horses and cattle, and the house behind the cottage was the gin gang, a large room for grinding corn. A horse was hooked up to a gear system which operated grinding stones powered by a horse walking round the room. It is supposed that these buildings were built uphill away from the farm to save the farmer transporting equipment up and down the hill in the days before mechanization (tractors). See also Chollerton Matfen References External links Villages in Northumberland Former civil parishes in Northumberland