Cup mark (Kirknewton)
A rare example of an andesite (granite) cup marked stone, probably of Neolithic date, was found during a survey of West Hill and its environs. (1)
The cup marked stone lies at the south-eastern foot of West Hill. It measures about 0.9m square by 0.6m deep. It may be a portable stone, moved from its original location. The stone is pink in colour and the decorated upper surface is slightly concave. It is tilted to face the south-west and was probably intentionally positioned to be seen from lower ground in that direction. The stone lies in a slight hollow, possibly created by livestock erosion of the surrounding area, or could be one of the few stones left from a clearance cairn that has been robbed to built field walls. The decoration comprises an arc of four large cup-marks across the lower half of the stone, spaced at fairly regular intervals up to 10cms apart. The cups are between 65mm and 85mm in diameter and up to 12mm deep. There are also some outlying cup marks and others that are more difficult to be certain of. At least three smaller cup marks form a triangle (or diamond) in the lower left corner of the stone. (2)
NT 91256 29201.Between December 1999 and March 2000, English Heritage carried out a detailed field investigation of the Iron Age hillfort on West Hill (NT 92 NW 31), together with an area of 0.5km2 around it, following a request from the Northumberland National Park (Event record 1300646).
A cup-marked andesite (granite) boulder of portable size was discovered on the south-eastern slopes of West Hill. The simple style of the decoration, which comprises at least seven smoothly ground large cup-marks and at least four smaller ones, without any ring-marks or interconnecting marks, suggests a later Neolithic date. The decorated face would probably originally have been nearly flush with the ground surface, but tilted slightly to the SW (straight downslope). The siting of the stone overlooks a saddle between the low-lying fringes of the Milfield plain to the S and the College Valley to the E, and is intervisible with the stone circle at Hethpool. The stone retains a deep salmon-pink colour, which distinguishes it from the other stone in the vicinity; it may have been moved to its present location. The decorated face was drawn at 1:4 and the profile across the stone at 1:20.
The boulder may have survived because it was incorporated into a prehistoric clearance cairn which was later almost entirely robbed away. There is a shallow eroded hollow around the boulder, containing a few small fragments of stone, and similar cairns in the vicinity (see NT 92 NW 121) have clearly been robbed to provide material for 19thC field walls.
For further information, see the Level 3 report on the field investigation, which includes a full textual description and interpretation of the remains, copies of plans surveyed at various scales, selected photographs and interpretative drawings. The remainder of the archive material is also available through the NMR. (3a)
West Hill
In 2000 a cup-marked volcanic slab was found during the survey of the West Hill (Kirknewton) prehistoric enclosure. This is only the third site in the Cheviots where volcanic rock has been used in this way, the others being at Turf Knowe and Alnham.(3b)
General association with HER 13342. (3)
The cup marked stone lies at the south-eastern foot of West Hill. It measures about 0.9m square by 0.6m deep. It may be a portable stone, moved from its original location. The stone is pink in colour and the decorated upper surface is slightly concave. It is tilted to face the south-west and was probably intentionally positioned to be seen from lower ground in that direction. The stone lies in a slight hollow, possibly created by livestock erosion of the surrounding area, or could be one of the few stones left from a clearance cairn that has been robbed to built field walls. The decoration comprises an arc of four large cup-marks across the lower half of the stone, spaced at fairly regular intervals up to 10cms apart. The cups are between 65mm and 85mm in diameter and up to 12mm deep. There are also some outlying cup marks and others that are more difficult to be certain of. At least three smaller cup marks form a triangle (or diamond) in the lower left corner of the stone. (2)
NT 91256 29201.Between December 1999 and March 2000, English Heritage carried out a detailed field investigation of the Iron Age hillfort on West Hill (NT 92 NW 31), together with an area of 0.5km2 around it, following a request from the Northumberland National Park (Event record 1300646).
A cup-marked andesite (granite) boulder of portable size was discovered on the south-eastern slopes of West Hill. The simple style of the decoration, which comprises at least seven smoothly ground large cup-marks and at least four smaller ones, without any ring-marks or interconnecting marks, suggests a later Neolithic date. The decorated face would probably originally have been nearly flush with the ground surface, but tilted slightly to the SW (straight downslope). The siting of the stone overlooks a saddle between the low-lying fringes of the Milfield plain to the S and the College Valley to the E, and is intervisible with the stone circle at Hethpool. The stone retains a deep salmon-pink colour, which distinguishes it from the other stone in the vicinity; it may have been moved to its present location. The decorated face was drawn at 1:4 and the profile across the stone at 1:20.
The boulder may have survived because it was incorporated into a prehistoric clearance cairn which was later almost entirely robbed away. There is a shallow eroded hollow around the boulder, containing a few small fragments of stone, and similar cairns in the vicinity (see NT 92 NW 121) have clearly been robbed to provide material for 19thC field walls.
For further information, see the Level 3 report on the field investigation, which includes a full textual description and interpretation of the remains, copies of plans surveyed at various scales, selected photographs and interpretative drawings. The remainder of the archive material is also available through the NMR. (3a)
West Hill
In 2000 a cup-marked volcanic slab was found during the survey of the West Hill (Kirknewton) prehistoric enclosure. This is only the third site in the Cheviots where volcanic rock has been used in this way, the others being at Turf Knowe and Alnham.(3b)
General association with HER 13342. (3)
N13338
MEASURED SURVEY, An Iron Age Hillfort and it environs on West Hill, Northumberland 2000; ENGLISH HERITAGE
HISTORIC AREA ASSESSMENT, Kirknewton Village Atlas (HISTORIC BERWICK VILLAGE ATLAS) ; The Archaeological Practice Ltd
MEASURED SURVEY, English Heritage: hillforts in the Northumberland National Park project ; English Heritage
HISTORIC AREA ASSESSMENT, Kirknewton Village Atlas (HISTORIC BERWICK VILLAGE ATLAS) ; The Archaeological Practice Ltd
MEASURED SURVEY, English Heritage: hillforts in the Northumberland National Park project ; English Heritage
Disclaimer -
Please note that this information has been compiled from a number of different sources. Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council can accept no responsibility for any inaccuracy contained therein. If you wish to use/copy any of the images, please ensure that you read the Copyright information provided.