Threestoneburn stone circle (Cheviotside)
(NT 97172051) Stone Circle. (1)
The diameter of the circle is 113 feet and it consists of 13 stones, five of which were erect in c.1866, and c.1926. At the latter time the upright stones stood between 2ft 9ins and 4ft 5ins above ground and the larger prostrate stones were between 3ft 3ins and 5ft 3ins in length.
'Sixty feet to the north of the circle lies a large boulder measuring 4 feet and some 1-1/2ft in height; to the northwest of it lie two boulders of similar size and another rather less'.
Tate states that excavation revealed no burials, but that charcoal had been strewed over the original surface, and that a portion of a small grey flint knife was found. (2)(3)
A stone circle on pasture land. There are five stones standing, of heights from 0.7m to 1.4m. Eight stones are fallen. See photograph. The four stones to the north, referred to, are probably unrelated. (4)
'A very fine situation but very inaccessible - clearly a stone circle proper - stones are of granite and many of them hollowed dangerously at their bases ..... They are on sloping ground with a view only down the burn. There is neither ditch nor bank and nothing to indicate the centre.
1. Standing Stone - height 3ft
2. Fallen and base broken - length (=height)3ft 9ins
3. Standing stone - height 2ft 10ins
4. Standing stone - height 4ft
5. Standing stone - height 3ft 10ins
6. Fallen stone - height (length 4ft 6ins). Hole to north.
7. Very small irregular shaped stone about 2ft square
8. Under tuft of heather. Stone located by kicking.
9. Standing stone - height 3ft.
10. Wedge shaped standing - height 1ft 6ins flat face inwards .
11. Not standing so presumbaly fallen - half covered by turf.
12. Fallen stone - length (= height) 4ft 6ins.
13. Cavity
14. Fallen stone - length (= height) 5ft 3ins
15. Small stone below fence
There are thirteen stones in all, four of them standing and one hole'.
(Mr Crawford's survey (prob taped) when plotted - see Illustration Card - gives an inner circle diameter of 108 feet with two outliers in the north-west quadrant on a radius of 63 feet). (5)
Condition as F1 report. Published survey (25!) revised. (6)
NT 97132049. No change since reports of 7.10.55 and 24.9.69. Surveyed at 1:10,000 on MSD. (7)
Scheduled. (8)
NT 971 205. The stone circle near Threestoneburn. Scheduled No ND/129. (9a)
Ilderton, Threestone Burn. Of its thirteen remaining stones five
stand - with ominously hollowed bases - in a spacious ring 118ft E-W by 96ft (36 x 29.3m). Ranging from 1ft 9ins to 5ft 6ins in height at the N (0.5-1.7m) there is a hefty block at the SW. The site itself is odd, with a fall of some 8ft (2.4m) from N to S. (9b)
General association with HER 1757, HER 1765, HER 30220, HER 30226, HER 30227, HER 1802, HER 30221 and HER 12275. (9)
The diameter of the circle is 113 feet and it consists of 13 stones, five of which were erect in c.1866, and c.1926. At the latter time the upright stones stood between 2ft 9ins and 4ft 5ins above ground and the larger prostrate stones were between 3ft 3ins and 5ft 3ins in length.
'Sixty feet to the north of the circle lies a large boulder measuring 4 feet and some 1-1/2ft in height; to the northwest of it lie two boulders of similar size and another rather less'.
Tate states that excavation revealed no burials, but that charcoal had been strewed over the original surface, and that a portion of a small grey flint knife was found. (2)(3)
A stone circle on pasture land. There are five stones standing, of heights from 0.7m to 1.4m. Eight stones are fallen. See photograph. The four stones to the north, referred to, are probably unrelated. (4)
'A very fine situation but very inaccessible - clearly a stone circle proper - stones are of granite and many of them hollowed dangerously at their bases ..... They are on sloping ground with a view only down the burn. There is neither ditch nor bank and nothing to indicate the centre.
1. Standing Stone - height 3ft
2. Fallen and base broken - length (=height)3ft 9ins
3. Standing stone - height 2ft 10ins
4. Standing stone - height 4ft
5. Standing stone - height 3ft 10ins
6. Fallen stone - height (length 4ft 6ins). Hole to north.
7. Very small irregular shaped stone about 2ft square
8. Under tuft of heather. Stone located by kicking.
9. Standing stone - height 3ft.
10. Wedge shaped standing - height 1ft 6ins flat face inwards .
11. Not standing so presumbaly fallen - half covered by turf.
12. Fallen stone - length (= height) 4ft 6ins.
13. Cavity
14. Fallen stone - length (= height) 5ft 3ins
15. Small stone below fence
There are thirteen stones in all, four of them standing and one hole'.
(Mr Crawford's survey (prob taped) when plotted - see Illustration Card - gives an inner circle diameter of 108 feet with two outliers in the north-west quadrant on a radius of 63 feet). (5)
Condition as F1 report. Published survey (25!) revised. (6)
NT 97132049. No change since reports of 7.10.55 and 24.9.69. Surveyed at 1:10,000 on MSD. (7)
Scheduled. (8)
NT 971 205. The stone circle near Threestoneburn. Scheduled No ND/129. (9a)
Ilderton, Threestone Burn. Of its thirteen remaining stones five
stand - with ominously hollowed bases - in a spacious ring 118ft E-W by 96ft (36 x 29.3m). Ranging from 1ft 9ins to 5ft 6ins in height at the N (0.5-1.7m) there is a hefty block at the SW. The site itself is odd, with a fall of some 8ft (2.4m) from N to S. (9b)
General association with HER 1757, HER 1765, HER 30220, HER 30226, HER 30227, HER 1802, HER 30221 and HER 12275. (9)
N1756
EXCAVATION, Excavation at Threestone Burn 1866; TATE, G
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1955; A S Phillips
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1969; B H Pritchard
TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY, Threestoneburn Stone Circle, Ilderton 1998; The Archaeological Practice
FIELD SURVEY, Archaeological Survey of Threestoneburn Forest 2010; Archaeological Research Services
MEASURED SURVEY, ENGLISH HERITAGE: SOUTH HEDDON ENCLOSURE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SURVEY
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1955; A S Phillips
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1969; B H Pritchard
TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY, Threestoneburn Stone Circle, Ilderton 1998; The Archaeological Practice
FIELD SURVEY, Archaeological Survey of Threestoneburn Forest 2010; Archaeological Research Services
MEASURED SURVEY, ENGLISH HERITAGE: SOUTH HEDDON ENCLOSURE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SURVEY
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