All this that follows apart from the already accepted cup and ring appears never to have been documented as (I assume) deliberate ancient carving and not the near universally assumed ‘weathering’.
I’m still open to it being weathering though the more I find the less likely it seems. Location in the landscape and how ‘my stuff’ is located on the specific rocks steers me away from weathering as an explanation. The dimensional repeatability of these various features again points to not mere weathering, ie the gaps between the ribs, the thickness of the ribs themselves, roundedness of features, uniformity of depth and always on the uppermost point. It seems just as with cup and ring to be confined specifically to the Fell Sandstone. A big arguament is how all the ‘biggies’ in Northumberland ie Lordenshaws main rock, Routin Linn and Old Bewick main rock all have ‘my stuff’ on the uppermost point with cup and ring seeming subsiduary, sliding away from it. There is a remarkable similarity in this on the three big main rocks just mentioned. I’m at the stage now where my success rate at guessing which ones have my stuff from a distance is remarkably good when rambling about in a new location. There are several distinct types, heres some and in no particular order……
a) Some of the first I encountered were small set on end sculpted stones as on Weetwood/Whitsunbank with fbh and vdf, very smooth and rounded. As of 1st Dec 2009 I call these ‘worship stones’, subject to modification later as experience dictates. Perhaps cremated remains were plastered in the grooves producing in time the unusually smoothed and rounded form. Each one also includes a sinuous slot as at Weetwood rocks 6,7,8 and 10. I now think (July 2011) that when field clearance was performed the operatives had an inkling these were something, hence their being left in place, notice theres nothing of this rounded and distinctive nature in the piles of field clearance.
b) Large / huge forward ‘guard stones’ and associated with crags with fbh and vdf in a very repeated ‘set’ layout also sometimes with deep cut gulleys as per Caller fwd guard stone (also as per Duddo stone circle). Read on for terminology. Always with the fbh and my features on the uppermost point, some locations have the basins incredibly flat and horizontal as per Weetwood and some have rounded part hemispherical sunk depressions as per R Linn which we would more likely term cups or ‘wavy cups’. The stretch of Cuddys Cave, Cockenheugh and Colourheugh also all have the more unusual spine and rib on the fwd guard stones.
c) The relevance of standing stones such as Duddo stone circle, fwd guard stone Caller, Matfen, Titlington Mount and others (Devils Arrows, Boroughbridge, Amerside Law north, etc etc ) as totally man made art, incorporating cups, fbh and vdf and importantly the (until now ignored) larger precisely parallel and deep vertical incisions / fluted grooves ie ‘deep cut gulleys’ …. a closely repeated feature on stones spread over many miles (see # below) . As of 1st Dec 2009 I call the Duddo type deep and very straight vertical incisions ’deep cut gulleys’ to denote them as different from the more rounded section smaller and shorter vdf that is often at top of crags and at a) above. I have to develop a language/ nomenclature for these features otherwise we cannot talk about them.
d) Clusters of larger rounded cups (sometimes ‘wavy cups’ as per R Linn) always on the tops of important rocks such as Roughtinlinn, Old Bewick main rock, (Caller fwd guard stone?) and Caller portable rock and other locations such as Cuddys Cave guard stones and along Cockenheugh. It must be realised that here at d) I am talking specifically of wavy cups (joined in clusters) and that flat bottomed hollows as per Weetwood are at a) and single or several cups are at g).
e) There are sinuous deep and round edged grooves as per Weetwood worship stones 6,7, 8, 10 and in other locations (Beanley Plantation hillfort has a ‘double’ of Weetwood7) that are not classifiable as vdf (vertical drainage fissures) as the latter are generally straight say six to twelve inches long and not classifiable as the much more profound deep cut gulleys. So we call these ’sinuous slots’. Looks like Lordenshaws cairn has one, tho only seen a photo so far.
f) Spine and rib on upper surface as per Dancing Green Hill, Cuddys Cave, Colourheugh, Cockenheugh, Dod Law etc. Tends to be more localised.
g) Single or low number cups, some of these are generally recognised already, but may be new for two cups on a prominent rock at Routinlinn (I only realised was there recently) some at crags near to Poind and his Man, Cuddys, rock shelter Cockenheugh, etc etc. Be careful not to confuse part hemispherical cups or flat bottomed hollows with wavy cups.
h)….. 26th June 2011 and I’m adding a new category … There is now I’m realising such a thing as a (I assume) placed block on an upper rock surface, most importantly prominent when viewed from below or interpreted as a commanding viewpoint which is what a level top surface of a rock outcrop is already. So far I have found this four times and each time it is baffling how such a rock got to be in that position in the first place if by natural means. All are within a mile and a half ie Wolf Hole, Caller Crags (which is widely known alreadybut imperfectly realise as to how much it has ‘my stuff’) ) Coe Crag Woods and upper Millstone Burn. All have my stuff on them facing out to the lower wide open space.
For a general good convincing arguament that ‘my stuff’ could well be man made and of archaeological value look at my prev pics for rock 7,8 and 10 Weetwood.
Diversion …….. very occasionally some rocks I find are weathered ‘jagged’ and I discard these ie my early numbering of 1,2,3 and 11 at Weetwood is fluid and open to change, perhaps a softer stone weathers to this or perhaps a favourite bird perch with the ensuing corrosion; update …. at May 2011 I have found a new group of three at Weetwood (one is particularly very convincing) yet all the rocks I feel that are ‘genuine to my type’ are so very rounded and distinctive as if worked smooth and to a very predictable form. Its this rounded smooth form that got me hooked in the first place, as did the repeatability of dimensions as and when these are encountered across the landscape. Perhaps these were worked with a stone hammer and/or ground and abraded. I did have a fancy the cup and rings are a smaller more convenient version for places that don’t have the crag or huge pyramidal forward guard stone or suitable field lying blocks to create the usual setup, its all belief system, yet presently feel there is a distinct difference in both meaning and use and possibly chronology.
At Sept 2010 I now feel worship stones and ‘my stuff’ in general are visible graves ie plastered cremated remains and c&r are a fertility or good luck or ward off evil motif i suppose a hoping for the recurrence of good seasons of hunting perhaps tied in with the earliest raising of crops and keeping harmful pernicious influences at bay. The latter particularly with primitive seed strains would make fear of a poor harvest or fodder supply very real indeed. Possibly (or more likely) these are stones with a purpose, not just art, both my stuff and cup and ring and the purpose to them would include magic. Yet to my eyes and interest in abstraction they ‘press all my buttons’ as gorgeous objects and if ’my stuff’ is only weathering (which I greatly doubt) it can often be very beautiful. With cup and ring I had been thinking perhaps of a diagram of the Suns movement (half cover the c &r to see this) as an explanation of rings, yet this is looking increasingly simplistic and doesn’t feel a ‘right’ explanation; perhaps nothing will ever seem a ‘right’ explanation. My imagination is the only tool I have got, yet we are certainly exercising all the intelectual rigour we can muster.
Rocks to ancient man were the bones of the earth exposed at its surface and we can possibly suppose the quickest route in for offerings and sacrifice as well as the only durable material he had. At 6 or 8k years ago there was an incredibly developed craft knowledge of stone and its properties, witness the exact pursuit of Langdale material. To my mind (as a highly developed craftsman) cup and rings are a much more refined and complicated carving than we at first realise and with great subtleties, variations or developments occuring which are hard to explain but also a rigidity of execution that they seemed to adhere to strongly. The rings are kept short of connecting to the central stalk/groove which seems vital to the maker and all areas are incredibly well controlled in depth. Some have very accurate shallower areas at the stalk as per Weetwood main panel. On curved non flat rock the character changes, as typified at Kettley Crags and the type is typical of all curved undulating rock c and r motifs, the remaining raised annular bands appear to be the objective and are as ‘full’ as could be achieved, as if representing curved sausages (or rope)! This curved sausage motif is not easy to produce, the minds eye as any woodcarver or stone mason knows must leave on the maximum material and carve around the shape in space to get the desired result. Note the possibly unique raised form at the south eastern side of the Weetwood group for this effect. Did one person produce the whole lot, were they from a small band of followers or shamen, how magic orientated are they? Was it a quick burst over a single lifetime or over many decades? Did people come in from outside as newcomers or was it trusted men that learnt of it elsewhere?
Again, there is a great deal of hand control needed to keep producing these motifs across the landscape. Modern man would find that variation creeps in if he were to carve / hammer the same motifs, yet these people seemed to have strong reasons to adhere to a certain depth, cross sectional size of profile and overall plan. We can see the chipping or abrading still 4k years later. I know of a rock sheleter where this is particularly evident among a so very worn smooth shelter floor. Did they roam across the landcape finding likely sites with special properties or connected to human activity and set up these ‘charged’ places. I wonder for how many years and generations these carvings were being produced and likewise continued to be of relevance, I also wonder what scientific analysis would produce at the base of the worship rocks I am discovering if cremated remains had been dribbling down.
I fight shy of using only the term art, perhaps that is more apt for cup and ring but for ‘my stuff’ these perhaps are rocks with a purpose. I don’t think barren Cheviot has any relevance, its possibly the Sun (or magic or warding off evil) for cup and ring and at 2011 I have yet to get on top of Simonside. My stuff often roughly faces sunset, though the Fell Sandstone location and its position could lead to this arrangement anyway. Perhaps exploiting the Fell Sandstone as the band of upland commanding prospect was an ideal way to cast magic over the lower hunting grounds as per cup and ring or perhaps the home of the dominant bloodline. And the higher fell ground would perhaps fit in as a good place to call home, away from flooded bog. Yet my stuff is always on the highest point of a block ie Redheugh Crag (Edlingham) and the three ‘biggies’ and everything over Quarryhouse and Bewick moor. Also, ‘my stuff’ tends to be blocks that can be seen from around about, wheras c &r is more a flat or horizontal thing; perhaps the cremated remains formed an effigy, a reminder of the deceased, a monolithic monument to the deceased ie gravestone! Its this highest point thing that so many times makes me think that it is hard to discount this as only weathering. at a broader view the exposed Fell Sandstone is generally on the skyline as viewed from around about, which in itself is strategically higher ground from your enemies and a good observation point onto the hunting grounds or more waterlogged land. Thank goodness for the remote upland connection, it has saved them……. end of diversion.
Part of the point of this blog is to increase the perceived value of this valuable Northumbrian landscape and minimise potential disturbance and ‘improvements’ by farmers, ie stone clearance, forestry or with wind farms, to try and leave undisturbed the remaining tiny parcels of land such as Weetwood and Dod Law in an otherwise very altered landscape. [And at Sept 2010 dreaded wind turbines on Weetwood/ Whitsunbank]. I suggest looking at Weetwood and Dod Law from Bowden Doors and seeing how precious they are, little islands among a sea of intensive agriculture.
….. 10th Dec 2009 … theres more thick and fast to follow ….. Old Bewick main rock has my stuff at the uppermost point as per Routinlinn and Lordenshaws main rocks. Blawearie and area is plastered with ‘em, vdf, fbh, dcg, some spectacular ones. All following a pattern and I can often guess which ones are worthwhile before even getting to them. This is all yet to be written up as at this point I decided to keep it all under wraps, now its third week Sept 2010 and seeing the data collecting mast for windspeed / flow on Whitsunbank has pushed me to put this on public again.
Of ‘my stuff’ there is never an incomplete one, all that I find are fully formed, theres nothing intermediate or ‘beginning’.
Another category of my nomenclature should be for horizontal or near to ‘maze channels’ as per south Quarryhouse Moor / Blawearie.
I need also to think more (ie Nov 2011) on cup and ring and to simplify matters by thinking about the horizontal ones first. No-one yet seems to have settled on rain water, or perhaps other liquids as part of the set-up. After all it has a central cup and there are channels encompassing, enveloping or near surrounding the cup. Yet if it was just a simple case of channels to hold a liquid then why are they carved the profile that they are ie the ‘sausage profile’ ? Also what does the very shallow flat area serving as a stalk at the right of Weetwood main panel tell us (facing south).
Erosion worries me, witnessing people paddling about and poking at cup and ring with their quite needless walking sticks really does irritate and sadden. It doesn’t take long for stone to wear away, witness old stone steps in castles, churches and farm buildings. There needs to be wording or signs to this effect at Weetwood. It baffles me that areas like the Lake District with already serious erosion problems now has the added problem of continuous strings of walkers poking away with their silly sticks, which can only multiply the long term effect.
With all that I am finding there is no halfway stage, its always full-on fully formed (quite remarkable in its repeatability of scale and dimensions) or nothing at all, a complete blank. It never occurs at anything other than the set fixed position on the rock (witness the three ‘biggies’ in Northumberland) and never other than in a characteristic position or pose.
….. 6th Oct 2010 … I now add The Poind and His Man near Belsay, Three Kings Keilder, Amerside Law North, Warrior Stone Prudhoe. Matfen Stone and Duddo Stone Circle all have ‘my stuff’, its a long list. These all have the deep cut gulleys of c) above. Crags both sides of The Poind and his Man have cups, the higher crag having equally spaced cups along with a basin and channel; I now need to see the stone that was transported to Wallington centuries back that was there originally… could be. As at my visit 11th Oct 2010 Lordenshaws has the small worship stones a’plenty along with an incredible and long drainage channel running from very shallow cups also two examples of the rarer spine and ribs and the main rock has fbh same as per old Bewick main rock and the cc of Roughtinlinn – its a repeated format.
20th July 2011, it has hit me like a blinding flash the relevance of the ‘placed rock on a ledge’ concept.
Here are some initial basic schematics that simplify the above terminology……
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Tags: a unique landscape, barmoor, bowden doors, caller crags, cup and ring, duddo, duddo stone circle, garleigh moor, lordenshaws, magic, millstone burn, no to windfarms, northumberland, prehistoric art, prehistoric belief systems, prehistoric rock carvings, prehistoric waymarker, ross castle, stone circle, weetwood, whitsun bank, wooler
