Britain's Other Henges

Early Risers of the Neolithic Age

Of all the features of the prehistoric British landscape, henges are perhaps some of the most puzzling. Dating from the Neolithic or New Stone Age, when farming first reached Britain, prompting a shift away from hunter-gatherer practices to more settled living, henges are among the earliest surviving man-made structures in the British Isles. They pre-date the building of the earliest pyramid by up to 1,000 years and are unique to Britain, although some archaeologists believe them to be related to mainland Europe’s causewayed enclosures, circular areas of land bounded by concentric ditches and banks which may have been used for meetings, settlements or trade.

Henges, by contrast, have a single raised bank with either one, two or four entrances arranged at strategic intervals around the edge. They are flat, circular or oval-shaped, and always at least 20 meters across. Excavations have shown that many henge banks contain fragments of pottery and bones, prompting speculation that the forms may have played a part in ancestor worship. One thing they are unlikely to have been, however, is defensive structures. In all surviving henges except for Stonehenge, the ditch used to shore up the bank was dug on the inside, putting the occupants of the henge at a disadvantage against anyone approaching from outside.

Astronomical Meanings

The henges that survive tend to be found in ritualistic landscapes, such as the Salisbury Plain, and are often surrounded by barrows (prehistoric tombs). Some even contain burials themselves, giving rise to theories that henges may have played a part in mourning and celebrating the dead or in human sacrifices.

Other historians lean more towards an astronomical interpretation of the purpose of henges. They point to the tendency for the entrances to henges to be aligned either south-east/north-west or north-east south-west. Also, henges are often situated at astronomically significant latitudes, such as at Stonehenge, where the extreme northern and southern rising and setting of the sun and moon occur at right angles to each other.

However, as the following five examples will show, henges are so individual and specific to the landscapes in which they were formed that is hard for any of these general interpretations to be completely satisfying in every case.

Avebury, Wiltshire

Situated 32 km north of Stonehenge between Marlborough and Calme in south-west England, Avebury is Britain’s largest surviving henge. It stretches a staggering 421 metres in diameter, making it at least four times the size of comparable structures. In addition, the henge contains the remains of the largest ever prehistoric stone circle, which was 335 metres in diameter and made up of 98 sarsen standing stones. Only 27 of these now remain.

The henge is so large that it encompasses a considerable portion of Avebury village. Some of its features, including the remains of the southern inner stone circle, have disappeared beneath the buildings and the two roads that intersect it. Many of the stones were removed between the fourteenth and nineteenth century, either because of fear of pagan rituals or for use as building materials, although the resulting houses proved damp and hard to sell. Yet for all its erosion, Avebury remains a powerful visitor attraction and is preferred by many people to its more famous neighbour, Stonehenge, not least because it is still possible to walk on the earthworks.

Woodhenge, Wiltshire

Only 2 miles north-east of Stonehenge, Woodhenge was discovered in 1925 after an aerial photograph showed up the contours of the henge on the land. The archaeologist who excavated it, Maud Cunnington, found shards of pottery on the site, leading her to conclude that the henge had been constructed during the Beaker Period, which spanned the late Neolithic and early Bronze Ages. The remains of a child were also found buried in the centre of the henge, suggesting that it might have been the site of a ritual offering. Evidence of six concentric rings wooden posts and a central cove (three-stone enclosure) were also found.

King Arthur's Round Table, Cumbria

Now on the site of the village of Eamont Bridge, 2 km south of Penrith, this 90m-diameter henge has suffered from the interference of later generations. Of the two original entrances, only the south-east one survives, the north-west entrance having been obliterated by the B5320. An attempt to turn the henge into a landscaped garden in the nineteenth century caused great disturbance to it and created a long plateau in the centre. Around the same time, another, smaller henge, the Little Round Table, which was located 200 m to the south, was completely destroyed. 1930s excavations unearthed a cremation trench in the middle of the henge but little more is known about its history.

Maumbury Rings, Dorset

This large single-entrance henge, 85 m in diameter, lies to the south of Dorset. The ditch was created by digging a series of funnel-shaped shafts so close together that they made a continuous ditch. The site was adapted as an amphitheatre during the Roman occupation, causing the henge to be lowered, the ditch raised and an inner enclosure to be constructed for the use of the performers. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the henge was used as an execution site, with 80 rebels from the Monmouth Rebellion meeting their deaths there. Featuring in Thomas Hardy’s novel The Mayor of Casterbridge as a place of ill omen, today Maumbury Rings is used for concerts, festivals and historical re-enactments.

Ring of Brodgar, Orkney

With a diameter of 104 m, the Ring of Brodgar is the third largest henge in the British Isles. Excavations on the site have been patchy, however the henge is thought to date from between 2,500 and 2,000BC, making it the last Neolithic monument built on the Ness. The ring of stones at the centre of this henge, of which only 27 remain, stands on an isthmus (small strip of land), between Lochs Stenness and Harray. Nearby excavations have thrown up numerous artefacts and evidence that a great wall once traversed the peninsula, separating this ritualistic landscape, which is now a World Heritage Site, from life outside.

Written by Ann Morgan.

Read or leave comments

Interesting Articles

Eat, Sleep and Play around Stonehenge

If you are planning a visit to Stonehenge or Salisbury this is your essential guide to Stonehenge hotels and restaurants in the area. Find out how to eat, sleep and play.

The Three Ages of Stonehenge

Rome was famously not built in a day, but the adage would have been just as aptly applied to Stonehenge. Divided into three distinct phases, the construction of this deceptively complex monument spanned over a thousand years.

Kim Payne's Stonehenge Theories in Detail

Druid Priest Kim Payne certainly has plenty to say about the making of Stonehenge. But what does the wider world think to the theories he outlined?

Move Aside, Stonehenge

Author and photographer Rupert Soskin says experiencing Stonehenge is only first step to discovering more of Britain's megalithic wonders.