Follow the directions to reach the Man Stone carving. Walk up the sloping hillside from there until you reach the top. From there, walk down the slope heading slightly to your left. You’ll find it!
Archaeology & History
A small upright stone, less than three feet tall, but once a little taller as you’ll see that it’s head has been knocked off in the not-too-distant future and lies on the ground by its side. A small scatter of what seems like possible cairn-material lies around its base, but not enough to imply that a tomb of any sort was ever here (aswell as that, the position on the slope seems wrong).
A curious little thing, without archaeological companions. When we came here the other day, we explored the ground all round the stone as all the heather had been burnt back; but there was nothing anywhere near it to give a hint as to why it stands here, alone, at what seems like a strange spot two-thirds the way up a moorland slope. It’s been speculated that in the middle of its more north-facing side there is a cup-mark on it, but this is very dubious and, in my opinion, should be discounted as such. The marking is a gun-shot wound – and more recent ones have just been added, as seen in the photo.
The old town’s Market Cross can be seen outside the north end of the Guildhall, but originally it was opposite the Ironmarket up the High Street. It was first built sometime in the medieval period (exact year seems to be unknown), but required some restoration work on it in 1579, which was organized by the town Mayor: a Mr Randle Bagnall at the time. It’s thought that the five steps upon which it stood were also erected around this time. However, these steps and the cross were moved a few years before 1820 and then resurrected by the Guildhall. The curious standard lamps were also added to the top of the cross when this restoration work was done.
References:
Kennedy, J. (ed.), Newcastle-under-Lyme: A Town Portrait, Newcastle Civic Society 1984.
This supposedly 10-12th century carving — found in the early 1940s and handed to the Scottish National Museum in Edinburgh by Mr A. Sanderson — took my interest by virtue of the distinct swastika design carved on the face of the stone.* The fact that it’s etched onto what’s thought to be the remains of an old christian cross shouldn’t be too surprising: we find it on numerous other old stone crosses, church bells and other religious remains.
This example was only carved on one side of the stone, which measures some 18-inches high and just 9 inches across. The top of the stone has a design typical of many early crosses from between the 9th to 14th century; whilst the curvaceous line on the lower-right also typifies imagery found on many crosses from this period — some of which appear to be based on cup-and-ring imagery. However, no such cup-and-rings seem to have been in evidence where this cross-remain was found. Very little else is known about its history.
Although it aint quite as old as Ilkley’s Swastika Stone, this is still a fascinating carved stone indeed!
References:
Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland, Peeblesshire – volume 1, HMSO: Edinburgh 1967.
Stevenson, Robert B.K., ‘The Inchyra Stone and some other Unpublished Early Christian Monuments’, in PSAS 92, 1961.
* To those who don’t know, the swastika symbol has been used by people from around 20,000 BC onwards and has only very recently gained a bad press. It’s a symbol that needs to be reclaimed, through education, and put back into its proper mythic place where it belongs – away from any Nazi dip-shits, whose retarded actions pale into insignificance when it comes to the primal archaic nature of this old form.
Dead easy! From the townships of Grasscroft, Uppermill, or Greenfield, take the legendary moorland road up to Saddleworth tops (A635), keeping your eye on the modern obelisk on the hilltop to your left and you’ll see a large rock outcrop almost next to it. That’s where you’re heading. Once you reach near the moorland level, walk in whatever way you see fit towards the obelisk and large stones. Enjoy…! I s’ppose though, it’d be better for you if you started from the valley bottom at Uppermill and walked up the hill.
Folklore
Seemingly a ritual place of the sun, this fine site was known by the local folk-name of the Druid Stones, according to Jessica Lofthouse. (1976) But more importantly in legend, this great rocky outcrop was the abode of an old giant called Alphin, who had a rival called Alder who also wandered the moors here. Both these giants vied for the hand of a lady called Rimmon, who preferred Alphin to Alder. In good old fashioned ways they contested for her hand, throwing giant rocks across the moors at each other, but “Alphin was hit and killed, with Rimmon looking on.” His grave lies on these moors somewhere, seemingly unfound. …And intriguingly it seems that we’ve actually located a prehistoric tomb which may account for the legend of Alphin’s death! (Watch this space!)
A slight variation on the tale describes the Lady Rimmon to be of fairy stock, named ‘Raura Peena’ (a phonetic spelling of a local dialect name), who in one account from the Notes & Queries journal, 1850, tried luring a local man into her magickal recess of the Fairy Holes, on the slopes beneath the Pots and Pans Stone.
Local tradition also tells that the naturally-worn ‘bowls’ atop of the rocks held magical properties — water being collected from them was said to be good to cure eye problems. This is a curative theme we find at some bullauns, cup-marked stones and old cross-bases and would strongly indicates that pre-christian practices did once take place here.
References:
Lofthouse, Jessica, North Country Folklore, Robert Hale: London 1976.
Standing Stone (destroyed): OS Grid Reference – SE 299 612
Also Known as:
Temple Yarmer
Archaeology & History
It was the legendary Harry Speight who described this in his monumental historico-topographical exploration of the Nidd valley in the 1890s. Nothing else, it seems, has been said of the place, though something of considerable archaeological importance was once here. Not only does he tell of the previous existence of “a large circular enclosure…the outer ditch having a circumference of nearly 1000 yards” at Yarmer Head, but,
“In the hollow on the east side of this hill was formerly a large natural marsh or lakelet, near which remains the base of an immense menhir or standing monolith, erected doubtless in heathen days to commemorate a great victory, or perhaps a treaty.”
The stone is not shown on the early OS-maps (although they did miss quite a lot of sites), and whatever its reason for being here might never be known as all traces of this giant monolith appears (yet again) to have vanished. There is an ancient boundary line immediately below the hill, on its eastern side, so perhaps the stone was an ancient marker along this. Do any local folk round Nidd know owt more about this once important megalithic site?
References:
Speight, Harry, Nidderdale and the Garden of the Nidd, Elliot Stock: London 1894.
Follow the same directions as to reach Holden’s Buttock Stone, then north over the field and through the gate towards the Rough Holden Carving. As you approach here, keep your eyes peeled for a clump of boulders a little further down the field which stand out. That’s where you wanna be!
Archaeology & History
Found by the old Keighley volunteer, Michala Potts of Bracken Bank, a few weeks back (Friday, June 12, 2009), this previously undiscovered cup-marked boulder is amidst a scatter of boulders piled-up with each other following a field-clearance in recent years. It doesn’t seem to be in its original position, but obviously came from the fields hereby.
Side view of cup-marks
The first view we got indicated 2 or 3 cup-markings on its upper surface; but then as we wandered round it and the adjacent rocks, it seemed that several others appear to have been etched on the vertical face, as shown in one of the photos. The light wasn’t too good by the time we found this (it was one of those days where cloud and sun kept the cup-marks hidden at times!) and then a drizzle came along and stopped a sketch of the stone. But it’s obvious there are 3-4 cup-markings on the upper surface and at least 3 carved on its side. Next time up there we’ll hopefully get better light!
One of the land-owners or tenant farmers hereby has little respect for the prehistoric remains in this area and, in all honesty, I’d expect a number of the petroglyphs to be destroyed in the coming years.
Just over 100 yards northeast of the chambered cairn in Crarae Garden we can see the denuded remains of this old mound, long ago held as the dwelling place of the little people. When it was first described in 1865, a standing stone was reported as surmounting the tomb, but this can no longer be seen. Further excavations made by Sir George Campbell in 1923 and reported in the Oban Times, showed the cairn to have been 108 feet across and nearly 6 feet tall at the centre — beneath which a “stone coffin” was found. It was said that two passages ran from this middle chamber: one to the southwest and the other roughly southeast. Deposits of shells, antlers, and the bones of cattle, deer, horses and sheep were also found here.
References:
Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments, Scotland, Argyll – volume 6: Mid-Argyll and Cowal, HMSO: Edinburgh 1988:61.
Various ways up this old hill, visible from all angles it seems. I came up via the housing estate near where us friend lives, near Bare Lane Station, through the houses and up the footpath. But you can just as easy (if not easier) walk up from the country lane and fields beneath its eastern side. Much nicer!
Archaeology & History
Torrisholme Barrow
As many northerners will tell: gerrin information from the Lancashire archaeologists about prehistoric sites is troublesome (must be Southerners running the show!). There’s tons of stuff in this good county, but archaeo-info is pretty poor on the ground. This great old tomb for example, is designated as a “round barrow” on the Lancashire County Council monuments and records listing, but there’s no other info telling when it was dug, who by, the size of the tomb, what was found here, etc. Pretty poor to be honest (c’mon chaps – get yer fingers out!). The best info on-line comes from the more dedicated amateur enthusiasts.
A local historian told us that there was nowt up here, but my nose told me otherwise — so up we tramped! It was pretty obvious once we’d got to the top here, that some ancient mound had been built up.
“This has all the hallmarks of a tomb,” I said.
Torrisholme Barrow, looking SW
The spirit of the ancestor herein (whoever s/he was) had excellent views and flights to numerous important hills 360° all round here. A perfect place for a tomb! And when we returned into the Darklands of our Yorkshire abodes, we found this notion to be true. Marked on early OS-maps as a tumulus, next to the tell-tale giveaway route of Barrow Lane, there are passing mentions of it in a couple of old local history books I’ve come across, but I’ve yet to find much more about it. It’s a fine mound and of decent size, well worth checking out if you’re in the area. Once I get more details of the archaeological finds from here, I’ll add the data to TNA (but based on past performances and responses from Lancashire archaeo’s, I wouldn’t hold your breath…)
And for any Morecambe historians who might be able to find more: what — if anything — is known of the ‘Fartle Barrow’, now swallowed by the encroachment of the sea, just a few hundred yards west of here?
Folklore
In days of olde, this site was an old moot or meeting hill: one of the northern Law or council meeting hills. Quite how far back this gathering tradition up here goes, aint known. We do know however that there was a christian tradition enacted here, at Easter, of local church doods taking a cross up the top of the hill (does anyone know the story behind the old Cross Hill, half-a-mile south of here?). There’s obviously quite a lot more pre-christian activities occurrent round here than has been previously thought.
At the bottom of the ridge from the (supposedly) singular King’s Park cup-and-ring stone,” in a sand-pit adjoining Douglas Terrace,” we could once find the remains of a now lost prehistoric tomb. First described in the Stirling Natural History Society’s Transactions in 1907, the Scottish Royal Commission lads (1963) told us that, “an urn from this cist was taken to the Smith Institue, Stirling, in a broken condition.” Anymore information about this site, or images of the fragmented urn, would be hugely appreciated.
It does seem very probable that the King’s Park cup-and-ring stone at the top of the ridge from here did relate to local neolithic or Bronze Age burial sites, as I suspected. It’s highly likely that other carvings were (are?) hidden beneath, or round the edges of this Douglas Terrace and Kings Park region, as I suggested a few months ago. It’s imperative that archaeologists in the district pay attention to this area before giving the go-ahead of any further landscape destruction.
References:
Royal Commission on Ancient & Historical Monuments, Scotland, Stirlingshire – volume 1, HMSO: Edinburgh 1963.
Cairns (destroyed): OS Grid Reference – NS 780 926
Archaeology & History
In times past, there were at least two prehistoric tombs in land either side of old Birkhill House, now covered by the M9 motorway. The Scottish Royal Commission lads described the first as being “in the garden of Birkhill House,” continuing:
“This cist contained bones and an urn which measured 5in in height and 6in in diameter, and was ornamented with zigzag lines.”
They think, from its description, that “it may have been a food vessel.” There were also the remains of another tomb to be found in “rising ground to the west side of” Birkhill House. Both of these finds were first described in the local Transactions of the Stirling Natural History and Antiquarian Society in 1880. It seems that little else is known about them. (Thanx again to Paddybhoy for prodding my attention here.)
References:
Royal Commission on Ancient & Historical Monuments, Scotland, Stirlingshire – volume 1, HMSO: Edinburgh 1963.
