 Its unusual arrangement of incorporating two county councils and three civil parish councils is due to the gradual amalgamation of hamlets during the 19th century.It has a population of about 400, most of whom live on the Northumberland side of the River Irthing and Poltross Burn.As in most areas of Britain, Bronze-Age and Iron-Age settlement in Northumberland is represented by cup and ring marked stones, standing stones and hill forts, though few such monuments, with the possible exception of the Popping Stone, have been found near Gilsland.