Stan Beckinsall speculates that the eight polished grooves on the upper smaller boulder could be the result of polishing stone axes from Langdale. In other words a ‘polissoir’.
fitzcoraldo
Another small henge existed nearby but was destroyed when the new approach to Lowther Park lodge gates was constructed in 1878
The stone in the centre of the henge is one of four that existed. There was an additional four stones flanking the entrance.
A bronze and a stone axe were found within the henge.
Although Cawthorne is famous for its Roman remains, it was by no means unoccupied before they arrived.
James Ruddock of Pickering opened a barrow at Cawthorne on 26th November 1849 and found a bronze dagger, a flint spearhead and two skeletons. Ruddock was said to have opened over 300 barrows.
Another 19th century barrow digger, Thomas Kendal of Pickering, excavated a chariot burial close to the camps.
Numerous beakers and food vessels have also been found in the Cawthorne area.
Once again I set off in search of Elgee’s discoveries.
This time a stone row and a stone triangle were my goal.
Guess what i found..yep, nowt
There are two excellent stone rows on the moors here but unfortunately they are not prehistoric, they divide lord Snot’s grouse moor from the Earl of Arse’s grouse moor.
Killing daft birds with shotguns, I ask ya?
Anyway back to the stones, I followed Elgees we map and stuff but came up empty.
I did have a weird experience beside the Black Howes when the low winter sun went behind the clouds and dusk came two hours early.
Part of the bank and ditch of the Bloomety rectangular enclosure
This one requires a small act of faith and a bit of imagination...it is a chamber ...honest
The Hole of Horcum with its many trackways
Graeme C’s pictures and description of the carving
A nice accessible group of round barows with one big bugger standing out above the rest. This fella has a number of large stones around the base which could possible be the remains of a Kerb.
Also there are an enormous amounts of many varieties of fungi growing on the large barrow!
Frank Elgee describes a kerb stoned barrow here.
I’m afraid there’s now nothing left of the kerb and the barrows are very low key.
However they do occur on the ancient track known as Robin Hood’s Bay Road which takes in quite a number of ancient sites including the Ramsdale Stones and the Old Wife’s Neck.
Strictly one for the enthusiast!
This lovely stone is situated on Stoney Marl Moor.
The easiest way to access it is to park up in the layby on the A171 where you will also find a caravan selling teas and assorted fried meat products.
Use the northerly footpath that runs by Cook House and then follow your nose onto the moor.
There are cup and ring marked rocks recorded on this moor and the search continues.
As the name of the moor implies, there are many rocks on the moor and the local stone contains ferruginous nodules that weather out to produce what I call pseudo cups, so be aware (they’ve caught me out a couple of times).
Further up the path there are some nice round barrows, one of which shows signs of recent disturbance. ( the ghost of Cannon Greenwell perhaps?).
When the cairn was excavated in the 1950’s no finds were discovered, it was dated to the Neolithic by pollen analysis
This is a nice well-defined square earthwork, with a good ditch and bank. It has a lovely aspect overlooking Lonsdale.
There are some equally interesting features just a few dozen metres to the north west.
A large ?hut circle. This can be seen as a change in the foliage, there is no bank or ditch but when you see it you’ll have no doubts. It is marked by the grass ring and lack of bracken and is 24m across. Close to this is a hut circle that is well defined on a raised bank, most of the bottom course of stone is intact with a few of the second course in-situ. Diameter 10m
The Neolithic is represented on Ayton Moor by a lovely chambered cairn with two ring cairns next to it.
When paced out the cairn is 50m long and 10m across.
It is shaped a bit like a fat carrot. The chambers can still be seen, albeit somewhat wrecked, at the Northern end of the cairn.
The two ring cairns are fairly well defined and butt-onto each other. The moor itself contains many small. low lying round cairns.
You can reach this site in two ways.
The scenic route is from Great Ayton up past Roseberry Topping and on to the moor via Newton Moor.
The quick route is to park your motor at NZ594111 and take the Cleveland Way for about 600m onto the moor...easy peasy
Compare and contrast the growth of the surrounding plantations. This photo is from the cover of Stanhope White’s “The North York Moors” published in 1979
A good illustration of how the landscape can change in a couple of decades.
Image credit: Stanhope White
Elf-stones
” When I was a boy, I was an ardent archaeologist. I remember on one occasion having been told that chipped flints were to be found in a field near Blois Hall, in the North Riding.
Hurrying thither the first whole holiday, I was fortunate enough on that occasion to find a flint arrow head-the only one I ever did find. This I showed to an old fellow who was hedging; without hesitation he pronounced it to be an elf-stone, declaring that the elves were evil spirits, who in days past used to throw them at the kie-I had up to that time always been told they were shot at cattle-but my informant stuck to throwing. I well remember that he also said the elves got them out of whirlpools, where they were originally made by the water spirits, but he could not say what the water spirits used them for, though he knew of several instances in which both cattle and horses had been injured by the elves throwing elf-stones at them. He further informed me that when the elves got them from the whirlpools, they had much longer shanks than the one I had found: this was so that better aim might be taken with them. ‘But’ said he, ‘tha’re nivver fund wi’ lang shanks on, acoz t’ fairies awlus brak’ em off, seea ez t’ elves wadn’t be yabble ti potch ‘em at t’ beeasts neea mair’ and he had been told that fairies often wore them as ornaments. Sore eyes could be cured by the touch from an elf-stone, if a fairy had worn it, and they were also a potent love-charm if worn so they rested near the heart. ”
Yorkshire Wit, Character, Folklore & Customs
R. Blakeborough
1911
Hag-worm is Yorkshire for an Adder (Pelias berus)
A rough sketch map based upon a map drawn by the mighty Stan Beckensall, showing the location of the carved stones
One of the many Cockmoor dykes that plunge over the valley side into Trouts Dale
View from Beacon Hill to Scarbro’ Bronze/Iron Age site at Scarbro castle.
Bronze Age Forum
Newcastle Friday 15–17 November 2002
Museum of Antiquities
“This moor, according to legend, took it’s name from a giant Rombald, who favoured it a good deal. The large block of sandstone at it’s eastern end, known as the calf, which lies at the foot of the mass of rock called the Cow, bears an indentation which is said to be the imprint of the foot of the giant, who, in taking a stride from the Cow to Great Alms’ Cliff, several miles away, broke the calf off and sent it rolling down the hillside.”
The Enchanting North
J.S. Fletcher
Pub. Eveleigh Nash
1908
“Stone !did the hand of sacerdotal fraud
Shape thee into this vital type of things,
Or did a million winters, on their wings
Of sythe-like perseverence come abroad
To bid conjecture stand before thee awed,
And, almost severing thee from present earth,
Make thee a marvel? Vainly giv’st thou birth
To solomn fancies, building an abode
Around thee, for a world of shapeless ghosts;
Vainly they rise before me, calling up
Kings and their masters, and imagined hosts,
That fight for clouds. What then! the heath-flower’s cup
With dewdrops feeds this fountain ever dear
And the winged ouzel whistles “God is here!”
By Ebenezer Elliot , the Corn-law Rhymer.
from his sonnet The Rock Idol at Brimham
Taken from
Ancient Cleveland from the Air
By Richard Crosthwaite
Pub Tees Towing Co. Ltd.
Image credit: Richard Crosthwaite
Taken from
Ancient Cleveland from the Air
By Richard Crosthwaite
Pub Tees Towing Co. Ltd.
Image credit: Richard Crosthwaite
