Cist in cairn at Blawearie, Bewick. Photo by Northumberland County Council.

(NU 08152230) Tumulus (Cists). (1)

Flint knife in cist with necklace of jet beads, and a food vessel (type 4a) from a secondary cist with unburnt burial. All finds in British Museum. (2)

The remains of a cairn within a stone circle 36 feet in diameter. Some years ago a stone cist was discovered in the centre with a pottery vessel, now lost.
Three other cists were later found (by author) at varying distances from the centre One contained a food vessel, another a jet necklace and flint knife, while the third was empty. The burials had been of unburnt bodies, of which all trace had vanished.
Necklace of jet and shale beads, 10 fusiform and 92 small discs. (3)(9a)(10b)

A badly mutilated cairn situated on a slight rise. The peristalith of large stones set on edge is 11.6m in diameter and the maximum height of the cairn is 0.6m. No trace of ditch.
The two extant cists are situated close together in the south-west quadrant and near the outer edge of the cairn. They both have a north-west/south-west orientation and measure 1.2m x 0.7m deep. The single cover stone partly covers the cist nearest the centre of the cairn. A hollow in the centre of the cairn indicates the site of the primary burial. Present location of finds not confirmed. (4)

Condition unchanged. Published survey (25 inch) correct. (5)

Scheduled Monument Consent granted to S Beckensall, 7th September 1988, in respect of proposals to complete the excavation and reinstatement of the Blawearie Cairn, Old Bewick. (6)

Excavated 1984-88 by S Beckensall. Kerbed cairn c.12m diameter. important burial site.
i) large circle of stones enclosing a wall, with gap in south;
ii) dark layer in centre, remains of pre-cairn surface or funeral rites;
iii) stone-lined pit, 3m x 2.8m cut into dark layer;
iv) kerb stones removed and reused to construct cists at later date.
Pottery vessel and jet and shale necklace from two cists, plus amber beads. Inverted cremation urn found in 1986. (7)

Full excavation report. (8)

A Bronze Age cairn (Blawearie cairn) is visible as an earthwork on air photographs. In its present state the cairn consists of a narrow annular bank measuring 11m in diameter. This appears to be the outer kerb of large stones described by authority 4 above. (9)(10a)