Mr. George Tate on Ancient Sculptured Mocks, ^c. 137 



Found on the steep sea-banks near Fastcastle among the 

 roots of Ligusticum Scoticum, and Rhodiola rosea ; and after- 

 wards on the roots of Statice Armeria in the greywacke chifs 

 near Siccar Point. In both cases it follows the long fibrils 

 minutely interwoven through the loose slaty debris. 



The Ancient British Sculptured RocJcs of Northumberland 

 and the Eastern Borders, with Notices of the JRemains 

 associated with these Sculptures. By George Tate, 

 F.G.S., &c. 



I. HISTORICAL AND INTRODUCTORY. 



Nearly forty years ago, Mr. J. C. Langlands observed some 

 worn and defaced figures incised on a rude sandstone block, 

 near to the great camp on Old Bewick Hill in North North- 

 umberland. Though strange and old-world looking, these 

 figures then presented an isolated fact, and he hesitated to 

 connect them with by-past ages ; for they might have been 

 the recent work of an ingenious shepherd, while resting on 

 the hill; but on finding, some years afterwards, another 

 incised stone of a similar character on the same hill, he then 

 formed the opinion, that these sculptures were very ancient, 

 and probably the work of the same people who erected the 

 strong and complicated fort cresting the hill. To him belongs 

 the honour of the first discovery of these archaic sculptures ; 

 but his discovery assumed greater importance and signifi- 

 cance, when, in 1852, the Rev. William Green well found 

 another stone with similar figures near Routing Linn, which 

 is distant twelve miles to the north-west of Old Bewick. In 

 the course of the summer of that year, while engaged in the 

 investigation of ancient British sepulchral remains, I visited 

 this stone along with Mr. Greenwell ; and on that occasion 

 we pulled oflf a covering of turf nine inches in depth, from 

 the lower part of it, and exposed several figures, which 

 then appeared sharp and distinct, having for centuries been 

 protected from the elements. Mr. Greenwell, in July 1852, 

 read a paper on these sculptures before the meeting of the 

 Archaeological Institute held at Newcastle ; and, though two 

 ponderous volumes professing to be a record of its proceed- 

 ings have been printed, strange is it, that this paper, the 

 most novel communication made to the meeting, found no 



