The interior of the cairn when excavated had several rock cut pits, that contained burials. The largest of these pits 5ftx6ft was over 6ft deep with vertical sides. It’s thought the pit was created by pounding the bedrock with stones.
This cairn like the Raven Tor triple cairn and Hob Hurst’s House had a thick layer of white sand beneath the cairn. The sand was man-made from ground rock, probably from the rock cut pit.
When the triple cairn was excavated at the end of the 60’s, two of the cairns had thick layer of white/pale sand covering the burial ( one of the three cairns is thought to have been added later ). The oval cairn/barrow on Harland Edge and Hob Hurst’s House also had the same deposits of this sand, which was man made by grinding stones.
Only 2 other Derbyshire cairns have this deposit and are located on Stanton Moor.
When the excavation started it looked like the cairn had been illegally dug. Bones and ash were found scattered over a largish area. A ‘Boots’ carriar bag hidden under a stone was found to contain pottery sherds and large pieces of bone.
Maybe 30ft away from the cairn, there is a rectangular setting of kerb stones. 10x5ft.
Thought to be a later burial than the triple cairn.
11/02 Sheffield Weston Park museum. This stone was built into the ramparts, discovered during excavations.
This must be one of Derbyshires best kept secrets, a triple cairn on Fallinge Edge nr Beeley Moor. The kerb stones remain and the middle cairn has a double row of stones. The length of the cairns overall is around 50ft.
The stones on the northern side of the cairn are quite large, a little section of the kerb is missing in the NW, where a medieval lead bole was built, but otherwise it is complete.
The easiest way to get there is to park near ‘wraggs’ disused quarry SK282684, jump over the gate and follow the track to the edge of the moor. OK so it says private......but.
Outstanding views from the cairn, with Minninglow prominent on the horizon in the west.
The interior of the circle is very disturbed, with Rooke in the 1700’s, Bateman in the 1800’s and the Heathcotes in the 1940’s all digging this site.
Cremations, urns and pygmy cups were found on all occasions.
First noted by Bateman in April 1852, he excavated the same day....after digging the centre he found a grave with broken urns and ‘incense cups’.
On one of the entrance stones is a carved ‘56’. This was done by J.P Heathcote, as he mapped out the moor. The Notrhern circle is T61 and the Southern T43. Some of the cairns dotted across the moor still have a numbered stone.(T= Tumulus)
12/02. The ‘serpent’ carving as seen from the path.(upside down?) the cup marked head can be seen at bottom, and the ‘c’ or’u’ shaped part to the left.
12/02. The carving on the rock below the ‘serpent’. There is another cup mark in the leaves.
If your ever up here...check out the small chapel at the foot of the rocks. Built by Thomas Eyre in the 18C, the man thought to be responsible for the more modern carvings and rock shelters. On the small porch built on the side are carved stones and stone heads. These were found around the village and are believed to have come from a local Norman church, site of which is now lost.
Most of the ancient carvings are found on the western edge of the outcrop, around the level below the 3 seater rock armchair.
The ‘cross’ in Baz’s pic is on the northern side 20ft below the armchair.
The cup and ringed marked boulder can be seen south of the chair on the level below, two of the carvings can be seen. While a very worn third carving, is on the boulders top flat left hand corner.
25ft west of the cup and ring boulder and under a large tree is a very worn carving of a ‘serpent’? There’s a large cup mark and a faint wavy line travelling down the rock, with a semi cirle carving next to it ( along with the cup this is the most prominent part )
A couple of feet below this, in the tree roots is another rock with a worn carving along the same lines as the ‘serpent’. 6 cup marks and another faint wavy line between them.
The large (50cm) circular carving is on a horizontal ledge, behind the Eastern ‘chimney’. It was uncovered in the 1970’s. And is of an uncertain age, the vegetation that covered it may have preserved it.
Careful if you go looking for this in the wet and if you suffer from vertigo.
At the foot of Cratcliffe Tor is a hermits cave which is thought to have been inhabited in medieval times. On the wall of the cave is a 4 foot carving of the crucificion.
In 1549 local records show a payment made to the hermit.... the cave is now behind a metal fence (altho’ the gate is always open) with yew trees either side of the entrance.
Worth a look.
11/02 Is this part of the boulder wall.....bit of a confusing site.
There are 2 barrows here, the map ref is for the largest, which although has been robbed in order to build the wall that crosses it.
The smaller one is 100ft or so away, pretty wrecked, there are several visible limestone kerb stones.
Bateman dug here in the 1840’s the only recorded finds are flints.
When people started visiting the 9 Ladies on Midsummer and Halloween, a local vicar said ’ The only things the 9 Ladies have seen are, boys smoking and their elders fornicating ‘.
A local violinist planned to visit the 9 Ladies one midsummmer’s night with his family....his aim was to take part in a duet with the ‘fiddler’ stone ( king stone ).
But in true Derbyshire fashion he never made it....
Tripped over a tree root and broke his bow.
In Burls ‘Prehistoric Avebury’ and various other books is the story which was told to journalist Paul Screeton.
About ’ a very sincere man ’ who fell asleep at Arbor Low and was visited in his dream by the ghosts of Atlanteans who instructed him in the henge’s ‘Purposes and dimensions’.
I’ve never come across the rest of the story, so can’t really shed any light as to what those purposes were......
In local folklore Robin Hood/Green Man was supposed to have stood astride the rocks and pissed onto the fields ’ where seven maidens upon seeing it turned to stone ‘
David Clarkes- Ghosts and Legends of the Peak
11/02 This is on a tree above a nasty fire pit 20ft from the circle. There are quite a few more fire places...I know what they’re saying.....but surely it should be ’ No Fires ’ ...it does say something on there about respect.
Ivet Low lies near the roadside, near the junction with Manystones Lane.
The barrow is very overgrown, with dumps of rubble close-by.
11/02 SK247627. Stones of the cist in the foreground. There are 2 rings of kerb visible in the heather containing some very large stones.
11/02. SK247627. Right next to the path at the crossroads. There’s a Double ring of kerb stones to this cairn and a small cist. not shown in this in tho’.
End Low is still very large and stands around 2m tall. A large crater in the middle is where Bateman dug to find the grave, which was nearly 2m below the old ground level. He found a crouched skeleton and bronze and flint daggers.
The central pit when I was up there contained four decomposing cows.
In J.P Heathcotes 1926 book on Stanton and Birchover. He says ’ according to Druidicial antiquarians ’ the Gorse Stone was the Gorsedd-dau, where the Druids spoke to the people from.
In 1980 Devonshire artist Kenneth Evans-Loude proposed cutting a Marilyn Monroe figure on the hill with the giant ( to satisfy his lust ) He got permission off the landowner, but the Arts Council wouldn’t give him the sponsorship.
During Lethbridge’s “soundings” (banging an iron bar on the ground) he found the outline of a chariot...
Legend has it a golden chariot is buried under the hill.
House? Robbed or Ring Cairn? No-ones sure.
There maybe an entrance in the SW, kerb stones to the left of this and opposite in the NE corner. Also to the right of the entrance is what looks like a small cairn built into the bank. 3 upright slabs are under the stones and are thought possibly to be the remains of a cist.
The landowner is never pleased to see you.
Could be a bit of a dodgy posting this but here goes......
Castle Hill overlooks Castleton, with Peak Cavern (devils arse) below it.
The Normans built Peveril Castle on top of the hill, but local folklore reckons the druids used to worship there. Every Easter Sunday people from Castleton would climb the hill for sunrise, and then move on to drink from the Russet Well, down in the mouth of the cavern.
In one of the cottage gardens near the cavern a carving of a face was found on a stone and is thought to date back to the Iron Age.
Garland day usually May 29th( oak apple day ) is the surviving ‘pagan’ festival with a Green Man and loads of pissed up locals..
When the Heathcotes were excavating here in 1939, 3 of the stones were mysteriously smashed overnight. No explanation was ever found.
They are now held together with concrete.
Long after the settlement had been abandoned, the earthworks on the hill saw use as a fairground and as the venue for the 1873 Grand National.
Ilkley’s a nice enough place, but they found the shittiest little bit of it to put these 3 stones in. Nasty metal fence round them too, I can sorta see why they fence ‘em in to stop graffitti and stuff. But one of the stones had a dirty great green paint splash across it.......same colour as the fence was painted....hmmmm
At the turning for Siver Well Cottage. Instead of going down the drive look for a little track on the opposite side. The stone is along here and quite easy to spot.
There are 2 cup and ring marked stones along the drive to silver well cottage.( 10m south of the drive). Both are small and the carvings are worn.
Never found it since!!...wound me up writing that. So today I made sure I chuffin’ well found it again.
Easy to miss and not a deal there when you find it, it has to be said. The kerb/rubble bank although overgrown is very wide with some good coarses of stones visible in the heather.
The site is marked as being in a ‘Danger Area’ on the O.S maps (rifle range), so keep your head down if there’s red flags about.
