and so the secret has remained a secret.

I’ve gone back to the subject now, and I’m looking for some missing pieces of information. As soon as I have enough clear references, I will post an account here. I am hoping for an acknowledgment from the local Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, the National Trust or the Lake District National Park before going public with the facts.

It’s not an earth-shattering finding, but I think discovering the function of a unique and previously “unexplained” stone circle feature should be of some interest.

Dropped by last weekend in the sunshine with a couple of friends. I hadn’t been here for 15+ years and had forgotten just how big the disc barrow is. A nice peaceful spot though it is surrounded by housing. You can see the disc barrow clearly on take-off from Southampton airport, but that also means when you’re on the ground the peace is disturbed by a procession of noisy Fokkers overhead.

There are two bowl barrows between the road and the disc, one quite obvious and the other only a little mound about 0.3m high. The smaller one is the only that hasn’t been excavated in the past. Don’t be confused by the information board which gets bowl and disc mixed up!

Sarsen stones are comparatively rare in this district and I think this is the biggest, though who knows what is waiting for future generations waterlogged underneath St Mary’s Church in Twyford...

Having been asked by Chris to go and see what i thought, I duly obliged. Despite the fact that Chris had warned me about the confusion over footpaths I still went wrong! Parked on bend by telephone box just north of Penhal Vean. Footpath leads past a couple of farms and a flooded pit (nature reserve?)before splitting. Take the left hand side path, that helpfully isnt signposted but heads up through a gateway. Follow the left side hedge as it bends to the left going over a stile in a wire fence along the way.
The stone is hidden right up to the point you see it.

Like Chris I am still not totally convinced...but why should it not be? Why erect a huge lump like this for a gatepost when there are loads of other stones around that would have done just as good a job but without the effort?

Ocifant..your views next please.

There are three bell barrows and two bowl barrows on this rise on Lulworth heath. Two of the bell barrows seem to be in quite good condition and of medium size. The smaller of the three is hard to see from the road, which is the only way to see them. I could not see the bowl barrows at all. These barrows are on an M.O.D firing range. There are many barrows on these ranges, most of which can’t be seen or accessed, on this visit I could hear automatic gunfire close by.

Coming at the cairn from the west there is a possible round cairn showing as a low rise on the horizon at the edge of the southern ridge on the way to it. Inside the W/SW perimeter is a short orthostat. A rather more obvious mound resolves itself into the putative SE hornwork when I look up – were there satellite mounds ? I think that there has been further material exposed on the ‘chamber’ adjoining the east edge of the chamber of record. Going round to the north side of the much higher east end ther appears to be a ?new exposure of near basal material of about half a metre or so and perhaps a cavity at the right as you look at the photo. I am tempted to see The Castle and the possible mound as originally framing the long cairn but the ridge is in the way of land-based confirmation.

Visited on a Northern Earth Mysteries day out. Our guide warned us that there have been problems with Rottweilers from the adjacent property menacing visitors – physical contact though not bites. On this visit there was barking from a sheepdog on the other side of the fence, but nothing worse. Apparently the structure was originally some 300 ft long (!), but much of the stone has been robbed over the years. The site is somewhat encroached by vegetation, but attempts have been made to cut it back, and apparently the situation is now better than it has been in the past.

It is strongly recommended that you report any issues with dogs and/or vegetation to the local authority if you encounter them here.

Park at Blairbuie farm, but please ask first. Follow the forest track going past the reservoirs of Blairbuie burn, after short distance you will see areas of tree felling and clearance. Follow the track till you come to Creagan Breac, and turn onto small fire-break or path on the left hand side of the track. Follow the path up to the summit of Creagan Breac, as you reach the top you will see views to Loch Crinan and beyond. At this point look below and you will see a large hump back outcrop in the forest clearing below you. Once down in the clearing work you way along to the large outcrop and follow this ridge into the forest, about 50m into the forest you will find the carvings. Hard to find, covered in pine needles etc, but look for the famous yellow bucket, which is still there. Remember your gps will not work in this old dense pine forest. Watch out for some of the trees which look as if the may fall at anytime.

I believe the fort on this is marked as a ceremonial enclosure. What I find most interesting about this site is that it is the one major hill between Ballyhouras/Knockfeerina and the high lands around Lough Gur.

Knocktwo is about 105m high and really dominates the surrounding landscape.
The best way in seems to be to the rear of a stud farm so I havent been to the top yet.
There arent that many lakes in Limerick so it is interesting to see this site located near to one.

Its not every day you find an unmarked standing stone of this size and height.
This is about 3m high and probably the tallest stone in Limerick so you never know what is out there until you go looking for it.
Amazingly this site is just beside a back-road not far from Bruff and it also has the fairy hill of Knocfeerina in the background.
The stone itself has some unusual looking cup shapes on one side.

This is listed as a possible henge in www.archaeology.ie.
However after both looking at google earth and visiting the site there really doesnt seem to be any sign of this on the ground or from the air so I will be interested to see what the Limerick inventory says about it when it comes out.
The ruins on Bulgadenhall seem to be of medieval date however there is a long cursus feature to the east of the possible henge that is interesting.

This standing stone is about a mile south of Bruff. The stone is one of those thin ones that seem to be around this part of limerick and is about 1.2m high.
In the picture you can see Knockfeerina in the background.

This seems to be marked as a ring-fort for some reason but this has a water channel around it which to me would suggest barrow rather than ring-fort.
Also the size of it and its proximity to Ballinascaula make this a possibility of being another one of this part of Limericks jumbo size barrows.
It must be about 5m high and Im not sure of the diameter but its big.

This standing stone is about 2 fields in from the road and trickier to get to than the map suggests.
It is pretty non-descript maybe about 0.5m high just alongside a farm track.

I met the farmer who lives near here on the way back from this mound. He told me it was a motte, however judging by the size of it I’m not so sure. What he did tell me that was interesting is that there is a natural rock swimming pool near to this mound and this got me thinking of ceremonies and all that kind of stuff.
Another thing interesting by this bit of a mound is the echo effect that the river valley across from it produces.
The mound itself is covered in scrub and really could be anything!

This is an interesting looking standing stone about 1m high. Its very gnarled and phallic looking. It is adjacent to a lovely stream down a track that is used by the Kilfinnance Outdoor Pursuits centre so the farmer doesnt seem to mind people being in on his land.

This is marked as two cairns on the OS map and the hill itself is over 500m. There is a good track up to the cairns and I believe it is part of a Kilfinnane Outdoor Pursuits area.
The cairn itself isnt that impressive about 1.5m high and could be mistaken from a climbers cairn very easily.
No sign of a second cairn however there was something that may have been the remains of a cist near the cairn.
Great views of the Galtees and two peaks that if im correct are actually called Cnoc an Tairbh and Cnoc an Tairbh beg. Hill of the Bull!

No sign of this standing stone.