Haughton Common

Stone circle of Bronze Age date standing below the top of a south-facing slope. It is 9m wide and there are eleven stones.

Also known as:
King's Crags stone circle and Simonburn Common
Nearest town:
Hexham (15km E)
OS reference:
NY803712
OS sheets:
86, 87
Latitude:
55° 2' 5.3 N
Longitude:
2° 18' 29.74 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Haughton Common (Stone Circle) by postman

One of the two cairn like things either side of the circle

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jun 25, 2019
Image of Haughton Common (Stone Circle) by postman

There’s two cists and a few decent cairns on the other side of the trees.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jun 25, 2019
Image of Haughton Common (Stone Circle) by Hob

The eastern little cairn. The figure standing in the background is standing in the circle.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Feb 26, 2005
Image of Haughton Common (Stone Circle) by Hob

A strange pile of stones about 20m to the west of the circle, it has a mirror on the east side. There’s a lot of symmetry around these parts.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Feb 26, 2005
Image of Haughton Common (Stone Circle) by Hob

Burial cairn about 50m to the east of the circle

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Dec 17, 2004
Image of Haughton Common (Stone Circle) by Hob

Queen’s crags in the distance, behind the L-stone.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Nov 29, 2004
Image of Haughton Common (Stone Circle) by Hob

They don’t look so much like cups from the side,

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Nov 29, 2004
Image of Haughton Common (Stone Circle) by Hob

The beginnings of Sewingshields crags in the background, to the south.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Oct 12, 2004

Articles

Haughton Common

Hob
Hob Feb 11, 2005

A visit when the grass was lower turned up a couple of little rectangular cairns, one either side of the circle, each about 20m on a vague SW-NE alignment.

Closer inspection of the notches Bluegloves refers to in the notes accompanying one of his pics, shows that rather than being artificially scooped, they seem artificially filled in. Romans probably, as that wall runs over them. But it made me think that before they were filled in, they would have been a lot more conspicuous, and may well have had something to do with the strange placement of this little circle. Gwenhyfar’s chair probably had something to do with it too.

Haughton Common

Hob
Hob Nov 2, 2004

I could waffle on about this place for hours, but a large part of that waffle would involve the setting of the circle rather than the stones themselves. It’s such a fantastic landscape with the cuestas of the Whin Sill doing their thing.

It’s very like it’s companion at Greenlee Lough in terms of the size of the circle and he stones which comprise it. None are large, but one in particular is an odd ‘L’ shape. The thing that struck me the most was the fact that it’s on a fairly pronounced slope, with the stones at the top being smaller, so that the overall effect is to make the tops of each stone roughly level.

I also entertain a suspicion that both this and Greenlee are some how connected with the highly conspicuous outcrop of Queens Crags, which at Greenlee I’d mistaken as Sewingshiels.

Parking on the military rd can be easily missed, though Sewingshiels is closest, it’s worth the walk from dreary old housesteads so-called fort. This takes you over some great crags and affords very good views of the snazzy landscape.

Either way, access is not easy, though easier from the track heading for Old Stell Green from Sewingshiels. Decent shoes essential, quads being the only wheeled things that are going to get here easily.

Haughton Common

N
NorthumbrianDawn Jan 3, 2002

This is the sweetest little stone circle i have ever met. Look on a good map at the two fish shaped lakes, or loughs as we call them, northeast of Housesteads. Near the western lough is the circle. It’s on Haughton Common, which sounds like Hutton , my name, and the name of many small settlements in Cumbria and the borders. As you approach from crossing the wall west of Housesteads, and heading north, you will know the path when you cross it. The path takes you East through a cut in the Crags, Kings Crag and Queens Crag, linked by local legend to Arthur. You can see Sewingshields Crag (the site of Sewingshields Castle) where Camelot is said have been. There is a hidden cave here where a local farmer once found Arthur’s Knights frozen in sleep waiting for a horn to sound, summoning them to save britain (small B).

The circle seems to rise from the ground as you stumble on it. The last time I went I found a sheep horn in the centre. Its a lovely spot and you can see the Wall from most of the walk. I don’t think there is a right of way, but who’s counting?

Sites within 20km of Haughton Common

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