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Sewing Shields with Tynedale Archaeology Group

16/5/2015

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Picture
Figures in a big landscape. Level1 Survey of ridge south of Davy's Lee near Sewingshields, 20/03/2015. Photo A Curtis.
Managed to fit a day in with the North of the Wall Tynedale Archaeology Group - the final day of five (12-15 May 2015) completing a level 3 survey of the remains of a likely medieval shieling on a ridge north of Sewingshields.
Phil Bowyer's (who I thank for much of the following information) briefing for our task was:
We will be making detailed measurements and producing hachured plan drawings of a number of features on the low ridge south of Davy’s Lee. These features (HER 12456 to 12460) have previously been identified as stack stands. The assessment from our Level 1 survey in March
[photo above] is that at least some of these features are probably shielings, and one may potentially be classed as a farmstead.
According to the Place-names of Northumberland & Durham by Allen Mawer (1920), the name Sewing Shields means "Shiels of Sigewine" and dates back to Anglo-Saxon times. It implies that in this period there were seasonally occupied shelters, probably of a humble form, used by herdsmen in the summer months. Use of the grazing rights was probably granted according to manorial rights to family surnames who might live at some distance.

Two
late-medieval (13th to 16th century) long-houses were identified during excavation of Milecastle 35 on Sewingshields Crags. They were interpreted as buildings built for storage and shelter, probably in use only for seasonal grazing (David Haigh, Mark Savage et al. 1984 Archaeologia Aeliana Fifth series, vol. 12 p.71-74).

Its interesting to think that the structures identified as 'stack stands' by Tim Gates aerial survey, and by the recent
Tynedale Archaeology surveys as both stack-stands and possible medieval shielings in the area some distance north of the Roman Wall, may also be associated with this seasonal activity.

Sewingshields Castle, a medieval fortified tower house, was recorded in 1437 and ruined by 1592. It has a set of three fish-ponds situated just to the north of the probable site of the castle. It was clearly in a location both to control the old drove road from the north and rights to seasonal grazing on the grasslands above Sewingshields Crags and the limestone ridges further north.
... No towers are seen on the wild heath, but those that Fancy builds,
And save a fosse that tracks the moor with green,
Is nought remains to tell of what may there have been.
Description of the Castle of the Seven Shields from Harold the Dauntless (The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott).

LINKS

Tynedale Archaeology Group

Borders Ancestory - Garters, Vaults and Watery Tarts

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Churches of Northumberland by John Grundy

14/5/2015

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Churches of Northumberland

On Monday 11th May John Grundy visited the village to give us a talk on the Churches of Northumberland. It was suitably held in St Andrew’s Church and organised jointly between the Church and Heddon Local History Society. John still has a dedicated following and some 50 people were treated to him at his best; a two hour romp through Northumberland and Durham, given without notes and with his traditional style and humour. Things he has forgotten, mostly dates, he just makes up, making a joke of it, then filling out another impossibly complex tale with more remembered facts that no one else could possibly hold in their head. Note taking was impossible although I tried.
Picture
St Andrew's Church, Heddon on the Wall from an old postcard.
The basis of his talk, illustrated with a slideshow, was the history of the churches in Northumberland followed by an all too brief discussion of St Andrew’s itself, showing how the features of our parish church fit into the whole. If his enthusiasm could be bottled, John could make a fortune.

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More new Northumberland Rock-Art

1/5/2015

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This new and beautiful example of Northumbrian rock-art has just turned up.

Sadly, at the moment, if I told you where it was found I would have to kill you, probably with a Neolithic hand-axe or an arrow tipped with an Early Bronze Age barbed and tanged arrowhead.

The panel, on the horizontal surface of natural sandstone bedrock has an array of cups with multiple rings, deep cups with more delicate, distorted rings, cups without rings, a dumb-bell, and a delightful and intriguing set of curving grooves which flow over the rock surface, connecting many of the motifs and uniting the overall design. It appears to have been made by an accomplished  prehistoric artist, made to fit with the natural cracks and cover the sections between. It is clearly a very good example of the 4000 year-old, Northumbrian rock-art tradition.
Picture
Picture
Art is certainly how it appears, but quite why these carvings were created we can now only speculate. See here for some of my thoughts.
Further study of this new panel and its locality will add to our knowledge of the important prehistoric rock art heritage of the area. It certainly brightened up my day.

Wallridge Moor by andrewcurtis53 on Sketchfab


LINKS

England's Rock Art - ERA

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