Fawns Moated Site

Trip No.118  Entry No.4  Date Added: 17th Feb 2019
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 14th Feb 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Fawns Medieval Moated Site: "One of the few surviving examples in Northumberland and exceptionally well preserved" is how Historic England describe this site. As the third stop on our short circular walk to the east of Kirkwhelpington, this was a nice site to stop and look at. Easier to see the layout from the aerial photographs at home. Just a shame this site is on private land, as I'd have loved to have walked over the site to take a closer look.

There is much evidence of medieval field boundaries and rig and furrow ploughing all around here. The land looks rich and fertile, with magnificent sheep grazing in the fields.

Fat Betty

Trip No.15  Entry No.4  Date Added: 10th Apr 2017
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 9th Apr 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Fat Betty's Cross, Danby High Moor, North Yorkshire: From Wolf Pit Tumulus, carrying on down the road (New Way) over Danby High Moor, past the curiously named Lower Fryup Dale to the east, then over Seavey Hill, passing by the modern standing stone (Millennium Stone) at NZ 69699 01296, we turned west towards Rosedale Head. Where the Esk Valley Way crosses this road, there is a small, squat White Cross located to the north. Just a few metres up the Esk Valley Way footpath, stepping over a muddy ditch, we got the full force of the wind sweeping across this moorland. From a leisurely, warm lunch in Castleton an hour earlier, the temperature had dropped considerably, and I wished I’d brought a warmer coat!

The head of the cross bears four small circles on both sides, reminiscent of Anglo Saxon cross heads. There is considerable graffiti on the stone, together with offerings (see image of money at bottom of cross head).

Just over the road is Young Ralph’s Cross.

Fast Castle (Bedrule)

Trip No.93  Entry No.4  Date Added: 31st Aug 2018
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 29th Aug 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Fast Castle/Bedrule Motte: Not far from Bedrule Church this motte is marked on the map. At first it just appeared as a mound behind some trees, and we weren’t going to stop, until we realised the tree cover finished and the motte was clearly visible from the track going to Bedrule Mill. We let ourselves in through the gate and stopped to photograph this impressive mound. It sits by a bend in the very pretty river Rule.

Fasset Hill (Sourhope)

Trip No.55  Entry No.2  Date Added: 12th Oct 2017
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Yes on 8th Oct 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Fasset Hill Scooped Settlement, Sourhope: It was probably a silly time of year to look at this settlement, as the bracken was very tall, and probably also too late in the evening, as dusk was falling. But, hey ho, we were nearby and decided to walk back down to Sourhope Farm, and follow the track up Fasset Hill.

From Sourhope hillfort we walked back down the track to the farmhouse near the junction of the Sourhope and Kaim Burns, turned north east and walked over the wooden bridge at NT 84588 20250. From there we followed the metalled road up past a dump/quarry area, where the metalled road turns left/west and a stony track continues east. The Fasset Hill settlement is around the sheepfold on the hill just to the north of the track just past the ‘dump’.

The photographs don’t really do this site justice, as it was easier to see with the naked eye rather than catch it on photographs – the area was well defined on the ground. The sheepfold now occupies just west of centre, and what look to be the foundations of buildings can be found in its south east corner. The site looks like a building platform scooped out of the hillside. Canmore says it was probably constructed in Romano British times, and later reoccupied in the medieval.

There were a couple of other settlements nearby, but it was getting so dark, it was getting silly. We decided to walk swiftly back to the car and head home.

Fallowlees Settlement

Date Added: 1st Aug 2015
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Fallowlees Settlement, just off the National Trust Greenleighton Walk, Northumberland: Close to Fontburn a(vi), a(vii) and a(viii). See visit report for Hollinghill Enclosure. From a distance, coming up the quad bike track from Fallowlees Burn, there appear to be standing stones on the slope, but as we got closer, it became apparent these were the foundations of three hut circles, with another disappearing into the plantation to the north. What a lovely site to live in - a sheltered spot with water close by and fertile ground for farming. No wonder our ancestors chose to live here. The boulders with rock art on are just to the south, and appear to be part of cairns. Well worth the walk to see this.

Falla Knowe Cairn

Date Added: 24th Apr 2015
Site Type: Cairn Country: Scotland (Scottish Borders)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 23rd Apr 2015. My rating: Access 4

Log Text: Falla Knowe Cairn, Scottish Borders: Not quite the actual Falla Knowe robbed out cairn, but one nearby.
Travelling up Dere Street, having parked next to Pennymuir Roman Camp A just across the road from this section of the Roman Road, we made our way north up this deeply rutted section of the footpath towards Black Knowe and Trestle Cairns (wellies will be needed after wet weather - it was bad enough after a dry spell). Whilst there were a number of cairns, settlements and earthworks marked on the map in the field to our left, it was difficult to make out any features amongst the tussocks of grass and heather. The forest marked on the map immediately after the road has now been cut down, leaving large stumps sticking up out of the ground like ancient teeth.
We did notice that the corner of the stone wall/dyke and wooden fence post was placed almost dead centre of a circular raised mound. Whilst this cairn is marked on the Canmore Mapping for RCAHMS site 58154 no details are given. Grid reference for this cairn is NT 75204 14973.

Fairy Well (Aikton)

Date Added: 4th Jun 2022
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 14th Jun 2020. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 1 Access 5

Log Text: Fairy Well (Aikton): just after lockdown rules were relaxed marginally, and it was possible to travel short distances for reasons other than work or exercise, we needed to travel very near to Aikton, so took a short detour to try and find this well. There were plenty of walkers and other cars, but, as defined by lockdown law, no shops open, and no well to find!

Actually, not quite true, as peering down into the ditch, some water was visible bubbling up from the ground, running along a ditch to the south side of the hedge running along the northern edge of the field, but it was very difficult to find.

The gate into the field was open, so we looked along the other side of the hedge - all we could see were huge lumps of stone and concrete, which had been dumped along the ditch-line. Apart from a large lump of stone by the field gate, which looked as if it had simple architectural carving on it.

Fairy Stone (Fourstones)

Trip No.116  Entry No.2  Date Added: 27th Jan 2019
Site Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Couldn't find on 26th Jan 2019

Log Text: Fairy Stone (Fourstones): This is one of the sites I added to the Portal from The Northern Antiquarian, so whilst we were in the area, decided to try and find it. We parked at NY 89360 67929 on the outskirts of Fourstones Village (I didn’t think there was much at Fourstones, but there is a large papermill there).

Armed with the grid references (the one given by TNA, the other by Pastscape, we wandered along the road, up past the farms and along the lanes, but could find no trace of this stone. What a shame – I was looking forward to rediscovering it. Andrew, through looking at the age of the stone walls and the road surface, was able to tell where the road had been widened, which helped our search before admitting defeat.

I did photograph an old well/drinking trough next to the farm at about NY 89325 68021. This is a lovely old village.

Fair Helen's Tombstone

Trip No.127  Entry No.2  Date Added: 7th May 2019
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: Scotland (Dumfries and Galloway)
Visited: Yes on 2nd May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Fair Helen's Tombstone: This ‘monument’ is in two parts, the first of which came as a complete surprise, to our west, just off the path in a clearing, just above Kirtle Water.

For the legend of Fair Helen of Kirkconnel see: Fair Helen's Legend and Sir Walter Scott's epic poem.

This was a simple gravestone with a plaque on it, which reads: “In memory of fair Helen of Kirkconnel as well as Richard Bell and Adam Fleming who were involved in the tragedy which took place here. Erected by Clan Bell descendants. Irving Bell. Founder”.

Walking into this small, overgrown but very atmospheric, graveyard, with its tumbled ruins, I struggled to find Fair Helen’s Tombstone, but Andrew pointed it out – right behind a large metal sign announcing this is “Kirkconnel Churchyard”. The sign reads: “In the ballad “Fair Helen of Kirkonnel”, Adam Fleming’s Lover Helen was shot by mistake by a rival in Kirkconnel churchyard. The bullet was meant for Adam, who promptly killed him. Adam was later buried beside Helan and this is his tombstone: Hic Jacet Adam Flemeng. The adjacent uninscribed stone is Helen’s; and the nearby late-medieval cross is called “Fair Helen’s Cross”, marking the site of her death. / The romantic story of the ballad might be an 18th century invention, and the association of the monuments in the churchyard with the ballad’s characters is questionable”.

Fair Helen's Cross (Kirkconnel)

Trip No.127  Entry No.4  Date Added: 5th May 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: Scotland (Dumfries and Galloway)
Visited: Yes on 2nd May 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Fair Helen's Cross, Kirkconnel Old Church: It was a beautiful walk from the small parking area provided at about NY 25239 74833. We let ourselves through the kissing gate and followed the footpath which ran just to the east of Kirtle Water, and a pasture field with sheep and young lambs to our right. The very dark storm clouds gathering to the north east made a fantastic backdrop to the mature trees in the field.

Along the footpath, we were distracted by a modern tombstone about half way along our route to Old Kirconnel Church. We also stopped to admire the wonderful trees, with all their different colours, from a soft pink of a newly emerging copper beech tree, flowering cherries, silver birches and horse chestnuts. Eventually stumbling upon a very large marble tombstone at the entrance to the old churchyard, we let ourselves in and started exploring.

Having missed, at first, Fair Helen's Tombstone, and having to have it pointed out to me (well, it was hidden by a large metal signpost immediately in front of it), I walked round the ruins of the old church whilst Andrew went to search for the cross. "You'll need a machete", were his words on his return.

Walking through the kissing gate in the far north western corner of the churchyard, we walked 20-30m north along the path until the vague outline of the cross appeared behind the shrubbery. It didn't help that the largest tree next to the cross was a holly - very prickly!

As we arrived at the cross, the rain started to pelt down. Fortunately, the shower didn't last very long, and after taking photographs of this old village cross, we went back to admire and photograph the unusual grave markers in the churchyard.

Eye Keld Well

Trip No.146  Entry No.5  Date Added: 29th Aug 2019
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 27th Aug 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Eyekeld Well, Greystoke: On the eastern side of the B5288 Icold Road which runs south from the village centre. The spring is only visible by peering over the dry stone wall, and the channel is covered with weeds and bracken, although there is a plentiful supply of water running from it, judging by the sounds of trickling water. There is also a long, straight water channel which runs east from the spring.

The Springs of Living Water, page 22 (with a photograph on page 25) has a couple of references to two wells in Greystoke, telling us they are dedicated to St Kentigern (aka St Mungo):
“The site of the well at Greystoke is on the roadside when entering the village from the south. This could well have been the place of a preaching stop … There was a well to the north of Greystoke, called Thanet Well after the name of St. Kentigern’s mother St. Tenue. The well is now covered by a concrete slab in a barn/garage belonging to the house next to the holiday park. The name of the well is preserved in the name of the park”.

In McIntire's "Holy Wells of Cumbria", he mentions a visit by Bishop Nicholson on 26th July 1705: "In ye morning we walk'd out to view (and taste) several extraordinary springs about the Town of Greystock; one of which they call Eye-Keld, Mary-Keld, Tolly-Keld." McIntire notes: "Eye Cold Spring still exists as Icold spring; "Mary-Keld" has had its name corrupted to Marigold. It rises in the park. "Tolly Keld" is a small stream discharging into the Petteril."

Exhibition Park Circle

Trip No.18  Entry No.5  Date Added: 24th Apr 2017
Site Type: Modern Stone Circle etc Country: England (Tyne and Wear)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2017. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 1 Access 4

Log Text: As we’d failed to find the Axwell Park Tumulus, we sat in Café Nero in Fenwicks and I was looked up details of sites we were going to on the mobile version of the Portal. I came across an entry for ‘Leazes Park Circle’ which mentioned a modern stone circle. This took me by surprise, as we’ve been parking our car by Leazes Park when we come into Newcastle, at least once a week, and not come across any mention of this before. Bringing the map up on my phone, we sat puzzling where this was, and decided to head off and look for it.

'Modern Stone Circle', Newcastle: In actual fact, it is in Exhibition Park, not Leazes Park, although I’ve spent a while trying to find more about this on the web. Not finding anything, I’ve emailed the Parks and Countryside Department at Newcastle City Council, simply out of curiosity.

Having stumbled upon the ‘circle’ (the grid reference on the Portal was also a bit off), I’m convinced it’s part of the children’s play park. However, I might yet be proved wrong. When we arrived, a student was walking over the tree trunk to the mound and generally walking around the ditch surrounding this tiny ‘monument’. Disappointing, but pleased to have found it and been able to contribute a photograph to the Portal.

Ewesley Enclosure

Trip No.76  Entry No.6  Date Added: 27th May 2018
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 26th May 2018. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Ewesley Defended Settlement, Northumberland: This was our last stop of the day, and it was really warm. There is a permissive footpath which runs along the dismantled railway line, although we drove past and had to retrace our steps to find it. The footpath sign is on a gate at approx.. NZ 05932 92605, just south of the railway bridge, and a small bridge over a stream, on the B642, before the farm to the north of the bridge.

Be warned, as the ‘footpath’ is really non-existent, and if we’d have strayed off the higher ground, we’d have needed waders to cross certain parts. As it was, we found an old boundary bank running north-south across a fence line and followed that to the drier side on the other side of a burn/drainage ditch.

The southern part of the structure can be clearly seen from the road, and it’s clearly a settlement of some kind, although why it’s southern been built on a slope, I’m not sure. There is an outer bank and ditch, which we followed up to where the settlement is cut by the railway line, and we found the easiest way down and across, up to its northern side, where some of the inner banks remain.

This is certainly a settlement of some kind; we couldn’t reconcile ourselves to it being a henge. Certainly enigmatic..

Escomb Cross

Date Added: 21st Sep 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (County Durham)
Visited: Yes on 18th Sep 2014. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Escomb Saxon Church, Saxon Green, Escomb, Northumberland: This church is well worth a visit as it is a showcase for simple, understated architecture with an enormous ambience of history and worship. Peaceful, cool and reflective, Escomb is said to be ‘the most complete Anglo-Saxon Church in England’ and I’d agree with this. The site is said to date from between 650 to 690 AD and is sited at the heart of this tiny village 2km west of Bishop Auckland. The church is kept locked, but the key is kept on a hook outside the door of a property immediately behind the church and is readily accessible.

I’ve been here twice before in 2007; once just to say I’d been here; the second time to meet a colleague at The Saxon Inn across the road for a pre-meeting on the way to a conference in Durham, and popped in. But until today, I’ve never really stopped to look, sit and take in the atmosphere and the simplicity and beauty that goes back to Saxon times (and perhaps beyond?).

Having found a brilliant resource on the internet (The Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture on Durham University’s web site), today’s visit was particularly to look at the Anglo-Saxon cross shafts in the porch and re-visit the rest of the Anglo-Saxon artefacts I’d seen, but not really appreciated on previous visits - the inscribed Saxon cross on the wall between the nave and the sanctuary (just behind the pulpit), the Saxon grave marker behind the altar, the Roman inscriptions and the Saxon architecture and the sundial on the exterior south wall.

Having spent well over an hour here, I drove over to St Andrew’s Church in Aycliffe village for another ‘feast’ of Anglo-Saxon artefacts.

Entry Well (Ovington)

Trip No.162  Entry No.1  Date Added: 9th Jun 2021
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 6th Jun 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Entry Well, Ovington: A pleasant walk on a warm, sunny Sunday evening, trying to destress before the builders arrive next door tomorrow. Not expecting to find anything at this site, we were surprised by the remaining, and still visible structure here. Not been able to find out anything much about this well, apart from the fact it forms the western boundary of the parish of Ovington. Have appealed for further information until I can get hold of some local history books/journals.

Elvaplain

Date Added: 23rd Jul 2017
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 29th May 2016. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Elvaplain Stone Circle, Setmurthy, Cumbria: After having seen the tumulus and settlements at Aughertree Fell we set off for Elva Hill. With a stunning image on the Visit Cumbria website, which told us this although this stone circle was on private land, it could be approached by a footpath, we found Elva Plain farm and the footpath up to Elva Hill easily enough. With well kept sheep and their large lambs, we enjoyed the sunshine as we walked up the hill. But, and there was a big BUT - the farmer had tied the gates up so strongly with thick twine it was like trying to untie the Gordian knot. With four gates to get through, and some of them wired shut, we could only see this stone circle from afar. Frustrating. If the farmer had been around, I would have asked (nicely) for access to the field. Whilst the stones are largely flat and just visible above ground (between the sheep!), this stone circle is in a stunning location, looking out over Bassenthwaite Lake in the valley to the south west and the fells beyond. Elva Hill (now quarried) lies to the north.

Elsdonburn Shank Shielings (Kilham)

Trip No.41  Entry No.6  Date Added: 28th Aug 2017
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 26th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 1 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Elsdonburn Shank Shielings, Kilham: Husband had read somewhere that these might possibly have Saxon origins, although I’ve not been able to find the link.

Marked on the OS map as ‘old shielings’ we missed these on the walk up to Elsdonburn Shank as I was looking on the wrong side of the track. Actually, they were more visible on the way down, in the early evening light, with the very slight banks of the shielings a darker green and with lower growing grass on their surface. If I hadn’t been out with the archaeology group surveying shieldings, I would have passed these by.

We spent about 10 minutes here wandering around, trying to work out the shape of the structures. Not a huge amount so see, but another Pastscape site in the vicinity of Ring Chesters marked off.

Elsdonburn Shank (Kilham)

Trip No.41  Entry No.4  Date Added: 28th Aug 2017
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 26th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Elsdonburn Shank Villages, Kilham: Why are all the interesting sites up, up, up hill?? From Longknowe Settlement, we drove to Thompsons Walls and parked just behind their stack of sileage bales. The footpath continues here, and is metalled, but is a private road, so we decided not to drive any further.

It is a very pleasant walk along this road, with the hills looming around you on three sides. The ground looks very fertile here, and there were many, many sheep and their lambs on the green pasture. The farmer passed me with his large mower and gave a great wave. We later saw him mowing the grass in a meadow on the other side of the valley.

The footpath splits at the point where a burn tumbles down from a wood and goes underneath the road. We took the left hand fork which runs up to Elsdonburn Shank Farm, the house now deserted but the land and barn still used.

Just before the barn, the footpath dives off diagonally south east across the field, leading down to a gate just before the stream. It looks at first glance as if this stream is going to be wide, because the valley is quite deep, but when you get down to it, it’s just a little trickle, with a few stones placed across to make it easy to cross. From here, the footpath disappeared, and we ended up tracked north east up the hill, led by a string of large boulders which seemed (to us) to mark the track. In fact higher up, the footpath has been mown of bracken and leads along the fence line up the hill.

Just as I was getting tired of clambering up the slope, Village A came into view and we sat on the western side of the bank to have a drink before exploring. Well worth coming up here. Enclosure A was easier to decipher than B, which had much more bracken growing within it, and a tumble of stones peeking out of the grass.

With the dark skies getting darker, we plodded up the hill towards Ring Chesters.

Edmundbyers Cross (Muggleswick)

Trip No.42  Entry No.6  Date Added: 29th Aug 2017
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 28th Aug 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Remains of Edmundbyers Cross, Muggleswick: Marked in italic, old fashioned script on the OS map, I guess I was expecting something a little more exciting, such as a cross base with part of a shaft, but no. Just a cross base. Good job I knew what I was looking for as alongside the road there were other pieces of rectangular rock almost as large.

Sitting almost at the junction of the B6278 to Edmundbyers with the minor road leading almost to Smiddy Shaw Reservoir (just to the north of this road), it would have acted as a way marker. The cross base is located just over 1km from the boundary stone above.

When we got home, I was interested to read this from the Historic England entry: “Edmundbyers Cross is one of only three wayside crosses still in its original position in County Durham and the only known example on the route between Stanhope and Edmundbyers.”

Edlingham Anglo Saxon Cross Bases

Date Added: 7th Aug 2016
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jul 2016. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Edlingham Anglo Saxon Cross Bases, Northumberland: We went to visit Edlingham Castle/Fortified Manor House nearby, not expecting to find this charming (but very squat) 11th century church (St John The Baptist). As we approached, I spotted the Anglo Saxon cross bases by the south porch, although nothing is said about these in the church guide. According to the Northumberland HER record, there is also supposed to be the remains of an 8th century cross shaft in the north east corner of the nave, although we didn't spot this during our visit (but is recorded on the AS Corpus).

The location of this church is charming. Within a couple of hundred yards there is the ruined castle, with a wonderful example of a trilobe joggled lintel above the fireplace in the Solar Tower. Beyond is a viaduct from the now dismantled railway. Within easy walking distance is the cup and ring/rune marked rock at Lemmington Wood and the rock shelter at Corby Crags.

Following our visit to the church and castle, we walked to Noah's Well at the eastern end of the village, just outside Demesne.