<< Our Photo Pages >> The Shearers - Stone Row / Alignment in Scotland in Scottish Borders
Submitted by minteddy on Monday, 18 May 2009 Page Views: 8355
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: The ShearersCountry: Scotland County: Scottish Borders Type: Stone Row / Alignment
Nearest Town: Hownam Nearest Village: The Street
Map Ref: NT79101925 Landranger Map Number: 80
Latitude: 55.466635N Longitude: 2.332116W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Anne T visited on 27th Jun 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3 The Shearers, Hownam, Scottish Borders: By the time we got to the Shearers, the sun was high in the sky and beating down on us. Many horseflies, but thankfully no ticks. I was able to help with Sandy G's survey by acting as ‘the target’ for the disto (holding a piece of paper upright against the ranging pole so they could get accurate distances from the pole to each stone).
It occurred to me that where the row goes down the slope and ends at what is now a bog, at NT 7907 1927, perhaps this might have been a spring in ‘the olden days’ and been the water source for the hillfort.
The top end of the row seems to ‘bend’ slightly to the south east, heading towards looks like a hollowed out/partially excavated cairn.
It was fascinating to watch Sandy’s process of surveying the row, the row being too long to survey in one, so it was done in two halves. First he measured the distance of the centre of each stone from a ranging pole located in one spot, then took the angle of the stone from its central point to the ranging pole, transferring the measurements onto a plan, then photographed each stone individually. Finally, he walked up and down looking for ‘sighting lines’ – seeing what was visible from each stone, in which direction, and whether or not the stones echoed the shapes of any features in the landscape.
The conclusion Sandy came to (I think, as he says working out the details later will confirm or not) is that he counts this as a ‘possible’ stone row. It appears to be clearly associated with the nearby hill fort. I still dispute Canmore’s interpretation as the remains of a field boundary, as surely it would be connected to other old field boundaries nearby. None of these other boundary features had the earth removed from them.
We finally got back to the car at 6.30pm - the time had just flown. A very educational afternoon, and I was really pleased to have been involved in Sandy's survey. Pleasant day in pleasant company.
SandyG visited on 27th Jun 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3 Limited car parking is available in Hownam village at NT 77872 19153. From here follow the track uphill to the east. There is a fine standing stone at NT 78747 18908 which is worth checking out. From here follow the track to NT 79205 19048 then head north. I would like to thank Anne and Andrew Tate for helping with the survey and for sharing such an enjoyable day in another special place.
Anne T visited on 4th May 2015 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3 The Shearers Stone Row, near Hownam, Scottish Borders: Continuing on from the Horseshoe Wood Standing Stone, continuing up the hill, towards the top of the hill, but not quite, the pathway divides. To the left runs a path to Belford, with The Street leading to Alwinton.
Turning left towards The Shearers and Hownam Rings Hill Fort, we needed to go through two gates and track across the field rather than follow the signposted path. We noticed (more on the return journey due to the evening light) an earthwork. It was particularly evident near the two gateways by the signpost. According to the Canmore/RCAHMS record (341447) it is an earthwork of uncertain date, but very like the medieval estate boundaries we’ve been looking with the local archaeology group at Davy’s Lee in Northumberland.
There is no formal track across the tussocky grass, so the walking was a little trickier, but not impossible - there are plenty of sheep tracks to avoid turning your ankles. I saw at least three pairs of boulders in the grass leading from the Street to the Shearers – could these possibly be signposts to this monument, such as at the Loupin’ Stanes and the Girdle Stanes?
Standing in the middle of The Shearers it felt like being in the middle of a shallow bowl with a view only to the west. Following the row to its western end, it appeared to end in a boggy area – was this deliberate?
Hownam Rings Hill Fort was only 100 metres to the north and clearly visible above the Shearers.
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3 Ambience: 4.33 Access: 3
The area is full of ancient remains, Roman roads and camps. Five Stanes stone circle and Trestle cairn, the Roman Road of Dere Street are barely 5 km to the west.
The path way up to the Shearers follows the line of the ancient track way "The Street" through the Cheviot Hills. It is truly a magical area.
For more information see Canmore ID 58965, which records the row as running from NT 7907 1927 to NT 7918 1926.
Update October 2019: This stone row is featured on the Stone Rows of Great Britain site - see their entry for The Shearers, which includes a description, photographs of the alignment and the individual stones, a plan of the row with a possible associated cairn, plus access information.
The SRoGB also includes a section discussing 'Landscape Reveals', illustrating the different landscape features that become apparent (then disappear) as you walk along the row.
There is also ongoing debate as to the interpretation of this alignment. The SRoGB notes: "RCAHMS consider this site to be a field boundary, but photographs suggest that it may be a stone row. Furthermore it is scheduled as a stone row although the descriptive text indicates that it is considered to form part of an ancient field dyke. Burl follows this interpretation but also accepts that there is a degree of uncertainty. Barber notes that it is 'a row of stones of unknown function and is clear that it is not a dyke".
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152m NNW 337° Hownam Rings Hill Fort* Hillfort (NT79041939)
501m SW 225° Horseshoe Wood (Hownam)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NT78741890)
679m WSW 240° Horseshoe Wood Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (NT78511891)
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2.9km SSW 202° Dodlaw Cairn Round Cairn (NT77991655)
3.6km SW 222° Chatto Craig* Hillfort (NT76701662)
3.7km E 91° Calroust Hillfort* Hillfort (NT828192)
4.5km WSW 238° Five Stanes A* Stone Circle (NT75261686)
4.6km SW 225° Dere Street stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NT75801604)
5.0km SW 231° Trestle Cairn* Stone Circle (NT75181612)
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6.3km SW 224° Falla Knowe Cairn* Cairn (NT74711475)
6.3km S 186° Standard Knowe Cairn (NT78411300)
6.8km ESE 109° Stoney Knowe Hillfort* Hillfort (NT855170)
6.8km E 89° Bonnielaws Hillfort* Hillfort (NT8589319312)
7.1km SSW 199° Woden Law* Hillfort (NT76771254)
8.1km SW 227° Dark Wood* Cairn (NT73111377)
8.2km SSW 194° Hindhope Hill Cairn* Cairn (NT7710811310)
8.3km SSW 196° Hindhope Hill Hillfort* Hillfort (NT76811127)
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