Alnham : Neolithic (c. 5000 BC – c. 2000 BC)

Neolithic sites are likewise scarce in this area, and evidence from this period is confined to a cup-marked stone found at Alnham Northfield (NT 985 116). Cup marks are a type of prehistoric art that takes the form of distinctive cup-shaped hollows pecked and ground into boulders and outcrops. They are commonest on the sandstone uplands of Northumberland, particularly around the summit of Lordenshaw, near Great Tosson, often in association with spiral carvings known as ring marks.

Most cup and ring marks are on sandstone, though a few examples like that found at West Hill, Kirknewton, utilise volcanic rocks such as andesite. This example is also volcanic, which makes it very unusual. Cup and ring marks are known to have been in existence in some parts of the British Isles by 4000 BC (Earlier Neolithic), and they continue to be used in varying contexts until around 1800 BC (Middle Bronze Age).

It has been suggested that cup and ring marked stones may have been used to define particular territories, such as clearings and woodland glades, perhaps indicating religious or cult significance (Waddington 1998, 35). Unfortunately, the cup-marked stone from Alnham Northfield was found among stones from field clearance, and had perhaps been buried for some time. Its original context is therefore unknown, though the use of volcanic rock does suggest a Cheviot source.