Latest Fieldnotes

I parked in a layby on the B3081 next to Ackling dyke, crossed the busy road, and headed south along the dyke down the hill to the barrows. This is a group of about 10 – 15 round barrows of various sizes, it’s difficult to say exactly how many as some can be seen in the distance. Unfortunately my camera can’t zoom in enough to photograph the more distant group and there is a crop in the field , I must come again in the winter to get close enough to see the remaining part of the cemetery.
The O.S. map shows some crosses on this site which are presumably where barrows used to be, indeed Grinsell shows more in his map from the 1930’s, I’m guessing these have now been ploughed out in the intervening seventy or so years.

There is a confusing amount of ditchs and defences up here on Knocksefin. There is clearly the remains of part of the Hill-fort however the rest of them dont really fit into any form of monument I know and may be domestic or perhaps of a latter date, Cromwellian perhaps?

This Barrow is about 32m radius. Half of it is actually destroyed so only a semi-circle remains.
Again this does not appear on the OS map for the area.

This is marked on the map right across from a school close to the Morning Star River in the town of Bruff. It is given a circular mark on the map however looking at it on site I think there is a chance it is in fact a barrow of some kind.
Its located within a nice park beside the river and is about 1.75m high.

This standing stone isnt on the OS map. Again another example of the huge amount of stuff in Limerick that isnt on the map. It is located with great views to the south close to the slopes of Cnoc Firinne. It is located close to a glad of natural wood-land possibly part of an abbey.

This long barrows looks in pretty good nick. It sits between Blackdown and The Valley of Stones. It’s surrounded by ancient things, a cromlech,barrows and three stone circles. It’s not the most impressive of the local long/bank barrows, but is probably the most convenient and accessible one to visit.

I went here and the nearby quoit in September 2006, I’ve only just found the pictures again. You can probably see more of it in winter, when it’s not so overgrown. It’s difficult to know how much stone has been pinched over the years, but the basic outline is still there to see. It’s a very exposed site, when I was here, there was a low mist and drizzle, but still very atmospheric.

Kinda deep down I was hoping to find another Raven Tor Triple Cairn, the mention of these cairns on Stanton Moor as being a triple cairn was too good to resist. I knew they were gonna be covered in heather but was hopeful non the less.
On the ground the cairns are a mish mash of decent sized kerbstones and small sections of well preserved walling but in all it’s a very confusing and overgrown site.

This large piece of what looks like Portland stone is on it’s own in a picnic area, off a minor road leading uphill from the east of Abbotsbury. It appears to be deeply buried in the ground, sticking out about two and a half feet .It’s about five feet by four feet and must weigh in at several tons, whether it’s megalithic is probably debateable, but it certainly didn’t get here , half way up a steep hill, by accident.
Ancient or not it looks like it’s been toppled from an upright position at some stage, as it sits at an odd angle. I couldn’t see any markings on it either old or new.

Another trip to this out of the way hillfort, it’s had a lot of scrub and brambles cleared from the western banks and ditches. The entrance to the fort is more complicated than I remembered, it may not of course be the original, but does look like it.
Once again there were no other people on the hill, not even the sheep are here now, just a lot rabbits and magpies for some reason.

If you want to see one of the most peculiar cairns the north of England has to offer, come here.

As stated below, the variety of rock art is top notch, with many motifs, of all different designs and execution. But don’t be distracted by the bvious carvings, there are a few heavily eroded complex ones to be found on the northern side of the cairn. These are at one end of the extant spectrum of visibility at thi site, with the other end being occupied by the most in-yer-face motif, which looks susiciously as if it’s been re-touched at some point in the distant past. Much the same as one nearby at West Horton

But the thing that makes this cairn odd is the large number of portable marked stones found during excavation. It’s generally a workable rule of thimb that portable cup marked stones in cairns are associated with some kind of funereal function, like those on the underside of cist covers. But the carn here yielded absolutely no sign of any burials at all, not even a bit of burnt bone, nor potsherd.

This doesn’t mean it wasn’t of course, but it certainly adds to the ambience of the place to think that it’s maning, and the meanings of the carvings, is so obscurely lost in the mists of time, that it defies even the most general of generalisations.

Access does require getting in touch with the farm though, they’re quite keen on that, as they usually have livestock in the field.

This is very clearly a pretty impressive barrow, however for some reason it doesnt appear on the OS Map.

I was surprised to see this monument and at first I thought this was the hill-fort marked on the map.
However it appears to be some kind of three banked mound. Perhaps a ring-fort or a barrow.
It reminds me of the Tlachtga on the Hill of Ward in Meath.
So perhaps it may have had some kind of ceremonial function?

This Hut Circle is made up of maybe 8-10 stones most of them no more than 200-300mm high.

This is actually a hut circle not a stone circle. My mistake. It is called a stone circle on the information board at Lough Gur.

This fort is marked on the information board as you come into Lough Gur. What is interesting at this time of year is the circular patterns of growth within the Lough itself.
Obviously as one corner of the lake has been reclaimed/ filled in then it is likely that the overall level of the lake has risen. Perhaps there are more sites underwater.
Much of the folklore of the area speaks of an enchanted city beneath its waters.

This is a beautiful standing stone to the north of Knockfennel. It is on private land.
It is not shown on the OS Map for some reason (very unusual, I think the OS map for Limerick is missing a lot of stuff) however it is in the Discovery Programme book for the region.
It is about 1.75m high and seems to be carved at the tip into a semi-circular top.
To get there use the pathway that goes up Knockfennel and branch off along the lower northern ridges of it.
It is less than 0.5km from the main path.

The rain broke in the afternoon, and having some free time, I decided to scout the hillfort.

Herein lies the problem with some sites, some of them are private property (cue Marxist rants) and being of the opinion that it is better to err on the side of caution, I donned the trusty combats and DPM jacket and proceeded with caution in the horseless carriage up the road to the site.

Following the OS map, I meandered through the wonderful villages of the vale, made a few wrong turns (ok, nobody’s perfect), doubled back and eventually made landfall near the site. Parking in the access road for St. Mary (blesséd be her name) Lodge, I clambered out of the motor and grabbed the faithful digi (including spare battery) and eyed the landscape.

A hedge and a barbed wire fence pose little issue with a country lad, so I tramped in a straight line across from the motor and launched myself through the hedgerow and over the wire.

The field had many established trees in it (and a herd of cattle who thankfully were far away to my right – bulls and bullocks can be troublesome), and I could see the rise of the topography clearly ahead. A cracking view of Uffington and the White Horse is clearly visible from here. Was this place in opposition to the Atrebates? With the river Thames and its tributaries being the possible tribal boundary, it may be and it’s obvious from this hillfort location, that you could keep an eye on Uffington.

Across another fence (with the music from mission impossible rattling around me skull) I came across a road and could see the tell tale embankments of a hill fort in front of me. Being conspiciously camoflaged, I looked left and right and with confirmation of the coast being clear, dashed across into cover.

The whole site is very overgrown with mature trees and established ‘jungle’. This makes it very difficult to work out what it what and where is where. A little tree strewn valley led me up to the earthwork. It seemed small to me, until I realised that I was on the edge of the fort and not in it (init!). The bunnys had moved in and there was plenty of burrows to see.

I explored more and found a fence with open fields beyond. Was that it? Cos it seemed a tiny hillfort to me. I realised that the piece I’d been in was just part of the complex. Beyond the fence I could see the buildings of a large private house and more earthworks. Keen to explore without being exposed, I followed the fence line (crossing more barbed wire) and could then see the bigger picture. This hillfort runs the length of the contour and I’d just been at the beginning!

The ditches and banks are less defined than, say, Uffington, but if the field beyond is the interior of the fort, then it’s a biggy. Being in full view of the house didn’t seem like a good idea, so I grabbed some snaps (the bunny’s didn’t mind at all) and headed back whence I’d came to explore the other side.

A lovely tree lined avenue headed towards the house and looked tempting, but I avoided the temptation and went back to where I started. Whoops – a car came up the drive and I mingled nicely into the background. The site is adjacent to the road and every engine noise put me on edge.

I footed back over my original path and looked at the field below the site. Like all hillforts, you can see the problem with charging uphill and attacking – you’d be exhausted before you reached the fight!

I did spot a lovely earthwork circle in the field below. Didn’t look like a barrow, but def a circular earthwork of some description. Maybe it was a hut circle? Feeling vulnerable in the middle of a field with no cover, I twitched as another car came up the drive – better safe than sorry I thought, and I guess my luck had run out, so I headed back to the car and over the hedge and barbed wire. Sat in the car, I couldn’t help thinking that I might be a looney-tune, and that it was OK to go a stomping and that we have a right to see our heritage. But, I know how precious landowners are ‘bout their little bit of land, and I know gamekeepers that carry shotguns (OK, so I’m a big rabbit) and was thankful that it’s better to be ‘invisible’ if you can.

I guess it’s a different mentality than wandering moors and fells, were nobody gives a toss what stones or lumps and bumps you’re looking at, in the South it’s more a case of ‘Get orf MY land’... or else!

And was it on a Mary or Michael Ley Line?

Dunno

WF

A quick flyby in the motor today and the hill that is Goldbury still fascinates. I often drive on the A417 and sometimes there is a lovely optical illusion of cows ‘flying’ on the downs.

Yes, the farmer hates people actually getting on it (his cow shed is at the bottom) – so don’t annoy him!

No, there is no/very little archaeology on it.

Yes, there’s an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near to it

But maybe, it is something...

I always describe this hill(ock) to people as ‘a perfect hill’. It’s cute, it’s round and attached to the ground! (cue football chant)

The name evidence seems attractive: ‘Gold’ and ‘Bury’, the bury bit seems straightforward – its a hill (not a barrow or an ancient fort). The Gold bit could be sun worship (i’m thinking temple like lowbury), but then these placenames do have a nasty habit of being corrupted and twisted over time. ‘Cold’ could be a contender (i’m thinking Mr Watkins) and therefore a folk memory of some ancient use.

It’s damn close to the Icknield Way, and I mean ‘an icknield way’ not ‘the Icknield Way’. A way is a way and not just a road. This is like the ridge ‘way‘. There were many tracks and paths and roads that would have been the Icknield Way, but modern agreement is that the A417 to the north is it. (What Wantogians like to call the Port ‘Way’). Confused? Can’t find your ‘way’?

At SU447882(ish) is the turn down to the Holy Trinity Church and next to a Thatch cottage. Look at the kerbstones in this little dead end road. There are two sarsens opposite each other, still in the kerb. I reckon they’re waymarkers for an Icknield Way. Through the church and crossing Ginge Brook are two more on the ‘ickle’ bridge. I’m quite open to the two on the bridge being reasonably modern and maybe ‘faux’ markers. But, those ones in the kerb... When the workmen originally surfaced that road and added kerbstones, why didn’t they just move the two old pieces of stone and fit a new kerb? I’m guessing (again!) but if those workers were local (highly likely) and those stones had always been there, then the cheeky little buggers built the kerb around them.

If you scout around the area, you’ll find more waymarkers of sarsen and I see plenty of ‘em around the Vale.

And this is my point on the Icknield ‘Way’, there are many of them not just one. Look at the OS map for the area and you’ll see many paths and tracks heading in a generally E-W direction and they are all the Icknield Way. There’s one that you can see from East Lockinge that runs past Hagbourne Hill and turns into the Chilton Road before reaching Upton and then becomes ‘Common Lane’. (for example).

Given the proximity to Ginge Brook (and the Treacle Mines! – ask a local) and the Icknield Way, I’d say Goldbury is something. What (sacred hill?), is still a mystery. Will someone please dig?

12/5/07

The clearance of the chamber continues. Last time I was here (24/12/06) I had to lay flat and shimmy down from the rubble in the chamber to get access into the passage. Not any more. The entrance has been cleared, exposing the sillstone that separates chamber from passage. Even more of the roof rubble has been cleared from the chamber itself, revealing more of the giant capstone and some more of the collapsed corbelling. All this moving of stones, while it exposes more of the chamber, cannot be good for the structure. The collapse of the roof had settled for god knows how many years and seems to have supported parts of the chamber that may well collapse if any more is removed. Some of the lintels and roofstones around the chamber entrance are looking in a very precarious condition. While the clearing of the stones opens up the monument that bit more, the inexpert nature of the ‘excavation’ doesn’t instill confidence. Lighting fires on the old capstone can’t help either.

This site occupies a South East facing hill side, just above Ingleton. There are a number of hut circle remains, the scooped out hollows still obvious.

There are also what look like a few enclosures, albeit feinter than the hut sites.

The crown of the hill side is topped with what could be three standing stones. I’m a bit sceptical about this though, as there are a number of other stones probably deposited by glacial action.

The site is described on the PastScape web site as an Iron Age\Romano British settlement consisting of a complex of stone built huts, enclosures and a field system.

Berryholme Round Cairn is situated just off the public right of way leading from Briggs House Farm, to Brigsteer some two miles away.

Initially it looks little more than a grassy mound in the corner of a field, however closer inspection reveals some of the exposed part of the stone core of the cairn. Not a very well preserved site, as there’s an old shelter of some sort built into the side of the mound itself....but seeing as it’s on a less well known footpath, the damage done will probably not be increased by too many tourists or walkers.

The fairy steps are an old funerary\corpse route used to transport the dead from villages in the area to the church at Beetham. The route is, in places, so narrow, for example up the two flights of man made steps, that the coffins had to be hauled up the cliff face using iron rings embedded in the stone. In a few places, these iron rings can still be seen.

The circle is remakably intact, which considering it’s right up against a wall, and obviously in a well used field, strikes me as a little suscpicious. The cynic in me thinks that this is merely a collection of stone moved from elsewhere.....but who knows!!

About 10 metres to the North is a flattened stone circle, consisting of about 7 semi buried stones, probably only noticable during winter when the grass is shorter. Not sure if this is another cirlce, another cairn or something altogether different.

A rare example of cup marks in Knapdale , there are another couple of marked rocks in the immediate area .

This trio are up to their necks in peat . It would be interesting to see their feet , which could be a long way down , after all this was how bits of Callanish looked before the peat was removed . A lot of the standing stones in the area are engraved so their may be rock art too. Access is awkward as it can be very wet underfoot even in the driest weather , wellies , flipper and snorkel or bollock naked reccomended attire , or lack of .