YEAVERIKG BELL AND HAREHOtE FORT 157 



of trees or wattles. The summit of Yeavering Bell has been 

 usually described as conical, but in reality it is saddle-shaped. 

 The Western summit is covered all over with these hut- 

 platforms. There are several also on the Eastern summit, 

 but obviously a clearance was left there for the beacon fire, 

 or other signal. With reference to these horse-shoe shaped 

 platforms, it may be recalled that a similar formation is common 

 in most of the elevated hill forts. The summit of the Easter 

 Eildon, for example, which is girdled by a very large 

 entrenchment, is similarly covered. 



Besides this large enclosure on Yeavering Bell, there are 

 strong enclosures on most of the neighbouring heights. On 

 Newton West Hill there is a double line of fortifications, with 

 some remains of interior buildings, and on a sort of shelf 

 projecting to the North there is a large extension containing 

 many hut-circles. Then on St. Gregory's Hill, close to 

 Kirknewton village, there is a very fine oval enclosure with 

 two lines of wall, measuring inside 80 yards by 64 yards. 

 This has many hut-circles inside, and has more the look of 

 a permanently occupied town than the others described. The 

 main gate opens at the North-east corner, and from it runs a 

 well-formed hollow way, which a short distance out is joined 

 by another line of similar road, which has come right up 

 the steep front of the hill from the direction of the site now 

 occupied by Kirknewton village. These roads thus united 

 run over to and across the valley formed by the upper part 

 of the burn coming down by Old Yeavering, and form the 

 line which was there seen by the Club, as will be referred 

 to in the itinerary of their visit, which is subjoined. 



Harehope Fort is perhaps the finest specimen of a British 

 fort on the Eastern Cheviots. A drawing of it (Plate IX.) 

 shows that its position is not high, the top of Harehope 

 Hill sheltering it on one side, while on the other sides it is 

 shadowed by higher ground. On the East side it rests on 

 the precipitous edge of a rocky ravine, Monday Cleugh, which 

 runs between it and Homildon Hill. A fine hollow way of 

 the type already described comes up the winding bottom of 

 this Cleugh, and runs straight out into the upper hill pastures ; 

 but a branch from it runs into a gate in the South angle 

 of the fort, which has been guarded by two towers thrown 



