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Sea Houses Farm (Cup Marked Stone) — Images (click to view fullsize)

<b>Sea Houses Farm</b>Posted by mascot<b>Sea Houses Farm</b>Posted by mascot<b>Sea Houses Farm</b>Posted by mascot

Sea Houses Farm (Cup Marked Stone) — Fieldnotes

Cup marked stone discovered when walking back from a visit to
Howick Settlement and Howick Hillfort.

Original photo was put up as a possible cup mark at the hillfort site and Rockart contacted me to add to BRAC, so it looks like the real deal.

The main image shows the cup marked rock. There is one deep cup at the top and other possible cup marks below. The rock itself is only partially exposed so there could be others marks. It appears to be gritstone type rock.

Access is easy, parking near Sea Houses Farm south of Craster then a short walk down access road to the sea side path. Go south down this till you come to a style and then cut back on yourself to the left and up the path to the top of Rumbling Kern.

You can clearly see the path I mention going diagonally up from left to right on Google Earth. The path cuts through gorse (darker green in the photo view on google earth) at the grid ref given and the panel is visible (on the ground not on Google earth) at the left hand edge of the gorse patch on
the right hand side, right next to the path.

You can combine a visit here with a trip to both Howick Settlement and Hillfort - image showing round trip path added to help.

Howick Hillfort (Enclosure) — Images

<b>Howick Hillfort</b>Posted by mascot

Alnmouth Wall Rocks (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) — Links

Northumberland Rock Art (Beckensall Archive)



British Rock Art Collection


BRAC details for the wall site with lots of photos.

Howick (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork) — Images

<b>Howick</b>Posted by mascot

Howick Hillfort (Enclosure) — Images

<b>Howick Hillfort</b>Posted by mascot<b>Howick Hillfort</b>Posted by mascot<b>Howick Hillfort</b>Posted by mascot<b>Howick Hillfort</b>Posted by mascot<b>Howick Hillfort</b>Posted by mascot

Howick Hillfort (Enclosure) — Fieldnotes

Visted the site on a cold December day with a wild sea and lots of mud on pathways! The route I took to and from the hillfort is shown in the images for this site.

Easiest access is from the Northumberland coastal path/national bike route. Park on the flat grass next to the road on the access to Seahouses Farm, just at the 90 degree turn in the road.

Walk south, through the first set of gates along the bike route down a local byway, clearly marked on the OS map. Although part of a national cycle route this is a farm track and is very muddy in the winter.

Through 2nd set of gates and the views to the sea open up on the left. Although the sea would have been much farther out in prehistory this would have been the first high ground ancient people would have met, coming West from the sea. In the distance you can see the roundhouse reconstruction close by the site of the oldest house found in the UK. http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/5689/howick.html

After a visit to the roundhouse (which has a couple of nice text and picture boards outside) you continue south through the 3rd set of gates.

Look diagonally across the field on the right at this point and you will see Howick Hillfort on the horizon before the woodland.

Follow the path down the hill towards the burn, at the bottom of the hill there is a gateway, look to the right and there is a small gate in the fence with a footpath marker "Howick Hillfort". Also a "Beware of the Bull" sign - so check before you go a walking!

Through the gate and follow the fence on your left up towards the hill fort, access via a clear path past what looks like a small recent quarry full of farm rubbish.

At the top of the hill the rampart is clear and easy to see. About 3m wide and still standing 1m or so high, the whole extent of the site is easy to see. The rampart looks to be of stone construction and what looks like like two courses of stone construction are clear due to erosion on the south side.

There are possible entrance gaps to the North East and South West and a possible outer ditch to the North/North West. There are signs of a possible excavation of the rampart just North of the North Eastern "entrance" where a rough rectangular feature crosses the rampart (possible section through the rampart?).

The site is well protected by a natural slope to the South and there is no sign of a ditch there. To the North the ground is very flat and it looks like there was a single ditch to add to the defenses at this point. This "hillfort" seems very similar to a number of lowland sites in the area, being similar in size, close to a local stream/river and using the steep slopes created near the river on one side as part of the defensive construction of the site.

There are no obvious signs of any features inside the rampart.

Return back to the coastal path. As an alternative to retracing your steps up the coastal past go south through the bike route gateway at this point and turn immediately left to join the marked "Northumberland Coastal Pathway".

This takes you along the edge of the high ground with great views out to sea - there was a wild Easterly blowing and a heavy sea when I visited and this sort of walk is what "Bracing" is about!

Along this path you come down to a small beach. At low tide the sand/grit stone rock outcrops here have clear signs of fossilised wave action from tides or stream action, look for the flat rock between the beach and the sea.

After the small beach the path gets wider and you go across two stiles. At the second stile there is a gap in the ground to the right with a view out to sea. Turn 45 degrees right here and go up the path to the top of the high ground. Where the path meets the gorse there is a partially covered rock on the righ with a possible cup mark.

At the top of the high ground there are great views down on Rumbling Kern http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/447102

Rejoin the path and climb up the hill to the farm track, turn left through the gate and walk back to the car at the road ahead. Look to the North West at this point and the high ground on the horizon (Hips Heugh) has clear signs of earthworks. According to keys to the past these date from the middle ages http://www.durham-pa.gov.uk/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N5689


A nice short walk (60-90mins), no steep climbs but can be very muddy in winter.

Orkney — News

Pre-historic Stone Structures Found Underwater


Discovery of man-made structures on the seabed off Orkney - the well preserved structures are near the island of Damsay and some of the structures may date back thousands of years.

One structure found was a stone "table" with 4 legs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8416600.stm

Schiehallion (Sacred Hill) — Links

Munro Magic - lots of photos and route info


Perth and Kinross — News

Bronze Age burial ritual shown to have flowers in grave goods


Dig in Scotland has discovered a bunch of meadowsweet blossoms in a Bronze Age grave at Forteviot, south of Perth.

More at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8412938.stm

News

UK Geology Maps Available Online


The BGS has set up a web service to allow free access to Geology Maps.

BBC News article here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8398451.stm

BGS Web service here

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/opengeoscience/

7,000 year old evidence of mass cannibalism in Germany


BBC carrying this news story on findings from a site in South West Germany

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8394802.stm

Antiquity link article link at

http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/083/ant0830968.htm

The BBC have obviously gone for the "big headline" story here (as I have) but there is strong debate around this as evidence cannibalism vs processing of bodies as part of a death ritual.

Bluestonehenge (Stone Circle) — Links

National Geographic Article


Highland (Mainland) — News

Bronze Age Cist found in Strath Oykel, Sutherland


Skeleton found in a substantial stone cist, partially wrapped in animal/furs with a wicker basket over the skull area.

Links to BBC story with photo

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8261343.stm

and Scotsman article

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/39Whicker-Man39-tomb-to-yield.5661633.jp

Ellsnook (Round Barrow(s)) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Howick Hall (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Harlaw Hill 2 (Cist) — Fieldnotes

Bronze Age Barrow with a cist, a skeleton in the crouched position was found here in the 19th C.

Harlaw Hill 2 (Cist) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Harlaw Hill (Bank Barrow) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


News

Europe's first farmers were segregated, expert incomers


Article in National Geographic seems to show clear genetic differences between the first farming communities (circa 5500 BC) found and local hunter gatherer groups in the same regions.

Hypothesis is that the earliest farming communities were incomers who arrived with pre-existing farming skills and domesticated animals in tow.

Link
http://news.nationalgeographic.co.uk/news/2009/09/090903-europe-first-farmers.html

Alnmouth Wall Rocks (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Morwick (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Kippy Heugh (Enclosure) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Iron age enclosure with the remains of a round house inside.

Isabella's Mount (Enclosure) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


A circular iron age enclosure around 50m in diameter 200m west of the A1 near warenford.

Howick Hillfort (Enclosure) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


This site lies 200m west of the coastal path, just south of the Howick encampment site, head inland just before the burn south of the encampment.

Very clear on Google Earth this is a circular enclosure around 60m in diameter.

Charlton Burn (Enclosure) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Hidden in trees just off the A1 above Charlton Burn this site has the remains of an Iron Age enclosure.

Howick (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


The Bowden Doors (Natural Rock Feature) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry - Mesolithic Flint Finds


Titlington Mount (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry - Bronze Age Cairn


KTTP Entry for lost Bronze Age cairn

Keys To The Past Entry


KTTP Entry for Titlington Settlement

Ros Castle (Cup Marked Stone) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


KTTP Entry for Ros Castle Hillfort

Corby's Bridge Enclosure — Fieldnotes

Prehistoric circular enclosure.

Site sits on a flat area of ground on the steep slopes above Corby's Bridge.

Settlement is about 60m across, with a rampart and ditch. The entrance looks like it lies on the east side with causeway across the ditch.

Corby's Bridge Enclosure — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


West Brizlee (South) (Enclosure) — Fieldnotes

Iron age circular defended settlement.

Close to the other site at West Brizlee, just south on the same parkland road.

Roughly 40m across with a substantial rampart (1.8m high) and ditch surrounding the site. Possible entrance on the south east side.

West Brizlee (South) (Enclosure) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


West Brizlee (Enclosure) — Fieldnotes

Iron Age defended settlement. The sire lies in forest and is partially cut through by Moorlaw Drive.

Two ditches and ramparts surround a circular enclosure approx 50m across, the enclosure lies at the end of a promontory overlooking the River Aln.

There appears to be an entrance on the eastern side with a causeway across the ditches.

West Brizlee (Enclosure) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Craster Heugh (Enclosure) — Fieldnotes

Partially visible on Google Earth this Iron Age settlement is rectilinear in shape, protected on the western side by cliffs. There are ramparts on the other 3 sides, rising up to 1.8m high and 10m across at places. Looks to be defensive in nature.

The site lies about 200m south of the Caster road near public footpaths.

Craster Heugh (Enclosure) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Cawledge Bridge (Enclosure) — Miscellaneous

Large iron age circular enclosure, clearly visible on Google Earth. Around 60 in diameter the site lies in the corner of a field 300m west of the A1, south of Alnwick.

The site is not located on high ground, but like a number lowland enclosure sites in Northumberland the lies on a finger of land near the meeting of two streams.

Cawledge Bridge (Enclosure) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Benthall Cairn (Beadnell) (Cist) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Bronze Age Cists & Cairn

Keys to the past entry states:

"Two stone-lined graves were found here in 1934 when building a small hut. They were on the edge of a mound made of water-worn boulders, pebbles and sand. Both the graves contained bones. A Bronze Age pot was also found in one of them."

Bamburgh Barrow (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) — Links

Keys To The Past Entry


Partially destroyed bronze age barrow. The site lies in farmland about 300m south of Bamburgh castle car park, on the east side of the coast road.

Description from keys to the past

"Large irregular mound (55m by 90m) which survives, in places, up to 3m high. The remains of a stone-lined grave were found just to the south of the top of the mound. It contained the remains of a man, 1.7m in height. Earlier, in the 19th century, a pottery vessel had been found in the mound. These remains probably belong to the Bronze Age. "
Previous 50 | Showing 101-150 of 214 posts. Most recent first | Next 50
Based in Argyll but spend a lot of time in Northumberland I've always been interested in things Iron Age and earlier.

I now have the time to combine this interest with walking and taking photos so I hope to add content where I can.

My TMA Content: