Latest Fieldnotes

Quite a tall stone, has some pretty old-looking graffitti “FS”.

.o0O0o.

On the single lane road rising above the town of Harlech a series of single stones mark your way to the cairns and remains of a settlement at Moel Goedog.

25.2.2003

Ditto to Juamei – I live in Hounslow, so this is the closest ancient-ish monument to me. Visited it briefly before a work meeting in the Guildhall and went back again yesterday. Local books in the area (you know the type, things like...’Kingston in days goneby’ or ‘Remebering Kingston’) often have good pics of it in various places – it has been moved many times.

NB – The plaque says it was 7 Saxon kings up to Ethelred the Unready (didn’t go as far as Edmund Ironside / next millennia)

Rhiannon visits all these places from my childhood, when I was unaware of any ancient history! I lived in Upper Weston, close to Lansdown, for many years and it is a beautiful area. It’s also favourite dog walking territory and apologies in advance if you visit the Racecourse, Prospect Stile, or Kelston Round Hill areas and you come across 4 mad pointers bombing around thinking they are tough – that will be my mother’s dogs! One ex-dog has his ashes scattered on the Round Hill as it was his favourite area.

I’ve found some old photos of the area. On a very fine day the original Severn Bridge can be seen (not checked more recently for the newer one) as can the Welsh hills in the background.

Well worth visiting the Stone Science museum virtually opposite. Interesting book store and lots of dinosaur stuff to interest the kids!

A small and rather uninspiring stone hidden behind a dry stone wall right next to the A4080 running south from the A5 towards Barclodiad y Gawres. Interesting for the Roman (?) inscriptions carved on to it.

Take the western road up Glen Prosen, past Bykenhillock (I note this now has an anglicised plaque reading ‘Beacon Hillock’ – obviously not locals...) to the turning for Muir of Pearsie Lodge. Park carefully so as not to block the entrance on the west, and take this track, following it for about a mile (and through a red gate) till you see the stones on the south side of the track.

This is a strange little site. The eastern group may be a four-poster or the remains of a circle – I’m not sure. There are four stones, but all at irregular intervals, two being quite large and two rather smaller. The two western stones, however, would have been quite spectacular when upright, being nearly 8 feet in length. Unfortunately, they are both now prostrate.

There are no noticeable markings on any of the stones.

Take the road from Kilry up past Kilry Lodge and Loanhead farm down the track to Scrushloch. You should be able to park in a corner of the yard. Looking down the hill to the NE you will see the stones on a small promontory. Careful crossing the burn! There is an area of new planting here, and when the trees mature the stones will again be hidden from view – but in a large clearing which will make this quite a delightful spot.

These stones were only recently recorded during a pre-afforestation survey. A lovely little four-poster.

22nd Feb 2003

This circle is in a sorry state many of the stones are broken you can see from the pictures that a number have pairs of holes drilled in them.

It’s definitely worth a visit though if you are in the area – a bit sad though.

We had an eaiser time getting to the stones than Kammer... Going North on the A448 we took a left (SO327995) following the sign for Hemford shortly after that we took the first left, this road ends with a bar accross it you can park here (SJ320000).

Walk just past the barrier take a left along the edge of the conifer plantation by the stream (this is pretty overgrown) follow this until you go over Railway sleeper bridge then over a style and you are in the field with the Hoarstones in front of you.

It’s much nicer to approach Mitchels Fold from here, than the official car park and it’s only 2.5Km, this gives you a bit more time to get acquainted with the landscape before you’re among the stones.

There isn’t actually vehicular right of way up the farm lane, but as long as vehicles are carefully parked in the pull in near the sign which says no cars beyond this point, no one seems to mind. If you have dogs with you then please keep them on a lead as the path to the circle skirts the farmyard and there are usually cats and chickens wandering around.

The lane to the circle is magical in spring and early summer with a riot of wildflowers and you should take time to appreciate this as you pass by especially when the hawthorn is in bloom. Once you reach the circle look for the carved stone axes at the base of the centre stone, they are standing out rather than cut in and can be quite difficult to find, they are also extremely rare. Follow the path from the circle to Creeg Tol – Giants Foot and climb up to survey the countryside, look carefully to the coast and you may see the Merry Maidens. Above all enjoy, this is a special place, very peaceful and healing.

This is what appears to be a round barrow, perched on the top of a hill at the northern edge of Cannock Chase. Certainly a shallow ditch surrounds a circular mound of earth, and though worn, I have no reason to doubt that it is what it appears to be! The remants of a cement post stands in the middle, though I can’t imagine what it was there for. I can find no reference to the site in any resources I have on Staffordshire, though two ‘Saxon burial mounds’ (King’s Low and Queen’s Low) are situated on the flatter land to the north-west. I would be interested for some of you more experienced Antiquarians to have a first hand look at this site and say what you think.

Getting there;
Off the A513, turn into the second track leading to Sister Dora’s Nursing Home. Beyond this, turning right, there is parking space for about 10 cars (it will be busy at weekends, so you could park on the Pay car park on the Common and walk through the trees to this point). With the Nursing Home behind you, you will see a small pond between two paths and to the left of this, a track leading directly up the hill. The burial mound is at the top of this hill.
Put the OS co-ordinates into Rhiannon’s Get A Map link:
ordnancesurvey.co.uk/leisure/site.cfm?display=getamap.co.uk/getamap_index.htm
You are heading for the right of the 138 contour, just below Milford Common.

Best visited by taking the Scarth road from Luncarty and parking at the side of the river Tay. Follow the path south along the river for about 1 mile. The stone stands at the back of Denmarkfield farm next to the river. A few cup marks on the top of the stone and a much later axe shaped carving on the side.

There is very little to see on this site now, but Dyer includes it in Discovering Prehistoric England, Ann Woodward covers it in her book, and Julian flags it as standing next to a presumed Neolithic trackway in his Gypsey Race map, so I’ll include it as well although it is probably for anoraks only.
If you stand at the bend in the road with the field boundary in front of you the long barrow is hard to make out in the field to the right and there are the low remains of a bowl barrow between it and the road which confuses things. To the left of the boundary there are a couple of low round barrows recorded by Canon Greenwell but unexcavated.

The long barrow is around 50 metres long and 13 metres wide oriented east-west and badly ploughed down. The north and south flanking ditches are completely filled. The barrow has been excavated twice – by Greenwell in 1865 and Manby in 1958 and between them they found 3 burials, a collection of bones and remains of cremations, sherds from pots and flint fragments. The mortuary structure was trapezoidal with a concave wooden palisade at the east end, the whole thing being covered with an earth and chalk mound before being fired – creating a crematoria with temperatures estimated to have reached nearly 1200 centigrade. Radiocarbon tests from the site suggest a date of around 3000BC.

Info-
English Heritage
Ann Woodward – British Barrows
Dyer – Discovering Prehistoric England

This 8ft stone stands on the fench line between Drumacher farm and Milton farm just west of Harrietfield. The stone once form part of the fence and still has fence bolts drilled in it near the base. No marking apart from them. Permission sould be asked for at Drumacher farm.

A dream home for a megarak. This circle stands on the lawn of Moncrieffe house near Bridge of Earn. It was moved here in the 70s from its original site a few hundred yards away because it was in the path of the M90 motorway. Just to the east is a cup mark boulder moved at the same time as the circle And infront of the house stands the Bore stone of Gask, a damaged cross slab with breathtaking carvings.

Permission must be sought to visit the site as it is in a private garden.

A nice stone just inside the field. About 3ft tall with a tapered top. The stone fell down a few years ago but the farmer put it back up.

A nice little stone and very easy to visit. The stone stands about 5ft tall and was recycle by the Picts for a spot of abstract art. The carving is supposed to be of a goose.

This one is a bit tricky toget even if it is just at the side of the A9. Southbound from Perth take the farm road just west of the filling station and drive up to the farm for permission. The stand is a mighty impresive site standing 8 or 9ft tall at the edge of the field. A good few cupmarks on the south face. The stone has been polished around the base by hundreds of years worth of livestock having a scratch.

Be warned ! Getting back on the A9 from the farm road is bit of a task. Most of the cars are at top speed at this point so give yourself plenty room.

When visiting this site it’s best to park in the village as there is nowhere to park on the track without blocking it. It’s only a short walk and the view make it worth the exercise.

Just along the drive from the cairn is this 5ft single stone. No markings to speak of but still worth a visit. The stone stands on the remains of a 70m causeway and leans to the NW.

Stands just inside the gate of Monzie castle near Crieff.

A nice wee site with plenty to interest the hardend Megarak. The eastern stone on the cairn has some nice rock art on the top as does the earthfast slab just outside the cairn, More cups and rings than you could shake a stick at!

Take a hard hat if your going to visit this one as your in real danger of having your skull split open by a golf ball!
Crieff golf club are rightly proud to has this collection of stones on the hole known as the doll.

Permission can be asked for at the pro-shop just inside the gate.

I approached the site from the Southern side, having skirted around the sprawling towns of Stoke-on-Trent being carried along by ‘The Curse of The Mekons’. The moorlands took over soon enough, and having left the car at a dead end, I walked along a cemented farm track and made my way over the ridge. Sign posts at this point reassured me that map reading skills were ok, because I had been doubtful. It isn’t the easiest place to find. The path through Back Forest Wood is well trodden, suggesting a different approach may have been easier. This site appears to get a lot of weekend visitors.
Your first indication of Lud’s Church is a warning sign, and a plea to stick to the designated footpath so as to avoid erosion of the site. Clearly this has not been heeded as a steep but well-worn pathway leads down the first cut, some ten yards before the steps which will lead you to the same place. The chasm just cuts into the ground, and from the wooded approach you wouldn’t know it’s there until you are upon it.
The gully leads you down and, at its deepest point, you are some 15 metres from the surface. It is absolutely still. No noise. Nothing. There is no-one here but me. The serenity of the place is awe inspiring.
Out the far end and onto a path which, upon exploration, led to Castle Cliff Rocks. This is a rocky outcrop on the valley side, giving plenty of opportunity to climb. I stood atop this and enjoyed the Spring sunshine while the occasional cock crow reminded me that I was still in the civilised world. It’s an excellent place to hang out and picnic.
Approaching Lud’s Chuch from this side, again no indication is to be had until you are upon the entrance; a cut into the hill-side. This leads you sharply down into the majesty of the gully. A cathedral like atmosphere pervades the whole place as I retread my steps, almost reverentially, towards the Southern entrance.
On returning to my car, I find it being investigated by some rare breed cattle, male, female and calf together. I come away hoping I have not been too obtrusive; to the cattle, to the chasm and to the countryside with which I have just enjoyed some holy communion.
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros accompany me back through the towns and cities. I feel at peace with the world.

Visited 12th October 2002: It’s taken me ages to post this because I’ve been trying figure out whether Banc Rhosgoch Fach is the remains of a burial chamber or a stone row. I’m still not sure, but if I had to put money on it I’d go for the former. This is based on all the records I’ve viewed at the NMRW. Apparently Burl’s Carnac to Callanish stone row book describes it as a stone row, but I have no idea where the evidence for this comes from.

There’s not much left to look at on the ground at Banc Rhosgoch Fach. There are two remaining stones, both looking like they’ve been dumped at some stage. They lie just north of a footpath, but they’re surrounded by crops, so not necessarily accessible.

We approached from the north east (starting at SN435545), and from early on in the walk you realise that the farmer isn’t keen to encourage walkers. The footpath isn’t marked, so you need a map. We passed through quite a few dilapidated gates (I think it was four), two of which were bound shut with barbed wire! The trickiest part was deciding which side of the boundary to walk on to get to the stones (you just can’t tell where the footpath goes). We struck lucky by staying to the north of the fence.

Only worth a visit if you’re pretty keen (and not pregnant).

Sharp(e) Howe itself is a nice barrow in a reasonably well preserved state despite its flanking of trees. When I visited in September 2002 there was a large piece of agricultural equipment left next to it, in Feb 2003 it had become the storage place for bails of straw – it seems to me the barrow is lucky to have survived at all. Canon Greenwell writing in 1890 says that the barrow originally had a ‘conical form’, the top 6 feet having been removed ‘many years ago, but within living memory’.
I’m not sure about the state of the other mounds in this group although one at TA 051770 is still stands around a foot tall.