To search for any sites in the northern counties of England (previously known as Brigantia), click on the list of relevant counties, below. Please note that not all these english counties were truly in Brigantia, but they came close to its southern edges; and as parts of them tickle the edges of the southern Pennines, I thought they should be included. Hope that’s OK with everyone!
Cup-and-Ring Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – NT 98491 28424
Archaeology & History
Highburn House C&R, 2015
This carving was rediscovered by rock art explorer Jan Broewer in September, 2007, a few hundred yards out of Wooler on the way to Akeld and Kirknewton, in the field on the right-hand side of the road, on the embankment just a few inches above the waters of the High Burn. On a recent visit here by Tom Cleland and I, despite us rummaging amidst the gorse and other herbage all along the edge of the waters, we were unable to locate the carving and presume that it has either been destroyed or re-housed in someone’s garden, living a more comfortable life. We certainly hope it’s the latter!
Sketch of the designHome of the lost carving
It’s design is nothing special: merely a singular, albeit scruffy cup-and-ring, with two other distinct pecked cup-marks and, possibly, a third shallow one just to the side of the cup-and-ring (but this is, in my opinion, highly suspect). The stone was obviously not in its original position when Jan first found it, and would seem to have come originally from the slope above the stream where a number of earthfast stones can be found. The numerous scratches across its surface shows that it’s been hit a few times by some (probably) metallic objects, or perhaps horses hooves, thus dislodging it from the slope above and rolling into the spot where Jan found it. Anyhow, we presently don’t know where it is or what’s become of it. Does anyone in Wooler know where it’s living?
Acknowledgements: Huge thanks to Pete Chattaway for use of his photo; and to Tom Cleland for helping the search party!
On our first visit to Wooler, in seeking out (and not finding!) a cup-and-ring stone alongside the old burn just on the northern side of town, we looked up at the ridged hillside of Humbleton Hill ahead of us and proclaimed, something along the lines of: “That look’s like something man-made up there!” And so it turned out. But the heat of the summer kept us from ascending the hill, so just an old account must be penned, from the quill of the great rock art pioneer George Tate (Home & Tate 1857) who, following a visit here in May 1852 with various members of the Berwickshire Natural History Society, penned the following:
“On the north side of Humbleton burn is a conical hill truncated at the top, and rising abruptly about 100 feet above the level of the burn; the slope, though considerable, is less steep on the other sides. This was one of the strongholds of the ancient Hritons. A rampier (now obliterated) ran around that part of the hill not protected by the ravine of the burn. The summit of the hill is 180 yards in circumference, having a hollow in the centre of the area; it is surrounded by a rampier of stone and earth, which is yet in some parts 3 feet high. This entrenchment is commonly called ‘The Cup and Saucer Camp’.”
The Hillfort itself is in very good condition overall, is very extensive and has a very clear series of walled ramparts all round the summit of the hill. It has yet to be excavated.
Folklore
The local folk-name given to this old hillfort—the Cup and Saucer Camp—related to the shape and lay-out of the enclosure, and with it, the tradition that the chiefs of the tribe inhabited the topmost enclosed section of the hillfort: the so-called ‘Cup’; whilst the tribal familes inhabited the realms immmediately outside and below the chief’s domain: the so-called surrounding ‘Saucer’. On the northern edges of the outer ‘saucer’ walls are several ‘hut circles’ (for want of a better term), that would house people, or their animals—or both.
References:
Home, Robert & Tate, G., “Address to the Members at the Anniversary Meeting, held at Embleton, Sept 8, 1852,” in Proceedings of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, volume 3, 1857.
We took the B6348 road up east, from Wooler, turning left 2 miles up and crossing the small river bridge, going past Weetwood Hall where the road bends to the right and goes uphill for about a mile where, just before West Horton farm, there’s a a dirt-track on your left. 200 hards up, walk past the farm up and along the dead straight track for another 400 yards until you hit the field. Diagonally ahead of you (NW) less than 100 yards away, a small hillock rises in the field where a large metal animal feed-trough sits. Once there, the slope to your right (east) is where the stone lives. If you potter about you’ll find it.
Archaeology & History
On a visit to the impressive West Horton carvings on one of the searing hot days recently, Tom Cleland and I thought to check on an otherwise unimpressive petroglyph on a rocky rise of land before heading to the beauties 250 yards northwest of here. The covering soil around a scatter of earthfast rocks on this rise in the land had been eroded by cattle and on one of them we noted what seemed to be a distinct cup-marking. And, as happens when you look closer, a more expansive design came into being.
Main design from aboveFaint ring round the cup
On the east-sloping-face of this rock are between six and seven cup-marks, most of them quite distinct. The topmost of the cups has a faint incomplete ring round it which you can just make out in a couple of the photos. It seemed that there was another even fainter ring around one of the other cups, but on the day we visited this the heat was taking its toll of me and I could only stand a short time before we had to move, so we left without getting any good images of the other ring.
More recent cup-marks
It’s more then likely that other unrecorded carvings are hiding beneath the soil which, no doubt, the cattle will slowly help uncover as the years go by. 🙂 A little further up the slope from here, approaching the West Horton (1b) carving, a small oval-shaped rock has what looks like a single cup-mark on it and another, more recent marking at its side. This impression is likely due to an incision made by the metal legs of one of the animal feeders and is unlikely to be prehistoric.
Stone Circle (destroyed): OS Grid Reference – NY 88542 74175
Archaeology & History
Site location on 1866 map
Highlighted, albeit in the past tense, as a “Druidical Temple” on the first Ordnance Survey map of the area in 1866, these megalithic remains were seen by earlier antiquarians, but seemingly met their demise sometime in the early 19th century. Some halfwit land-owners no doubt wanted their little garden extended to where local folk would have traditionally met at certain times each year—so in getting rid of the stones, it would help to keep the riff-raff away. (many of these elitists still think this way) It had certainly gone when the Northumbrian historian John Bates (1895) wrote about it, where he told simply:
“The fine circle at Nunwick, on North Tyne, described by Bishop Gibson, has long since disappeared.”
It was still standing in the 17th century, three or four thousand years after our ancestors put it there. We know this because the remains of the stone circle were told about in Gibson’s (1695) edition of Camden’s Britannia, where mention is made of “large stones erected at several places” in Northumberland, including this place where,
“near Ninwick in the Parish of Simondburn, four such stand still erected, and a fifth lies fall’n to the ground.”
The situation hadn’t changed when John Wallis (1769) visited Nunwick. On his trip to these megaliths he told that,
“In an adjoining field, called, Nunwick-east-field, were five upright stone-pillars, in a circular order; four of them perfect and entire in 1714, the other broken; the perfect ones eight feet high, and nine feet and an half over; the circumference of the area in which they stood, ninety feet.”
It was obvisouly a decent-sized circle! The great megalithic archaeologists Barnatt (1989) and Burl (2000) included the site in their respective catalogues, but could add no further details apart from saying there was a drawing made of the stones sometime around 1715 which, apparently, is in volume 15 of the History of Northumberland. Has anyone got a copy…? 🙂
References:
Barnatt, John, Stone Circles of Britain– volume 2, BAR: Oxford 1989.
Bates, John C., The History of Northumberland, Elliot Stock: London 1895.
Burl, Aubrey, The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany, Yale University Press 2000.
Dodds, M.H. (ed.), A History of Northumberland – volume 15: Simonburn, Rothbury, Alwinton, etc, Andrew Reid: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1935.
Gibson, Edmund (ed.), Camden’s Britannia, F. Collins: London 1695.
Wallis, John, The Natural History and Antiquities of Northumberland – volume 2, W. & W. Strahan: London 1769.
Acknowledgements: Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.
Cup-and-Ring Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – NY 5019 2776
Also Known as:
Archaeology & History
Taylor’s 1883 sketch
The geographical position of this site was shown on the 1897 Ordnance Survey map, albeit in the past tense as it had been destroyed not long after after being uncovered. Thankfully however, local antiquarian Mick Taylor (1882; 1883) did a damn good job recording what had been found here, and although he had remains of the stone in his possession shortly after it had been found, the carving has subsequently been lost. Thankfully Mr Taylor left us with a good drawing of the design (right).
Located a short distance west of the grand henges of Mayburgh and King Arthur’s Round Table, the carving was found some ten inches below the ground during work that was being done to lay some new fencing. The lads doing the work hit some stone and found it to be covered with a number of standard cup-and-ring motifs facing downwards. This carved stone, wrote Taylor (1882), was in fact “the cover of a kist-vaen”, a.k.a, prehistoric stone burial cist. He then proceeded to give a lengthy account of the site and the carving, telling:
Site shown on 1897 map
“There are traces of ancient occupancy, and vestiges of cairn structure still to be discerned on the hill-side on which it was found, but no barrow nor mound covered this particular grave. A space had been excavated for the interment dipping into the limestone rock to a depth of about 3 feet; the length of the grave was 4 feet, and the breadth about 3 feet 6 inches. Cobble stones had been used partially to line the cavity, but there was no flagging at the sides or bottom. The space was filled with blackish soil, amid which was a quantity of burnt bones, all in a fragmentary state. No implement nor shreds of pottery could be found, but there were several pieces of charcoal. It had evidently been an interment of cremated remains.
“The massive stone which formed the cover of the kistvaen I saw in situ immediately after its discovery.
Beckensall’s impression of the design
“This stone is a natural slab of white freestone; it is of a broadish ovoid form, 5 feet 4 inches long, and at the centre 3 feet 6 inches broad, tapering towards each end; and it varies from 8 inches to 13 inches in thickness. The superior surface is rough and irregular, and scored in many places with marks of the ploughshare and harrows, which have passed over it in frequent cultivation. The interior surface, which was presented towards the grave, shows a fairly smooth cleavage, and on it were carved the sculptured markings which I shall describe.
“The slab, which is in my possession, was unfortunately broken in three or four pieces by the hammer of the workman, but I have put it together, and when viewed with a certain light when the shadows are deep, the sculpturings may be well made out, and appear to be arranged as follows: near the bottom there is a central cup deeply carved, about 3 inches in diameter; around this there are two concentric rings, somewhat faintly incised, the outermost of which has a diameter of 6 inches. From this central cup proceed two grooves 6 inches long, which bisect the concentric circles, and traverse in a straight line to join a similar cup on each side of the central one. From this line of cups three gutters meander upwards over the surface of the slab; the main channel takes a direction upwards on the right side of the stone, and receives a number of branches like the tributaries of a river from each side, and terminates on the free margin of the upper part of the stone. On the lowest quarter of the stone to the right there is a large hollow cup 3 inches in diameter, around which also there are two well-executed concentric rings, the largest with a diameter of 6 inches. These rings are cut by a radial groove which joins a gutter in the centre of the stone, and in the opposite direction, at a point in their circumference, they fall into and are subtended by the larger side channel. These are the only two cuttings on the stone which present this annular arrangement; on the other hand, the simple cup markings are numerous, in fact, twenty-four may be counted. One of these cups is greatly larger than any of the rest. It is situated in the centre of the upper half of the slab, and on first view forms the most strikingly characteristic feature of the tablet. This cup is 6 inches in diameter, and is carved out to the depth of 3 inches. The chisel marks are distinct and fresh, as if done yesterday; and there is a smoothness and regularity of execution about it, which evinces that more pains have been taken with it than with some of the other incisions. The other cup-markings vary from 1 inch to 3 inches in measurement. A number of them (about twelve of them may be counted) are associated with the furrowed lines, either forming the beginning of a gutter, or joining or being included in the line of the channel itself. These form the series of the larger cup-markings, and are an inch or more in depth. On the other hand, others of these cups are isolated, and scattered singly, and apparently without regular order over the surface, and unconnected with the branch-like lines; these for the most part are mere shallow depressions, and with less defined margins. Again, there is another class of markings on the stone; they are very numerous, and are dispersed apparently irregularly over all the surface; these are little pits or pick marks, small irregular holes picked into the stone, evidently done with some pointed tool.”
Taylor thought that these “small irregular holes” had been made with a flat-edged chisel whacked with a hammer, and the cup-marks “by a flint or harder stone.” In examples I’ve found in Perthshire where the tools have been left at the site, both a harder stone was found at one (for some reason actually laid within the cup-mark and left there before it had been finished), whilst a flint was laid in the cup-mark of another carving (although that example seemed to be more a deliberate deposit rather than being the tool that made the carving).
Anyhow, considering the poor condition of the carving when Taylor described it—”broken in three or four pieces”—there’s little likelihood of it having survived. But, on the off-chance that someone’s mum or granny has it hiding in the rockery at the back of the garden somewhere, give us a shout….
References:
Beckensall, Stan, Cumbrian Prehistoric Rock Art, Abbey Press: Hexham 1992.
Beckensall, Stan, Prehistoric Rock Art in Cumbria, Tempus: Stroud 2002.
Taylor, Michael W., “On a Sculptured Stone with Cup and Ring-Markings, found at Redhills, near Penrith,” in Proceedings Society of Antiquaries Scotland, volume 16, 1882.
Taylor, Michael W., “On a Cup-marked Stone found at Redhills, near Penrith,” in Transactions Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society, volume 6, 1883.
Acknowledgements: Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.
From Silsden, head up to Brunthwaite village and follow the same directions as if you’re going to see the Brunthwaite (1) cup-marked stone and, once there, look at the walling immediately behind it and you’ll see, at the base of the wall, peeking out is a small earthfast boulder. It’s about a yard away. You’ll find it.
Archaeology & History
Sticking out from the edge of the walling at ground level is this low small cup-marked stone, rediscovered by rock art explorer Tom Cleland just a few weeks ago. It sits behind the cluster of rocks that were dumped here not too many years back. The carving comprises of at least three well-defined and quite deep cups, only two of which were initially visible until we cleared out a third one that had become filled with soil. It’s possible that there’s more of them on the stone, but we’d have to take the wall down to find that out!
The stone seems to be earthfast and may have remained in the same spot, untouched, since when it was first carved four or five thousand years ago—and certainly the depths of the cups suggest that its it’s been pretty much covered over for most of its life. The walling that’s been built on top of it is pretty recent by comparison; but it’s notable that its petroglyphic neighbour, the High Brunthwaite (3) carving, 175 yards to the east, is also an earthfast rock with the field-wall built on top of it.
Its somewhat minimalist appearance reminds me of several of the cup-marked petroglyphs at the top of Shipley Glen, six miles southeast of here, including the Baildon Moor (126) and (130) carvings…
Acknowledgements: Massive appreciation to Thomas Cleland for finding this carving and showing us it’s whereabouts.
Cup-and-Ring Stone (removed): OS Grid Reference – NZ 1475 6350
Archaeology & History
This carving presently lives in what Beckensall & Laurie (1998) described as “the stone store” at the Museum of Antiquities at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, but it was discovered in some walling close to the road on the south-side of Ryton by a Mr William Cocks in 1934. The carved rock is relatively small—measuring “roughly two feet five inches, by one foot ten inches, by one foot three inches in thickness”—and was obviously not in its original position, but would have lived relatively close to the walling into which was placed. Mr Cocks told that,
1934 sketch of the carvingModified Beckensall sketch
“the stone bears one “cup and ring” with four radial ducts, the latter being in an exceedingly fine state of preservation. There are also ten plain cups of circular form; one cup with a deep conical duct; and one large cup which appears to have been formed by uniting two circular cups. All show the “pocking” or tool marks of manufacture, and these are especially noticeable in the radial ducts.”
The cup-marked Ryton (1) stone was found some 250 yards to the west and the Ryton (3) petroglyph was less than half-a-mile north, making it likely that other types of prehistoric remains once existed in this locale.
References:
Beckensall, Stan, Northumberland’s Prehistoric Rock Carvings – A Mystery Explained, Pendulum: Rothbury 1983.
Beckensall, Stan & Laurie, Tim, Prehistoric Rock Art of County Durham, Swaledale and Wensleydale, County Durham Books 1998.
Cocks, W.A., “The Ryton ‘Cup and Ring’ Marked Rock,” in Proceedings Society of Antiquaries Newcastle-upon-Tyne, volume 6, no.8, 1934.
As you’re going into Silsden up the A6034 road, over the canal bridge, turn right (east) and go up Howden Road for half-a-mile, then go left up Hawber Lane and after 250 yards veer right along Brunthwaite Lane. After nearly another half-mile, through gorgeous High Brunthwaite hamlet and just as the road bends round past the last of the gardens and houses, go through the gate into the field on your right. You’re needing to look at the walling here, which runs alongside the road, but on the field-side, barely 10 yards up. A cluster of rocks has been piled-up against the wall. The largest rounded broken one is the one you’re looking for.
Archaeology & History
Looking across the cups
Discovered recently by the petroglyph explorer Thomas Cleland, this is one of two cup-marked stones in close attendance to each other. It’s nowt special to look at—unless you’re an ardent rock art buff!—as it consists of just two large well-formed cup-marks on its near-vertical face: the most distinct one being some two-inch across and a half-inch deep. The stone was obviously rolled here from very close by and just piled up against the wall and has been broken from a larger piece of rock, but we could see no other cup-marks on the others laid around it (although we couldn’t lift and turn the others over to see if there was anything on their undersides). The earthfast High Brunthwaite (2) cup-marked stone is just a yard away at the base of the wall.
Acknowledgements: Massive appreciation to Thomas Cleland for finding this carving and showing us it’s whereabouts.
Found on the south-side of the stream a few hundred yards northeast of the aptly-named ‘Holywell Farm’ and highlighted on the early Ordnance Survey maps of the region, this once important sacred site is today, according to local folk, little more than an overgrown muddy patch, visited by very few and hard to see underfoot. It was described, albeit briefly in Leonard Jacks’ (1882) beautiful work, where he told that, “About a mile from the house is to be seen a holy well, a place of interest, which is undoubtedly connected with the past history of the place.”
In medieval times, the manor of Winkburn was the seat of the religious Order of the Knights Hospitallers, otherwise known as the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, to whom Bob Morrell (1988) professed this well to have been dedicated. He described there being a small structure around the water source, wondering whether it may have been a bath of sorts to convey water to the nearby house, but remains of this can no longer be seen. It would seem that a good ground survey of the site is required, at the end of Winter when all the vegetation has fallen back, to see if the waters can be recovered and the Holy Well brought back to life for local people. Fingers crossed! 🙂
Folklore
The water from St. John’s Well was said to be good for sore eyes. The religious celebration day of St. John is traditionally around June 24, usually overlaying earlier summer solstice celebrations.
References:
Jacks, Leonard, The Great Houses of Nottinghamshire and the County Families, W. & A.S. Bradshaw: Nottingham 1882.
Gover, J.E.B., Mawer, Allen & Stenton, F.M., The Place-Names of Nottinghamshire, Cambridge University Press 1940.
Morrell, Robert, Nottinghamshire Holy Wells and Springs, Nottingham 1988.
Acknowledgements:Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.
Highlighted on the early Ordnance Survey map of the region by the appropriately named ‘Holywell Farm’, this once important sacred water source would seem to be little more than a muddy patch nowadays. Not good. Its cold waters were reputedly good for curing skin diseases such as scurvy, along with aiding in the affliction of rheumatism.
Local folklore attributed the site to have once fed some Roman baths, but this idea seems to have been a diluted version of it once, historically, supplying some baths a few hundred yards east, albeit in the 19th century and not way way back in Caesar’s days! Of course, the waters of the well would have been used in ancient times, but we have no archaeology or unbroken traditions telling us such things. It was last known to be used as a local water supply in the 1920s. The fact that the spot where it used to run free is still sometimes boggy means that it could be re-animated with a bit of effort from local people.
References:
Morrell, Robert, Nottinghamshire Holy Wells and Springs, Nottingham 1988.
Acknowledgements:Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.
