Akeld is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is situated around to the west of Wooler and from the border with Scotland at Coldstream. The village lies on the northern limit of Northumberland National Park and on the foot of the Cheviot Hills massif. It is overlooked by Akeld Hill and Harehope Hill to the south. In 2001 Akeld had a population of 82, increasing at the 2011 Census to 221, although this was partly due to the parish merging with that of Kirknewton. The burn which runs through the village and down to the Milfield Basin also bears the name Akeld.
The economy of Akeld has historically been focussed on agriculture. The position of the village between the English and Scottish borders has meant it often suffered at the hand of border raids. In the 19th century, Akeld was served by a railway station which made the village less isolated. The closure of the railway in the 20th century, combined with declining agricultural employment, has led to a reduction in the village's size and population.
Etymology
The name "Akeld" may derive from the Old West Scandinavian kelda, meaning well or spring. There is not much evidence for Scandinavian settlement in Northumberland, so Akeld would represent one of only a few examples of place-names in this area with Scandinavian origin. Alternatively, the name may derive from the Old English achelda (ā + helde) meaning "oak-tree slope". The spelling of Akeld has changed over time, being recorded as Achelda (1169), Hakedla (1176), Akekeld (1246), Akil (1255), Ak(h)ille (1320), Akyld (1428), Akell (1694), and Yakeld (1733).
History
Origins of the settlement
The earliest evidence of human occupation in Akeld dates back to the Mesolithic period in the form of a microlith – a small flint tool – discovered in the north of the parish. The slopes of the Cheviots to the south of Akeld would have been wooded during the Mesolithic period, so would have likely been used by hunting or foraging parties. A Neolithic henge was discovered on flat land to the north of the River Glen and is probably part of a larger collection of monuments found in the Milfield Basin. The Milfield Basin was likely at least semi-permanently settled by the end of the Neolithic era. The purpose of the monuments within is unclear, but they may have been religious in nature.
Evidence of Bronze Age and Iron Age habitation can be found in the Cheviot uplands to the south of the village, where there are many upstanding monuments constructed from local rocks. A prehistoric settlement, typical of the north Cheviots area, has been discovered at Houseledge East to the south of the village. The surviving remains consist of three early houses marked by circles of stone. A similar Early Bronze Age site was discovered at Houseledge West, consisting of over 12 house circles. Artefacts were also found at the site, which included Early Bronze Age pottery and a flint knife. Burial sites, including a cairn in Black Law and a site near to Battle Stone, have been discovered in the area. Iron Age hillforts close to Akeld include those on Humbleton Hill and Monday Cleugh, to the south of the village centre. A promontory fort at Glead's Cleugh, to the south-west of the village centre, was likely to have been in existence by the mid-first millennium BC. It stands in a defensive position overlooking Akeld Burn and is protected by double ramparts. The remains of stone huts at both Harehope Hill and Glead's Cleugh may indicate human habitation, but it is also possible that such buildings may have been used as animal enclosures, market places, trading stations, or community focal points.
Not much is known about the early Medieval history of Akeld. However, 2 miles west of Akeld in Yeavering is the renowned site of Ad Grefin, the Anglican palace complex. This was described in Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People as the centre of Bishop Paulinus of Antioch's mission to Bernicia. The complex was a major royal centre in both Bernicia and later Northumbria. During the early Medieval period, the parish of Akeld included the now deserted villages of Ewart and Humbleton. Akeld went through a troubled period during the later Medieval and Tudor periods. Glendale was particularly exposed to raids from the clans of Teviotdale, and it was also an invasion route for lrager Scottish forces. A bastle – a fortified farmhouse common on the Anglo-Scottish border – was built in 1522 in Akeld which held a garrison of 10 men. Two significant battles occurred near Akeld in the 15th century: the Battle of Homildon Hill in 1420 and the Battle of Geteryne in 1415. In 1580, Akeld was wasted by the Scots, but 16 tenants still remained in the village.