Latest Fieldnotes

For many years I have dreamed of discovering some cup-and-ring marks in Kent, and this morning I struck sarsen!

Discussing the sarsens littered around Walderslade, on the hills above Kits Coty etc, I was suprised when a friend told me he’d seen cup-and-ring marks on some of them. So off I went in the rain today, and lo and behold, as far as I know, the only cupmarks in Kent!

Not the best pictures you’ll ever see, but it was dark, wet, raining and the stones were buried in the trees. No doubt described by some as a stone circle, but that is purely fanciful and overimaginative. Doubtful even as a chambered tomb, buried in a small narrow valley, even though there are two triangular stones standing at one ‘end’ of the group of 10 or so stones. I’d love to say it is a possible tomb, but even my desire to discover a new one can’t overcome my commonsense!

Viewed from Wyaston Road these are largely inaccessible and not at all as captivating as the large barrow near Osmaston Fields Farm nor Tinkers’ Hill. I would make a rough estimate of a height of 3-4 feet and diameter of 15-20 feet for the larger of the two and 3 feet and 10-15 feet for the smaller.

These seem greatly diminished and, I would guess, have been (are being?) ploughed into the ground.

The walk from The Hurlers to the Cheesewring is magnificent. As you walk across the open land, you can see the site getting bigger and bigger and more and more spectacular.

This really is an amazing landscape and once you venture to the top, it really is one of those “top if the world” feelings.

Fabulous.

There is also a nearby round barrow.

Text from:

coflein.gov.uk/pls/portal/coflein.w_details?inumlink=6063030

Located on a NW-facing slope in a recreational green area within a housing estate is a turf-covered, circular stony mound measuring 12m in diameter and 1m high on the NW, 0.3m on the SE. Excavations revealed the presence of a stone kerb, traces of which can occasionally be seen around the edge of the mound.

[5 Nov 2007]

Condition good and 17m in diameter. It’s near an old trackway and spring.

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coflein.gov.uk INFO

Large roughly circular earth mound. Approx 20m in dia and 1.3m in height.

Overgrown, poor condition.

Brash line obscuring western edge. Scrub growth obscuring feature such that it is difficult to determine precise extent and nature.

More Info Here:
coflein.gov.uk/pls/portal/coflein.w_details?inumlink=6068797

Thanks to the farmer for his friendliness and permission to visit the site.
It’s said to be a four-poster but there are many other stones close to the 4 main ones. I was struck by its situation on a small hillock that’s surrounded by about 8 other hills that are nearly equidistant, except for Carrickbyrne Hill that dominates the SSE skyline.

A bowl barrow. It seems to have been excavated or quarried relatively recently. There is a huge gash in the mound, right down to what looks like a burial pit. This quarrying/excavation seems to have been conducted in the last 10 years. The way the mound has been left leads me to believe that this ‘work’ was done unofficially.
The fosse and bank are clearly visible on the east and south quadrants. The mound would once have been over 3 metres tall. Many beech trees were planted on the mound, some still clinging precariously on to the remains.

A beautiful bullaun stone, dumped into the field boundary and neglected. It looks to have once been earthfast, though that’s hard to call as it’s so overgrown. It’s definitely not in its original position as the basins are all on a slope, with one end of the stone a metre above the other. There are 3 large basins in a diagonal line on the metre and a half square stone. This would be a prize bullaun elsewhere but now rests sadly, ignored at the edge of the field.

Easy to find to the right just inside the gate of the old cemetery in Myshall. Both bullauns were full of detritus, one with stones, a plastic bottle and some broken glass. It seems that the graveyard is reasonable well tended but the weird stone with the holes in it is ignored. Other photos elsewhere don’t show the concrete setting.
Both bullauns are very deep set, about 25 to 30 cms, and almost inverted cones.

After a promising start the expected Mesolithic windfall was a no show, the present hypothesis being that work on the barrow removed most of this previous material.

My visit to the excavation left me distinctly underwhelmed. First impression is that a mushroom-cap shaped rise has been revealed that consisted of a layer of small to medium sized flat stones sitting on top of soil (as distinct from embedded in an earth matrix). In the eastern quadrant they have dug through this. Just in front of what seems to be the very decomposed inclined top of a rocky outcrop (reminding me of the geophys lines at the other end of Long Howe) is a 4-6’ line of stones that looks to be at least one course of non-drystone walling. Apart from a couple more stones after a small gap it is isolated, doesn’t seem to be going anyplace or connecting up with anything else presently visible [so no mortuary enclosure then ;-) ]. Perhaps something later trashed this and the postulated Mesolithic material?

Walking around to the NW side of the dig (facing the road to Twinness) I saw an irregular shallow narrow trench that I take to be where they looked for a continuation of the previously found stakeholes or else the originals.

This single bowl barrow sits on the ridge of a hill. This is the same range of hills on which the Five Marys sit and is about half a mile to the west of of them. It is next to a small, narrow road and appears to have been damaged by traffic, large farm vehicles mainly use this road. Whilst not inherently interesting as an individual barrow, its prominent position and name do hint at the significance it may have once had.

This is an interesting name. It seems specifically Danish, from a personal name, ‘Sile’. In N. Yorks., we find it as Sil Howe, near the High Bridestones.

The N. Yorks. name is problematical, in that Yorkshire experienced several distinct ‘Viking’ incursions. However, it seems most likely that a Cumbrian ‘Sile’ would have come with the Norse/Danish group that was expelled from Ireland in 902 a.d.

Vikings often intruded their burials into prehistoric mounds. Within fifteen miles of my flat, we have, for example, Shunner Howe (Old Norse ‘Sjonar’) Simon Howe (Old Norse ‘Sigemund’) Sil Howe (Old Danish ‘Sile’) etc. Norse artifacts were found in Lilla Howe when it was excavated in the 1970s, too, even though that name is Old English, rather than Scandinavian. All of these are prehistoric in origin.

It would be interesting to know if this Cumbrian site has been excavated, and if Scandinavian artifacts were found. From the name, it does seem entirely possible.

I have added a number of images of stones that I suspect may have originally have been used in the Shap Avenues. These images were taken over the summer solstice June 21-22nd 2007

The main piece of evidence I have to support my suspicion that these stones were once used in the avenues is that just as when Stu and I looked for these stones*, all of these boulders occur along the route of the avenues, the southern end of the village. Once you move to the northern end of the village there is a distinct lack of large granite boulders to be found.

*see my weblog; The Shap Avenues or Caught by the Bullocks

The Harberwain Stone is named on the Cumbria County Council’s historic sites website as a ‘Standing Monument’. The stone is a beautiful egg-shaped Shap granite erratic.
Access to the stone is the same as access to the Iron Hill circles. Finding the stone is easy, it is situated just off the slope of Haberwain Rigg 30m east of the Iron Hill circle.

This is about 3 miles down the B9134 from Aberlemno.You can park just into the lane and walk about 150yds up the lane. On the left is a drive way leading to some cottages, the Stones are in the yard. best to ask at the cottage for politeness sake. There are two large Stones one Tall and narrow the other wide but about the same height. There seem to be cupmarks on the back of the wide Stone. The lady of the house said it may be the remains of a Circle, There were three Stones but one was demolished to make the driveway. She was at pains to tell me it was before her time.

Take the first left off the road between Dunecht and Kintore onto the minor road. The stones are on the left below you in a field a hundred yards on your left. You can park in the field entrance opposite the bunalow and walk between the furrows.

In fact, there are at least three stones – the recumbant and the flankers – and the farmer has given them a nice circular setting

The grassy limestone meadows are lovely at this time of year. There are dozens of wheatears making themselves busy amongst the limestone outcrops, there are banded snails and delicate little cranesbills to be seen in the grykes of the limestone pavements.
To access White Hag from the north I would recommend that you park up at Oddendale and follow the Coast to Coast footpath. The route is well marked. Leave the path at the Wicker Street limestone pavement and head south east for 30-40 metres aiming for the field wall. You can’t miss it.

A word to the wise. The horseflies (cleggs) seems to be a bit thick on the ground this year and I’m told the tick population is currently booming, so splash on your favoured repellant and check the places where the sun don’t shine when you get home.

A further word of advice
If you ever encounter anything like this
themodernantiquarian.com/post/59885/images/white_hag.html
Don’t touch it as there is a remote chance that it could explode.
Many of our upland areas were used as training grounds during WWI & WWII. After the war most of the ordnance was removed but the odd mortar and shell are still laying around. Most of these items are practice rounds but some of them aren’t so harmless and may contain high explosive or phosphorus.
If you find anything like this, make a note of the location and report it to the police. A photograph may help to remove the patronising grin of the duty sargeant.

The cairn and hut circle are just a couple of examples of the many structures that can be seen in this area. Our ancestors obviously found these high limestone plains an attractive place to live.
Access to this site is via the Coast to Coast footpath from either Oddendale or Orton.

Can’t believe people find this a happy place. Coming back from the Orkney tombs which have such a loveliness, these tombs seemed dark and strange to us – particular the end chamber of the linked pair.

Something sad happened here I think – and I had bad dreams for three nights afterwards!

Extraordinary though..

During the spell of dry weather earlier in the year a massive fire consumed a lot of the vegetation on the southern slopes of Piperstown Hill. I’d passed by a couple of times and wondered if the fire had burnt back any of the gorse and heather at the cairns. I got my answer today. Yes… and it also exposed what I believe to be 2 more, unmarked burial mounds/cairns! That makes 5 in this small area, 4 in the north-south alignment and a small one to the west of the largest, what I once thought of as the middle cairn.

The 2 ‘new’ ones are barely visible, both about half a metre proud of the surrounding terrain, but I suspect there is much more under the peat.

The bottom cairn of the 4 aligned cairns finishes just above a natural platform. From here, the views west across the Glenasmole valley and up to Ballymorefin, Seahan and Corrig are splendid. South there are two very deep cuts in the horizon, one where the Dodder falls towards Glenasmole, the other called Cot Brook, a stream that meets the Dodder at Cunard.

This burial mound with its modern cairn and ruined bield is situated on one of the high points of moor. It is certainly visible from the Oddendale circle.
There is a stone situated between the two rings of the Oddendale circle. When viewed from the centre of the circle the stone lines up with this mound.
Access. stoney, hilly and at times muddy. Close to the Coast to Coast path with a slight detour.

This is a set of three bowl barrows on the national trust site of Tulk’s hill. This is to the west of Abbottsbury Castle and is above the Chesil beach. The most westerly barrow is low in height with a wide base. The middle of the three has a large gouge taken out of it’s summit, signs of past excavation. The most easterly of the group is at the highest point on the hill and is the best in terms of preservation. It is the tallest in the group and has no obvious signs of damage. Between the second and third mounds there are signs of old ditches , a platform and a bank. From the top of the hill the hillfort can be clearly seen. The views from this site are panoramic and a 360 degree view of the local countryside can go for many miles on a clear day.
On the other side of the road is another barrow and something described as a mound on the o.s. map I will try to photograph these, but the road here is very busy and it was not possible on this visit.
The best place to park and approach these barrows is to park in the national trust car park marked Lime Kiln hill, this is adjacent to Tulk’s hill which is about a quarter of a mile to the east.

I had no such trouble finding the Hurlers, with a great sign heralding its proximity and boasting its own car park. I half expected a neon sign, Vegas style, to guide me, such was the heralding!

It wasthe pity but the rain was coming down in sheets and with the occupants of the other vehicles parked up questioning my sanity, I was drenched within one minute.

I didn’t get to appreciate what must be an amazing site when the weather is fairer.

I couldn’t even get a feeling for the size or quality of the circle, the rain was so hard and clouds so oblique, it was almost as if I wasn’t welcome. I took a few stolen snaps and ran back to the car. I have unfinished business here.

I had stopped and asked for directions from Blisland and told to go up to the hamlet of Bradford, right at the phone box and follow the road toward the A30. This I did, although locating the stones was going to be trickier now I had killed the GPS and the map had gone missing. I nearly crashed trying to keep an eye on the road whilst looking along the sight line for the circle.

The rudimentary A-Z of Cornwall’s Visitor’s map I was working by listed the stones near the track but I knew it wasn’t so straightforward. I’d headed down the track towards the farm but couldn’t see anything so headed back and over toward Hawkstor. Again nothing. I spent over an hour searching, my eye led toward any stone formation, which when you’ve been up there, you’ll see is a lot.

Finally they revealed themselves, as if having grown bored with mocking me were now prepared to grant me an audience.

They were further away from the road than I had expected but I raced the 300 or so metres to the circle. What a place!

A good mile from the A30 they are located ¼ mile to the left of the road, 100 metres before you hit a cross roads. Luckily I was upwind from the main road so couldn’t hear the traffic. Just the silence of the moor.

I had to brave a herd of bison but having heard they’re vegetarian, walked past them with no incident.

I counted nine stones and a smaller central stone with a carved ‘C’. To me it looked as if they were alternate male and female stones. The beauty of this place is overwhelming and even the weather felt sorry for me and relented, the sun prying out to see what I was doing, allowing me to take some pictures in peace.

The only company were the bison and ponies and this suited me as I acquainted myself with my new friends. I was sorry to leave, I could have stayed there all afternoon.

With Roughtor bearing down on you and the wind whipping in your ears, this is a marvelous place, one of the few places in the country where you can imagine the view has pretty much stayed the same as when this circle was built.

Not far from the track, the views here are amazing. The noisy silence of the place strikes you. It is quite a moving place to be. I stayed for 20 minutes, wishing I could know more of why this circle was made.

The circle itself is made up of modestly sized stones, close together. More of a boundary for a leader’s hut than a place of worship, I’d have said. But I’m a monkey who leaves his GPS on his car roof to be run over by a lorry so what do I know?