In Search of the Crowbar Stone

by Jan J. Brouwer (rockartuk)

This page is part of the

British Rock Art Collection

First version: November 2004

Last update: May 2007

The end of November 2004, Paul Bennett sent us an illustration –a drawing from a photograph by Mr W.B. Davidson- of a decorated stone on “Fowberry Moor” taken from an article in a old magazine of the Newcastle Antiquarian Society. Paul’s question was whether we recognised the stone. Our modest research leaded us to the North Plantation, a stretch of wood along the Northern border of the grounds of Fowberry Farm. Had not Stan Beckensall written something about the connection between Mr Davidson and Fowberry? Was it not about “the stone of the crowbars”?

Stan Beckensall wrote in his "Northumberland's Prehistoric Rock Carvings", Pendulum 1983, page 127:

"In the North Plantation there are two carved rocks visible. One lies very close to the gate to the east of the farm road, on the line of a prehistoric enclosure. The other lies further east and the rampart has been built on to it.

However, Mr Davidson (should read: Mr Davison -JJB-) in 1933-4 describes another rock that was built into the rampart, its flattish sides packed at varying points with flat stone slabs, particularly at the east side. It sloped east slightly. The base rested partly on rock and partly on earth.

The rock was re-covered after men with crowbars had tilted it. Mr Davidson said that it was not in its original position. His drawing of it shows a series of 4 concentric circles, and this is not the stone that I uncovered. So this one is still covered up."

After getting permission from the owner, we photographed the two known sites in May 2004 and looked around in the plantation for more rock art with the story of the crowbars in mind. We found no further rock art.

In Beckensall’s book we find the mentioned drawing by Mr Davison with the crowbars in place!

What do we have so far?

drawing 1	drawing 2

On drawing 1 we see a very faint –if any- cup, partly surrounded by three rings, on drawing 2 we see four concentric pen-annulars around a cup and other cups.

Remaining Questions

Only question 4. can be answered; we think that one of the boulders of Fowberry Cairn (also in the North Plantation) could be another candidate for a possible match. However, it depends from what direction and under what angle you look towards the stone. Furthermore the carving (a cup with 4 rings) is almost covering the whole surface of the stone unlike the situation in drawing 1 and 2.

 

Provisionally Conclusion

We had hoped to unravel the secret of North Plantation but the drawing from a photograph by Mr Davison  does not match with his own drawing of the stone tilted by crowbars in 1933-4. And although we know that drawings are not always that accurate, in this case the differences are to obvious. Furthermore, there's another "North Plantation" due south of "ours". Could there have been a confusion of tongues? We will probably never know.

So we can’t answer Paul’s question. Sorry for that! On the other hand we will never walk the North Plantation(s!) again without the “Crowbar Stone” in mind.

 

Further Developments

In May 2007, Ian Hobson sent us a copy of Mr W.B. Davison's 'Note on Two Cup and Ring-Marked Rocks at Fowberry Park', published in Archaeologia Aeliana, 1933-4, page 292-3:

 

This very valuable contribution starts with an geographical position of the two stones, leading directly to the exclusion of the "second" North Plantation option; both stones are in the North Plantation, on the left side of the road to Fowberry farm.
The first drawing of the article (the one sent to us by Paul Bennett in 2004) is an image of the Fowberry-2 panel in a probable rampart of "an unrecorded camp".
Not only the position of this rock but, more importantly, also the position of the "crowbar stone" is given.
With these parameters at hand, it must be possible to re-locate the stone.
In this case, the use of a metal-detector to locate the crowbars could be very handy.