Henge Monument

Thornborough henge, circular ritual earthworks each 240 metres across. The henges have often been ignored by archaeologists and the public quite why is unknown, and yet, the henges constructed by Neolithic people of Britain and used for 2000 years. In 1994 and 1999 geophysical prospecting and excavation at the southern and central henges and other monuments along with fieldwaking some eighty hetra of land. English Heritage, returned to evaluate settlement evidence and round barrows (burial mounds). As always such sites raised more questions than answers, but it is now possible to look at the data and the development of the monument complex and its surrounding settlements, and to understand why, this unassuming gravel terrace became a major centre for religious worship during the third millennium BC.

The river Ure, a route between the Pennines to the west and the Yorkshire to the east seems to have played a major part in the settlement of the settlement. An early Neolithic rectilinear ditched and banked enclosure, or cursus, at least 1.1 kilometre long and 44 metre wide, was built across the highest part of the terrace, its rounded western terminal aligned on a major bend in the river. Its common to see henges close to waterway i.e. rivers, indicating it has been said their links with communication and movement, particularly the exchange of Polished stone axes.

The axes have been found at Thornborogh coming from the Lake District, would have likely followed the Ure as one of the most accessible routes across the Pennines into Yorkshire. Some of these axes were even deposited in a marshy basin towards the north of the henge complex. Fieldwaking located lithic materials used for cutting tools. The religious part at Thornborogh continued into the Bronze Age. Ten Barrows built near to the henges. Its not possible to say when the henges went out of use, but in the Early Bronze Age may have also been using the henge monuments for religious reasons so far unknown. It is likely that the people who built Thornborough henge were farmers.

I visited the site of the henge earlier this year and took some photographs from the ground this will show you just how important aerial photographs are in interpreting the landscape. Before I move on the ground photographs are of the same as the aerial photograph that is shown above. The reason why I left them fairly big is to show you the details and so we can begin to work from them. I think that this picture speaks volumes mainly as the shear size of the mound as the scale of it. If you look at the bushes and then look at the flat ground surface and mound you can just get the feeling of the size. sadly for me this picture did not turn out the way I wanted it to. Anyway to the right there is a gap the entrance to the monument itself and I stood on the flat surface to take this picture look at the bush in the background and now you can just see how big this henge is.

This photographs you can clearly see the circular outline the stones are possible from the henge itself but we can not say for certain and would need to be excavated by professional field archaeologists so we know if the henge had a stone surface or not as the case maybe.

I would like to add that this site is under threat from a quarry company who wishes to expand its project. The company did us a huge favour and gave archaeologists thousands of pounds for an investigation to be carried out by archaeologist’s great news it was. This also shows the size of the one of the entrances to the henge monument.

I personal think it’s much better than Stonehenge. scheduled ancient monuments, all three henges are privately owned funnily enough some of the henges are owned by the quarry company and a farmer so they really belong to them or do they? Since I have did this text the company involved with quarrying has submitted a planning application on the 4th July 2004 to the council and now I guess it just wait and see time.

Although, This apparent lack of consultation was highlighted by Mr Campling in September 2003 when he said "There are currently no planning applications for, and not even any discussions about, quarrying around the middle and southern henges". DOH! Seems to me they knew all along what their intentions are. Heritage Action are pushing for an end to all quarrying in such an important heritage landscape, this will not be achieved without honesty from all sides and the recognition of the great value of the remains being destroyed on the current quarry.

However, Recent investigations by Newcastle University have shown they may well be the world's first large scale structure aligned to the constellation Orion.

You may like to know that the reason why I hardly say anything of where the archaeological sites are is to protect them from first damage by innocent walkers or people who are interested in there whereabouts and also to stop theft of the site by would be so call nighthawks who endanger our landscape and ruined any archaeological sites.

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