Bellshiel Law long cairn (Rochester and Byrness)
Bellshiel Law long cairn. Photo by Northumberland County Council.
(NT 8131 0114) Bellshiel Law: Site of long cairn. (1)
Remains (OE) (Annotation against symbol representing a line of stones. Siting is similar to that in authority 1.) (2)
A long cairn situated about 100 yards south east of the top of Bellshiel Hill. It is 369 feet long, 52 feet wide at the east end and has a maximum height of 6 feet. It may have been of the horned type. (3)
Situated close to the south west corner of a plantation on ground shelving slightly to the south. (4)
(Listed under Long Cairns or mounds) Quartzite pebble and two burnt flints in Blackgate Museum, Newcastle. (5)
An iron spearhead said to have been found at the Bellshield Camp has since been traced back to the long cairn at Bellshiel. It was found in 1912 when removing stones from the east end of the cairn for roadmaking. The spearhead 7-8 inches long was found approximately on the long axis of the cairn, and on the natural soil beneath the stones. It cannot be said to be a sealed deposit as the stones in the centre of the cairn are large and not covered with soil or vegetation, and it would be possible for quite a large object to work its way down to ground level.
This spearhead, broken in two, is in very bad condition with all the socket missing. There is no evidence of a Roman origin. (6)
Roman iron spearhead in two fragments, length 7" from Bellshield Camp Redesdale. Included in the Thomas Stephen's collection presented to the Society of Antiquaries Newcastle in 1925. (7)
A grooved and water-rounded quartz-like stone chipped by human agency and showing signs of great heat, found in 1935 at the long cairn, Bellshiel and donated to the Society of Antiquaries Newcastle in November 1935 by Miss Nancy Newbigin. (8)
The cairn is a little north of a rectangular sheep fold. It is orientated 75 west of north. Some 60 feet from the east end, the top of a large stone is visible, set upright in the cairn with its axis parallel to that of the cairn. It measures 1ft 10ins by 6ins thick and can be traced downwards for over 4 feet. (9)
Recommended for scheduling as an Ancient Monument. (10)
Excavated September 1935 by the Author. The purpose of the excavation was to ascertain the affinities between this long cairn and the long cairns of south west Scotland (a) and, if possible, to pick up a link between the Neolithic A pottery of east Northumberland (b) and that of the horned cairns of Northern Ireland. No pottery was found, and the information yielded by the excavation is mainly structural.
The cairn measures 367 feet long, 60 feet wide at the east end, tapering to 29 feet at the west end, with a max height of just over 4 feet.
The sides of the cairn are roughly parallel and regular. Excavations traced the east kerb under the turf and proved the feature not to have been 'horned' (as caused by stone removal in 1912 (see Authy 6)). There was no evidence found of there having been more than one stage of construction. A large stone is visible on the northern slopes of the cairn 70 feet from the east end, which may be a cist cover not in situ. The excavation was confined to two main areas, at the east end, and a parallel cutting 20 feet west of this area to look for ditches, which were not found.
At the east and a rock cut grave was discovered, measuring 6ft long x 3ft 6ins wide x 2ft deep. Finds within the cairn consisted of a fragment of pot-boiler, a worked flake in the grave, and a 'tracked stone' of possible Early Iron Age.
The cairn on the whole, was found to contain no structural remains of an early period (ie cists, chambers, revetments internal structures, forecourt, horns or secondary burials) and cannot be dated any earlier than Early Bronze Age and possibly later. (11)
Case 25. Bellshiels Long Cairn. 'A tracked stone and two pieces of burnt flint from the excavation of 1935. North of England Excavation Committee.'
Case 31. Bellshiels Camp. Stephen's Collection (Iron spearhead in two fragments). (12)
Two cup marks in the neighbourhood of Bellshiels cairn. (Map shows them lying west of the cairn). (13)
This elongated stone mound occupies the crest of a narrow ridge in open moorland at about 1010 feet above sea level. Orientated at an angle of 279 it is partially earth covered on the north side. It has a maximum height of 1.6m, length of 102.2m and variation in breadth between 10.8m in the east and 8.2m in the west. The 'large stone' mentioned by authorities 9 and 11 protrudes from a square cavity in the fact of the cairn at exactly 20.2m from its east end. With its axis parallel with the cairn, it leans at an approximate angle of 75 towards the south. Its length is 1.2m, of which 0.7m appears above the surface. It is 0.15m thick, and varies in width between 0.5m at the apex and 0.7m at the base. Adjacent to the cairn, on its south side are the remains of an enclosure - probably a sheep pound with its walls formed of stones taken from the cairn. Situated at NY 81170120 are the two cup marks referred to by authority 13; they are on two adjacent rocks and are well cut. Apart from the cups, no other ornamentation or indentation is visible. (14)
Cairn surveyed at 6" scale. The alleged cup-marks are no more than water worn depressions. (15)
Surveyed at 1:10,000 on MSD. (16)
Recent survey found the cairn to be 109m long. A number of robbing holes occur along the spine of the cairn, with roughly built dry-stone walling around their edges. Protected from army activities by a post and wire fence. (17)
Bellshiel Law long barrow, 367ft long, orientated east-west. [NGR incorrect in Ashbee]. (18)
Scheduled. (19)
Long cairn badly damaged in the 20th century in the military construction of fox-holes and trenches in the monument. (20)
An east-west long cairn possibly incorporating a circular cairn at its eastern end. A number of later features are cut into the body of the cairn and include a shieling-type structure and/or shooting butts. Midway along the southern side of the long cairn is a low-walled enclosure associated with at least one rectangular building; a low rectangular turf-walled structure lies to the west of the enclosure.
The cairn is situated on a ledge with a natural scarp along the southern side. It measures 113m long and in cross-section is higher on the south-facing side. In plan, the cairn appears wedge-shaped, tapering slightly from east to west. However, it is actually relatively straight-sided and averages 10m to 12m wide for most of its length. It does widen substantially at the eastern end where the terminal has a maximum diameter of 18m. The mound is circular at the east end (despite stone robbing and excavation) and suggests a degree of structural complexity here.
The mound comprises a largely grassed linear mound with overlying exposed stone rubble and stands up to 1.3m high. The stone rubble is all locally derived bedrock and is likely to have come from the ground surface close to the cairn; none of the stones is dressed and the material looks like the residue of clearance. The highest part of the cairn lies about 30m from the east terminal. The central trench excavated by Newbigin is clearly visible across the cairn. The rubble at the north-east flank of the cairn is larger in dimension than that at the western end. About 21m from the eastern end there is a large orthostat set centrally in the mound (see 9 above); it is at least 1m long, 0.15m thick and between 0.5m and 0.7m wide, and leans to the south.
Some of the rubble overlying the mound may come from more recent additions to the monument, building up on top of a pre-existing structure. Four areas of 'fresh' rock have been identified: two either side of the central excavation trench, and spreads to the east and west. The western end of the mound is less disturbed and remains of a square-shaped terminal can be traced. It is suggested that this terminal is mounded or separated from the main body of the cairn.
The eastern end of the cairn is bulbous and has been damaged by stone robbing and excavation. The cist-like feature excavated by Newbigin is still visible as a rectangular pit 2.5m long by 1.4m wide by 0.2m deep. The eastern end appears separate from the rest of the cairn and it has been suggested it was once a stand-alone circular mound. From field survey it does not seem to have had a ditch and measured about 21m in diameter and probably stood over 2m high.
At least 18 circular or sub-circular depressions are visible along the crest of the mound. A sheep fold is attached to the south side of the mound and measures 22m by 11.5m and defined by a low rubble wall about 2.5m wide and 0.3m high. In the north-east corner of the sheep fold are the likely remains of a shieling measuring 6.5m by 3.8m. A second possible shieling lies about 7m west of the sheep fold. (21)
NT 814 010 and NT 813 012. Long cairn and group of round cairns 100yds (90m) SE of Bellshiel Law. Scheduled no. ND/224. (22a)
Bellshiel Law. Surveyed for corpus article. The cairn lies within the MOD's Redesdale Ranges and has been protected from some Army activities by a surrounding post and wire fence. (22b)
NT 8131 0117. Bellshiel Law long cairn. Scheduled RSM No 20919. The cairn measures 109m long and varies in width from 8.8m at the W endto 15m at the broader E end. It has a maximum height of 1.6m. The N side is partially turf-covered but the remainder of its length consists entirely of bare stone. A stone walled enclosure attached to the S side of the cairn is a later feature re-using stones from the cairn. (22c)
Remains (OE) (Annotation against symbol representing a line of stones. Siting is similar to that in authority 1.) (2)
A long cairn situated about 100 yards south east of the top of Bellshiel Hill. It is 369 feet long, 52 feet wide at the east end and has a maximum height of 6 feet. It may have been of the horned type. (3)
Situated close to the south west corner of a plantation on ground shelving slightly to the south. (4)
(Listed under Long Cairns or mounds) Quartzite pebble and two burnt flints in Blackgate Museum, Newcastle. (5)
An iron spearhead said to have been found at the Bellshield Camp has since been traced back to the long cairn at Bellshiel. It was found in 1912 when removing stones from the east end of the cairn for roadmaking. The spearhead 7-8 inches long was found approximately on the long axis of the cairn, and on the natural soil beneath the stones. It cannot be said to be a sealed deposit as the stones in the centre of the cairn are large and not covered with soil or vegetation, and it would be possible for quite a large object to work its way down to ground level.
This spearhead, broken in two, is in very bad condition with all the socket missing. There is no evidence of a Roman origin. (6)
Roman iron spearhead in two fragments, length 7" from Bellshield Camp Redesdale. Included in the Thomas Stephen's collection presented to the Society of Antiquaries Newcastle in 1925. (7)
A grooved and water-rounded quartz-like stone chipped by human agency and showing signs of great heat, found in 1935 at the long cairn, Bellshiel and donated to the Society of Antiquaries Newcastle in November 1935 by Miss Nancy Newbigin. (8)
The cairn is a little north of a rectangular sheep fold. It is orientated 75 west of north. Some 60 feet from the east end, the top of a large stone is visible, set upright in the cairn with its axis parallel to that of the cairn. It measures 1ft 10ins by 6ins thick and can be traced downwards for over 4 feet. (9)
Recommended for scheduling as an Ancient Monument. (10)
Excavated September 1935 by the Author. The purpose of the excavation was to ascertain the affinities between this long cairn and the long cairns of south west Scotland (a) and, if possible, to pick up a link between the Neolithic A pottery of east Northumberland (b) and that of the horned cairns of Northern Ireland. No pottery was found, and the information yielded by the excavation is mainly structural.
The cairn measures 367 feet long, 60 feet wide at the east end, tapering to 29 feet at the west end, with a max height of just over 4 feet.
The sides of the cairn are roughly parallel and regular. Excavations traced the east kerb under the turf and proved the feature not to have been 'horned' (as caused by stone removal in 1912 (see Authy 6)). There was no evidence found of there having been more than one stage of construction. A large stone is visible on the northern slopes of the cairn 70 feet from the east end, which may be a cist cover not in situ. The excavation was confined to two main areas, at the east end, and a parallel cutting 20 feet west of this area to look for ditches, which were not found.
At the east and a rock cut grave was discovered, measuring 6ft long x 3ft 6ins wide x 2ft deep. Finds within the cairn consisted of a fragment of pot-boiler, a worked flake in the grave, and a 'tracked stone' of possible Early Iron Age.
The cairn on the whole, was found to contain no structural remains of an early period (ie cists, chambers, revetments internal structures, forecourt, horns or secondary burials) and cannot be dated any earlier than Early Bronze Age and possibly later. (11)
Case 25. Bellshiels Long Cairn. 'A tracked stone and two pieces of burnt flint from the excavation of 1935. North of England Excavation Committee.'
Case 31. Bellshiels Camp. Stephen's Collection (Iron spearhead in two fragments). (12)
Two cup marks in the neighbourhood of Bellshiels cairn. (Map shows them lying west of the cairn). (13)
This elongated stone mound occupies the crest of a narrow ridge in open moorland at about 1010 feet above sea level. Orientated at an angle of 279 it is partially earth covered on the north side. It has a maximum height of 1.6m, length of 102.2m and variation in breadth between 10.8m in the east and 8.2m in the west. The 'large stone' mentioned by authorities 9 and 11 protrudes from a square cavity in the fact of the cairn at exactly 20.2m from its east end. With its axis parallel with the cairn, it leans at an approximate angle of 75 towards the south. Its length is 1.2m, of which 0.7m appears above the surface. It is 0.15m thick, and varies in width between 0.5m at the apex and 0.7m at the base. Adjacent to the cairn, on its south side are the remains of an enclosure - probably a sheep pound with its walls formed of stones taken from the cairn. Situated at NY 81170120 are the two cup marks referred to by authority 13; they are on two adjacent rocks and are well cut. Apart from the cups, no other ornamentation or indentation is visible. (14)
Cairn surveyed at 6" scale. The alleged cup-marks are no more than water worn depressions. (15)
Surveyed at 1:10,000 on MSD. (16)
Recent survey found the cairn to be 109m long. A number of robbing holes occur along the spine of the cairn, with roughly built dry-stone walling around their edges. Protected from army activities by a post and wire fence. (17)
Bellshiel Law long barrow, 367ft long, orientated east-west. [NGR incorrect in Ashbee]. (18)
Scheduled. (19)
Long cairn badly damaged in the 20th century in the military construction of fox-holes and trenches in the monument. (20)
An east-west long cairn possibly incorporating a circular cairn at its eastern end. A number of later features are cut into the body of the cairn and include a shieling-type structure and/or shooting butts. Midway along the southern side of the long cairn is a low-walled enclosure associated with at least one rectangular building; a low rectangular turf-walled structure lies to the west of the enclosure.
The cairn is situated on a ledge with a natural scarp along the southern side. It measures 113m long and in cross-section is higher on the south-facing side. In plan, the cairn appears wedge-shaped, tapering slightly from east to west. However, it is actually relatively straight-sided and averages 10m to 12m wide for most of its length. It does widen substantially at the eastern end where the terminal has a maximum diameter of 18m. The mound is circular at the east end (despite stone robbing and excavation) and suggests a degree of structural complexity here.
The mound comprises a largely grassed linear mound with overlying exposed stone rubble and stands up to 1.3m high. The stone rubble is all locally derived bedrock and is likely to have come from the ground surface close to the cairn; none of the stones is dressed and the material looks like the residue of clearance. The highest part of the cairn lies about 30m from the east terminal. The central trench excavated by Newbigin is clearly visible across the cairn. The rubble at the north-east flank of the cairn is larger in dimension than that at the western end. About 21m from the eastern end there is a large orthostat set centrally in the mound (see 9 above); it is at least 1m long, 0.15m thick and between 0.5m and 0.7m wide, and leans to the south.
Some of the rubble overlying the mound may come from more recent additions to the monument, building up on top of a pre-existing structure. Four areas of 'fresh' rock have been identified: two either side of the central excavation trench, and spreads to the east and west. The western end of the mound is less disturbed and remains of a square-shaped terminal can be traced. It is suggested that this terminal is mounded or separated from the main body of the cairn.
The eastern end of the cairn is bulbous and has been damaged by stone robbing and excavation. The cist-like feature excavated by Newbigin is still visible as a rectangular pit 2.5m long by 1.4m wide by 0.2m deep. The eastern end appears separate from the rest of the cairn and it has been suggested it was once a stand-alone circular mound. From field survey it does not seem to have had a ditch and measured about 21m in diameter and probably stood over 2m high.
At least 18 circular or sub-circular depressions are visible along the crest of the mound. A sheep fold is attached to the south side of the mound and measures 22m by 11.5m and defined by a low rubble wall about 2.5m wide and 0.3m high. In the north-east corner of the sheep fold are the likely remains of a shieling measuring 6.5m by 3.8m. A second possible shieling lies about 7m west of the sheep fold. (21)
NT 814 010 and NT 813 012. Long cairn and group of round cairns 100yds (90m) SE of Bellshiel Law. Scheduled no. ND/224. (22a)
Bellshiel Law. Surveyed for corpus article. The cairn lies within the MOD's Redesdale Ranges and has been protected from some Army activities by a surrounding post and wire fence. (22b)
NT 8131 0117. Bellshiel Law long cairn. Scheduled RSM No 20919. The cairn measures 109m long and varies in width from 8.8m at the W endto 15m at the broader E end. It has a maximum height of 1.6m. The N side is partially turf-covered but the remainder of its length consists entirely of bare stone. A stone walled enclosure attached to the S side of the cairn is a later feature re-using stones from the cairn. (22c)
N331
EXCAVATION, Bellshiel Law, Redesdale 1935
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1956; D A Davies
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1970; D Smith
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1978; I S Sainsbury
FIELD SURVEY, Bellshiel Law long cairn 2003; English Heritage
TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY, Otterburn Training Area, 2002-2005 2005; Archaeological Services Durham University
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1956; D A Davies
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1970; D Smith
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1978; I S Sainsbury
FIELD SURVEY, Bellshiel Law long cairn 2003; English Heritage
TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY, Otterburn Training Area, 2002-2005 2005; Archaeological Services Durham University
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