Kirknewton And Westnewton : Neolithic (c. 5000 BC – 2000 BC)

The NSMR lists two sites of Neolithic date within the Kirknewton study area, but none further west in the vicinity of Westnewton.  A cropmark believed to be a henge monument is known from aerial photographs at NT 909630. Henges are circular monuments with one or two entrances marked out by an earth bank and inner ditch, and date to the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.

The purpose of these monuments remains unclear, though they are often seen as focal points for ceremonies or religious rites. They are unlikely to have existed in isolation; rather, they seem to have been part of a complex ritual landscape. At least ten other henges or henge-type monuments are known in the Milfield basin, and it has been suggested that they were linked by some form of processional route or pathway (Waddington 1999, 159).

It has been suggested (Oswald et al. 2000) that the cup-marked boulder found on the slopes of West Hill during survey work may have been positioned so as to be visible from Hethpool Stone Circle (NT 892278). This circle, one of only two such monuments in the Cheviots, commands a clear view along the College Valley, and seems to have been an important focal point for the Neolithic communities of the area.

Some authorities consider that it may have acted as a ritual gateway to the Cheviot via the College Burn (Topping 1997, 115-20, Waddington 1999, 176), though this theory has not found widespread agreement (Oswald et al. 2000, 49). The cup-marked boulder itself is a typical example of Later Neolithic and Early Bronze Age rock art, which is widespread on the Northumberland sandstones, particularly in the Lordenshaws area, but less common in the Cheviots.