Byrness : Selected Antiquarian Descriptions

1.  John Warburton 1715

Berreenes: a chapell of ease but in ruins, only us'd for burying (reproduced by Hodgson 1916, 8).

2.  John Wallis 1769

At Berrenes/Birreness is the ruins of an old chapel; a British temple near it, on Berrenes knowl, the stones numerous of various sizes, in a circular order (1769, 2, 61).

3.  William Hutchinson 1776

Near to Elsdon is a place called Berrenes Knowe, where Mr Wallis says is a British temple, the stones numerous, of various sizes, in a circular order. I used great diligence to find this place, but in vain; neither was I able to gain any intelligence from the people of the neighbourhood.

Appendix (from Thomas Randall's State of the Churches): At Berenes is the ruin of an old chapel.

4.  John Hodgson 1827

(Quotes Wallis' description) On enquiry after these remains, we found that formerly there were ruins and foundations of a rude building a little to the north of the present chapel, and that they were raised and made use of some years since to form a sheep-stell, which still exists at the place.  None of the stones appeared to be hewn. We could hear of no tradition of a chapel ever having been there. There certainly never had been any building in the burial ground, before the erection of the present chapel; and persons, 80 years old, and who had lived all their life time near the spot, did not recollect having seen or heard of any circular set of stones in the neighbourhood. (1827, 148)

5.  Ordnance Survey Field Report 15-8-1956

No traces of building foundations are now visible in the area north of the present chapel, and local enquiries yielded no additional information concerning the earlier chapel.  The vicar (who resides at Otterburn) was not available for consultation.

A sheep stell adjacent to the burial ground contains a large quantity of fashioned stones which appear to be building stones, reused.  It is doubtful, however, whether these can be associated with the earlier chapel, particularly since {Hodgson} (1827, 148; cf. 3 above) suggests that the latter may have been constructed of unhewn stones.