Latest Fieldnotes

“Promontory Fort I.A. Relying on the rivers Test & Dever & marshland to protect other approaches. 1 entrance at centre”
Hampshire Treasures.

An interesting site as the area protected must heve been quite small if, as H.T. suggests, there was extensive marshland to the NE/S. I was expecting a bank but found that it was a pretty large ditch, in places aprox 6/7M below the crest of the W. bank with a berm on the E. side followed by a small bank. Not sure about the last as it seems too small to have had any defensive purpose and is probably just a field boundary.
Heavily wooded and with scrub so the entrance was not obvious. The N. end has been destroyed by the A303 but the S. end fades rapidly by the track with no obvious continuation to the River Dever.
Disabled: Parking close by or “drive by” on farm track but the site is seriously overgrown, see pics.

Chris’s non-exact directions are about right. Only if you go in summer the stone is well hidden in high bracken and not visible from the path.

Back to these carvings for the 2nd time this week, this time with Fitzcolrado. And true to form he found the carvings to the south of the main group mentioned by Stan Beckensall and Chris Collyer. Only he found it to the NE of the group, on the larger section of the outcrop.

I reckon Stan’s picture shows whats up on the Hanging Stones, but doesn’t show it where it really is on the ground.

I visited the site in August 2003 and must admit to being confused as to why it was called Brigantium? It’s not in the Brigantia I think I know, and does not discuss Brigantian archaeology. However, it does a good jod of illustrating Northumbrian archaeology with a video show and some reconstructions. I do have some concerns however. Firstly, the site is getting very run down – some of the path have obviously been closed and everywhere there are signs explaining that things are being “experimentaly” allowed to get overgrown. I’d suggest they lack the resourrces to cut the grass, and clearly a number of the displays are now no longer visible – ridge and furrow, Roman Road, Roman Defences, the Iron Age enclosure features etc. It looks to me that this is a museum in decline – the signs are getting very faded and in need of painting etc. The displays are deteriorating/obviously not being used as part of a “live” reinactment.

I would be very surprised if this museum lasts out the decade without further funding.

Great looking stone.....
Now totally f***ed up by an arse with a can of red paint.

This is weird. A church, with a whole bunch of sarsens around it.

The two stones in front of the church are not in their original positions, according to a helpful local lady, who also pointed out the sarsen poking inside the SW wall of the church, under the rear pew. Reports of the number of stones varies. I thought I counted as many as 13 stones or remnants, but figures of 9,10 or 11 are more usually reported.

Was this originally a circle? It’s difficult to determine that from what I saw. Most of the stones are on the Southern edges of the churchyard rather than spread around. R*man fragments of a hypocaust were found in an adjoining field, and a kiln site lies nearby, so the area has been in use since the Iron Age, if not earlier.

I’m no expert on cup marks, but several of the stones had round indentations in them. Could this be weathering? Another had a triangular ‘groove’ cut into it, which intrigued me – see photos for details of these.

Just at the northern limit of the town, on the B1383, is the entrance to Shortgrove House. We parked here, and walked the 100 or so yards further south along the road to where the Leper Stone stands at the side of the road. This is a large stone, reportedly the largest in Essex.

Slightly further south in the town, in Station Road lies a recumbent block of puddingstone outside the village hall.

Good post – we too had problems getting access to the site a few months back. ‘Polite, but firm’ is the phrase I think that best describes the fellow’s manner. However, other friends have secured entry without any problem, so maybe it’s just ‘one of those places’.

My fourth visit in as many years, and I am never disappointed. A wondrous day, we decided to go early, to avoid the heat, but even at 9am the sun was thumping against our heads.

The offerings and flowers are still here, and I climbed deep within the chamber, lying on my back and testing the incredibly acoustics. No visit is complete without you trying this – complete and utter silence, no reverb, just ‘sound’ – like a recording studio but with less ‘feel’. Words fail me, but surely the acoustics must have paid a big part in the ceremony here, reducing all living things (including the voice) to a dead husk.

Emerging into the sunlight it struck me again how this site is so tied up with seasons and agriculture, from the offerings to the cereal crop surrounding. A cursory dowse revealed nothing new of note, the usual lines from east to west still warp and weave their way across the fields before converging at the site and then separating.

A place of gentle contemplation and peace, but I wish those who decide to use it as a picnic spot would take their cans of Special brew home with them, as I found myelf gathering 5 empties as I left, 2 from inside the chamber.

Black Mountains group of chambered long cairns.

A 479 Up over the Black Mountains, from Talgarth to Crickhowell.
Not far from the hamlet: Pengenffordd.
Views of Castell Dinas hillfort from the road (access possible but a steep 100m climb).

From Talgarth heading to Crickhowell:
Take the first ‘real’ road on the left after Pengenffordd.
100m or so on right over fence in field you can see the grass covered cairn.
The field drops away and the building you can see is Tyisha farm, where you need to ask permission.
Several dogs running around loose, but farmer nice enough.

I was a bit disappointed with this because I have an illustrated copy of the excavations that were carried here, and I was aware that the back of the cairn has an unusual circular setting. Of course it was all filled in and left for the next 60 or so years. So it was another undulating lumpy mound with a stone here and there.

The impression of the site was also disappointing: two rusting farm trailers loaded with scrap wood next a large area of bare soil. The area of bare soil was where an earth mover had been used to clear a large area of ground either very close to or into the back end of the monument itself. Next to the cleared area was several pieces of Old Red Sandstone lying on the field (hopefully not from the monument).

The mound is 30m long by around 18m and less than 2m high. No visible kerbing. I couldn’t make out any horns, but these were found during excavation in 1938.

Close to a north-south alignment, with the false entrance to the north. Two protruding stones side by side indicate the false portal. Infront of these stones on the eastern side are two stones set one infront of the other at right angles to the portal stones, probably indicating a forecourt.

Proceeding along the top of the mound about 4m is another visible setting of stones, which appear to be a central chamber with no capstone, but referring to a plan of the site there was not one. So it has to be one of the side chambers. There is a further jumble of stones towards the back on the west side, but it is difficult to imagine their location according to the plan.

All in all, it is argued that it was a multi-phase monument, with possibly three phases of construction and use. It would have had horns in the Cotswold-Severn tradition, a false doorway or portal, two side chambers with passages, and most interestingly (though not visible now) a circular setting at the back. The circular setting was an oval cairn with a south-east facing passage and southwest-northeast orientated chamber (so the whole internal settings make a T shape).

OS map required as lots of puttering around on unclassified roads.

Black Mountains group of chambered long cairns. On open heathland.

The site is on the western side of the hill Mynydd Troed. With views down to the largest natural lake in Wales: Llangors Lake. If the weather is good you can see the tree covered man-made crannog (settlement built on an artificial platform of timbers) on the lake (there is no public access to it).
Ty Isaf chambered tomb is on the eastern side of the same hill.

Approaching from Llangors, take the road that goes past Ty Mawr farm and stay on it.
When the road forks take the right one.
If all has gone well you will pass a sign for a farm called Cockit.
100m ahead up a steep hill is a cattlegrid.
Proceed to the top of the hill and with any luck you are in a parking area.
To your right is the main haul up Mynydd Troed.
On your left is a gate, go through it.
Rather than take the main track up the hill, there is a fork to the right.
Look for the taller bracken mound amongst the shorter bracken just to the right of this track, say 100m from gate.

Usual stuff: impressive views, etc.

Cadw gives the measurements for the oval mound as 20m long and 16m wide and 1.5m high, and orientated north-northeast to south-southwest.

The term ‘recent historical disturbance’ is apt for it, as it would appear to have been quarried quite heavily. It was only discovered in 1921.

Visiting the site, there are a three stones poking up out of the ground; two of them set at right angles, which give the appearance of being a chamber with missing capstone. The stone appears to be Old Red Sandstone.

There are a few others stones poking up here and there across the undulating mound as well as a few big hollows, which may indicate where chambers once stood. These stones appear to have been set on edge as opposed to just lying about.

As always, worth a look in, but I wouldn’t visit it as a birthday treat.

Faux fieldnotes

A40 from Brecon travelling east to Abergavenny
At the hamlet of Llansantffraed (church which spire) turn right for Talybont.
Bridge over river Usk.
200m, turning on right for Gilestone Camping and Caravanning.
Proceed to farmhouse to ask for permission.

‘Prehistoric sites of Breconshire’, Children and Nash, Logaston Pr, gives the name of this monument as: Llwyn y Fedwen.

This is as far as I got as the landowner said no, but to come back another day.
A friend recently e-mailed them and they said it was no problem with access. So it’s worth a try.

Gilestone, is one of a several standing stones which follow the route of the river Usk. Most stones are large and on the northern bank, but this one (though large) is on the southern one

Measurements given for the stone are as follows: Height 2.97. Breadth 2.44m. Thickness 1.37m

OS map required as lots of puttering around on unclassified roads.

Black Mountains group of chambered long cairns.
Public rights of way pass the site, but ask permission to visit the farmhouse of the same name.

A479 from Talgarth to Crickhowell.
Take first unclassified road on right.
Ground begins to rise and after a righthand bend Penywyrlod Farm will be on your right.
Footpath goes around bottom end of farm, follow it to a stile with arrowed wooden signpost ‘burial chamber’.
Follow track along edge of field to another stile.
Two gates ahead, take one on left.
Monument visible at top of field.
Fence around it but access by gate towards the left end as you approach.

Tremendous. Usually my field notes are two pages in an A6 notebook, but I easily did three times as much here.

Size isn’t everything, but this is standing to a great height and is generous in length. Surprisingly the damage to it is rewarding because it has exposed so much of the internal settings. My only concern is that it looks in danger of collapse in places and may well be allowed to do so as it is not an over-restored famous named long cairn like Belas Knap.

The apparent plan is supposedly in the Cotswold-Severn tradition. At the end with the false portals a huge bite has been taken out through quarrying down to ground level revealing passages and chambers.

It was discovered only in 1972 and is the largest of the tombs in the Black Mountain group (55m in length by 25m across). Only the quarried area has been surveyed. The quarried area was used as hardcore for roads.

I think I cocked up my compass bearings, so I am unsure of the orientation. So for the sake of description the front is at the west and the back at the east.

South side: no kerbing visible, tree growth: holly and oak.

West end: signs of quarrying

North side: kerbing visible, much like a collapsing dry stone wall made of thin stones.

Quarried out section

Exposed passage and chamber on north side. Half of it has been removed, what is left is where the quarrying came to a halt. So in other words just the eastern half of the passage and chamber. Three large stones remain below a significant height of the cairn (up to 2m). The passage and chamber stones being overall around 4m in length. Set at right angles is the stone from the back of the chamber as well as one other at the opening to the chamber (a blocking stone?). Behind the blocking stone is another set into the walling of the cairn (both of these stones have split). The stones are around 0.6 – 0.7m high. Next to the stone at the back of the chamber is the remains of the stone from the western side of the chamber, giving an indication of the width of the passage, around 1m. Guides mention paving, but so much loose cairn material has fallen from the exposed face I don’t think what is visible on the ground is original paving.

Further towards the front on this empty side of the long cairn is the remains of a large tree stump. Underneath it is the remains of another chamber. Two parallel settings of stones indicating a passage width of say 0.8m. A stone set at right angles is behind the one on the eastern side, perhaps indicating the back of the passage or a blocking stone.

Southside internal

Set up high in the cairn is a length of capstone, around 1.5m, underneath which is a gap and set back around 30cm is a supporting stone set vertically beneath the capstone running almost the length of the capstone. This is much higher than the chambers on the northern side. Cairn is also built up above the capstone.

Towards the front end on southern side. Huge vertically set stone at right angles with cairn on either side, at least 2m high. This supposedly defines the portal, so everything to the right of it is internal and to its left a horn. It has walling above so it probably didn’t hold a capstone. Infront of this stone lying on the ground is another large stone, 2m by 1m which appears to be a fallen forecourt stone which may well have stood next to the stone still set into the structure.

Further towards the front of the long cairn on the horn is what appears to be a dislodged capstone, roughly circular say 1.5m in diameter.

Running across the front is walling, quite low, and this makes me wonder if it had a blunt end rather than horns.

Visiting Carn Euny for the first time last week, I was immediately struck by how peaceful the site was. Save for the distant hum of light aircraft, taking off and landing at nearby Land’s End airfield, all is silence.

Entering from above the site, from the north-west, a narrow path carved through shady trees opens onto the village. If the GreenMan dwelt, it would be in such a place. A small gurgling spring adds to the feeling of enchantment.

Smaller and more compact than nearby Chysauster, it is far more friendly. A feeling of calm pervades the site, that truly feels as if it is a welcoming family home.

I began to dowse and encountered only gentle energies, trickles almost, but the most powerful appearing to emanate from St Michaels Mount, just over 5 miles away.

The Fougou and Beehive are wondrous, and after my eyes became accustomed to the gloom I could see the phosphorescent moss that others here have talked of. Confetti litters the entrance to the fougou, together with small bunches of tightly bound and neatly interwoven flowers. A local visitor told me that he thought a wedding had taken place in the previous 48 hours. Standing at the entrance to the fougou, looking west at the rolling countryside I could empathise with such a decision. This is a gentle, peaceful sight, and one that has quickly risen to the top of the list in my affections.

Linger and soak up the harmonious nature, and enjoy the company of the ‘guardians of the stones’, two dogs of indeterminate years who will shepherd you around their site, asking only for a crust from your sandwich in payment!

Stanton Drew is a hidden gem, poorly signposted, just outside Bristol. The manner in which the site is presented hints at disagreement with ownership, a pathway being traced through obviously fenced land to the stones themselves.

Once we arrived nothing prepared me for the energy I felt. My dowsing rods twitched and soon I was aware of many lines of energy, the strongest appearing to run north to south.

After half an hour or so we felt sufficiently adjusted to enjoy our lunch, and found ourselves at The Druids Inn, which has 3 large stones in the beer garden. Checking alignment, these reek of ceremonial purpose, and it was quite odd watching children caper amongst them.

We paid a final visit to Stanton after our repast, and still the energies were noticeable, so my dowsing powers were not affected by sub conscious sensation. I allowed another visitor to try my rods, and the result appeared to replicate what we had earlier found.

lack of excavation, a powerful location and a stunning location make this site well worth a visit. What hides beneath the surface and in the stones can only be guessed at, but local folklore hints at the darker side of human nature.

Visit, but allow yourself time to become attuned.

This looks kind of bizarre to me, without the sign and a mind to look for this kind of thing you would believe that it was a few hundred miles of future stone wall. I wonder what is beneath it as it is very large

I saw it and if I were a stone wall builder.........

This is the third time that I have visited this site and the first time that I have actually found it. It quite excited me as it has been a quest. To get there you follow the mettled path. Today I had to pass hundreds of bee-hives as currently someone is making a venture out of honey. The track runs directly at the circle but veers off as a stream is reached. Directly after the stream is an obvious path off to the right but there is also a less obvious path to the right of that, through bracken etc.. Head for the 7’ tall stake and you will then be at the SSE entrance. There is an entrance on the exact opposite of the circle. This circle appear to be built on a rubble ring with several large stone still standing and more lying flat.
I would urge other more experienced antiquarians to visit this site as I believe ther may be a possible avenue leading upto the circle following th line of the path between it and the circle. There are two outliers in a line with the SSE entrance just five yards out, but there are also a pair of stones in the same alignment adjacent to the silver birch trees to the SSE. See what you think. A great site if omnly because it has taken me so long to find it.

I can’t work out any use for this site. What could it possibly be for. The right hand side (from the north) is used as a car-port by Netherlanders (no offence intended but it was today). It would have been a formidable defence against attackers from the south

This is probably the most obvios circle (cairn) on the moor. It’s funny how the Bilberry highlights cairns on this moor, I counted at least five other stone lined pits that have similar characteristics to this on the south side of the footpath and several more on the north. I am sorry but I didn’t have my compass with me to give grid references.

Found it quite quickly, when you walk around the bank it is very obvious. There are some big stones that form part of the footpath in a south-westerly direction that look suspiciously like part of it.

Very difficult to find but as has been mentioned earlier, the chair does mimic the hills beyond, how intentional this is I don’t know but quite impressive. I will visit again at a time the heather isn’t so obtrusive

Damn right it’s hard to find. I got stuck in the bog to the south, attacked by sheep and cut to ribbons by heather. Didn’t actually find the circle, the summer stone seeker’s lot is no a good one but the cairn to the south west is quite good. There appeared to be a large cap-stone. Nice setting

Perhaps 20m NNW of the Stanage Cairn is a rock with a possible 10 cup marks on it’s top, 5 of them are hidden under a carpet of heather.

There is a stone close-by that also has ‘hollowed’ marks but these are thought to be natural. Because of this second stone Barnatt and Chums are still debating whether the 10 cup marks are natural or not.

Near the centre of the barrow is a well defined cup mark on a stone block. The stone is just out of the loose rocks of the cairn close to what could be the remains of a cist.