La Hougue Bie

Jersey is probably best known for its sun-kissed beaches, new potatoes, the doe-eyed, fawn-coated cattle which produce those creamy dairy products, and the hit 1980s TV series Bergerac.

Most of Jersey’s holiday attractions are therefore firmly out-of-doors, and it claims in its advertising to be the UK’s warmest spot. But I discovered a much darker, hidden side to the famous holiday island just 14 miles off the Normandy coast on a recent visit.

Underground Jersey offers a far more enigmatic glimpse into the island’s turbulent ancient and not-so-ancient history, but one which repays exploration.

And the one site which encapsulates Jersey’s amazing continuity of history extending over an astonishing 6,000 years is the enigmatic Neolithic passage grave of La Hougue Bie, near Grouville in the south east of the island.

Jersey certainly didn’t rank among the nation’s hotspots on the day I visited La Hougue Bie (pronounced La Hoog Bee).

Stinging showers of icy rain were lashing down as I crept, bent double, into the claustrophobic space of the four feet high and three feet wide stone-lined passageway. The cramped corridor led 30 feet into the echoing darkness of the huge, grass-covered mound.

As my eyes became accustomed to the dark, I could make out the smoothly carved granite of the columns which lined the tunnel and, looking back, light streamed in, illuminating the pebbled floor.

It was only in 1996 that reconstruction archaeologists saw for the first time in five millennia that at the spring equinox, the sun’s rays extended the length of the passage and onto the back wall of the inner sanctum in the heart of the mound.

Reaching the 6½-foot-high oval central chamber, I could at last stand upright and look around what had been the holy of holies – the centre of the unknowable ritual activities which took place here.

It was a moving, slightly spooky, experience and I’m sure that the chill which ran down my spine was not caused solely by the weather.

Outside again, I climbed the winding, spiral pathway to the top of the mound, where the simple apsed chapel of Notre Dame de Clarte was built in the 12th century – probably in an attempt to reclaim the ancient pagan site for Christianity.

A small sepulchre was built into the mound by the mystic Dean Richard Mabon in the 16th century, designed to replicate the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and he apparently regularly performed ‘miracles’ there.

Then in 1792, Phillipe d’Auvergne built a mock medieval castle known as The Prince’s Tower over the chapel, and it became a major tourist attraction and pleasure ground for visitors in the 19th century, complete with hotel, summer house and screaming peacocks. But the Tower fell into disrepair and was finally demolished in 1924.

However, the long story of La Hougue Bie doesn’t end there. Following the German occupation of the island in 1940, soldiers of the 319 Infantry Division built their eastern command bunker into the western side of the mound. Over the next two years around 70 trenches were dug in Phillipe d’Auvergne’s pleasure grounds, no doubt causing even more archaeological damage........

tinyurl.com/5vskyaa

Sat 17 July – Sun 1 Aug
La Hougue Bie, Grouville

Each weekend join us for Neolithic demonstrations and handling sessions.
During the week become an apprentice archaeologist with trails and quizzes.

Jersey Heritage – 01534633373
www.jerseyheritage.org/places-to-visit/la-hougue-bie-museum

This event is part of the Festival of British Archaeology – 17th July to 1st August 2010

News from BBC Jersey

The 6,000 year-old burial site at La Hougue Bie is one of the best preserved remnants of the Neolithic period in Western Europe.

Every spring and autumn crowds of people gather to watch the equinox from inside the chamber.

Archaeologists can make educated guesses about what went on there, but much is shrouded in mystery.

The name is Norse in origin, coming from hougue meaning man made and bie meaning Homestead.

Archaeologist Olga Finch is the curator at La Hougue Bie, and explained this in more detail.

“Hougue and Bie are Norse words. Hougue was a term the Vikings used for man—made mounds, and Bie means homestead. So it could mean the homestead near the mound,” said Olga.

Despite being best known as a burial ground Olga says that this was just one, albeit important, aspect of what went on.

“It was almost like a cross between a modern-day church and a community hall.

“We know there were rituals associated with seasonal activities because the Neolithic people were the first farmers,” she explained.

Therefore the cycles of nature were crucial to the survival of the indigenous population. The discovery of the equinox alignment brought home how important this time of year was to the farming community.

It is one of Western Europe’s best preserved mounds
The Equinox alignment happens twice a year. La Hougue Bie’s entrance points directly east, which enables a beam of sunlight to travel up the passageway to illuminate the chamber deep in the mound.

Today, this natural phenomenon inspires awe, not just among the community at large, but with archaeologists like Olga.

“We are talking about 6,000 years ago. The window into the tomb was set up perfectly, so that the rising sun penetrates not just the front, but all the way back into the terminal cell,” she said.

Olga believes the terminal cell at the foremost part of the mound would have been the focal point for any rituals which took place.

Entering the mound is a mildly uncomfortable experience, requiring visitors to crouch, chimp-like, to negotiate the nine metre passageway leading to the chamber.

Olga says this was probably to conceal the main area for ritual from uninvited eyes.

The passage opens up into the main chamber, which takes a cruciform shape. Two side chambers to the north and south were the burial plots for the dead.

Every spring and autumn crowd gather to watch the equinox
The large flat rock at the back of the passage is raised up from the floor denoting a more sacred area.

“It is almost like a modern day church. The further back you go the more sacred and spiritual it gets and less people have access to it.”

“There is a little terminal cell at the back, which may have housed an important object or person.

“The equinox sunrise concentrates initially in that area. This shaft of light perhaps symbolises bringing in new energy. It is all about rebirth and contact with the dead.”

“Anyone who experiences it knows they have witnessed something really special. To think 6000 years ago there would have been people in here experiencing the same thing,” Olga explained.

Again Olga can only hazard an educated guess as to the meaning of the rituals that went on all those thousands of years ago.

“We know there were little seeds placed on the cairn stones, so it may have been a plea to the gods for a good harvest,” she said.

The mound may have been used in a similar way to a modern day church
The human remains of about eight people – male and female adults – were found at the site. The items they were buried with are strong evidence in a belief in the afterlife.

“There were bones of cattle, which may have been left as food for the afterlife. There were also flint tools that show people believed they would need these things in the next world,” Olga said.

Despite significant digs in the ‘90s, much of the site remains unexcavated. La Hougue Bie may reveal more of its secrets for future generations to wonder about.

“It is one of the best preserved and one of the largest Neolithic sites in western Europe, so Jersey is very lucky in that respect.

“It has almost cathedral status compared to other sites in the island. A lot of sites have been robbed or destroyed. We are very lucky to have it here in Jersey,” Olga concluded.

Photos of site on the link.....

news.bbc.co.uk/local/jersey/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8196000/8196305.stm

The Neolithic burial mound at La Hougue Bie in Jersey is to be discussed at the British Museum in London.

Olgar Finch from the Jersey Heritage Trust will be talking about the historic monument at the Neolithic Studies Group meeting.

La Hougue Bie, which was discovered in 1924, is said to be one of the best preserved European passage graves.

It is thought the burial site, which dates back to about 3500 BC, was also used for ritual and ceremonials.

Solstice light
In the early 1990s the burial mound was explored properly for the first time in an excavation project and a stone façade was found.

During the German occupation in 1942, forces began to build a battalion command bunker into the eastern side of the mound.

Over 70 trenches were dug in the grounds, causing extensive archaeological damage.

The tourist attraction is best known for a ‘light box’ which allows the sun’s rays to shine through the chamber at the winter and summer solstice.

Archaeologists claim the shaft of light which heralded the start and end of winter reveals more details about the lives and beliefs of primitive Neolithic man.

Speakers from Guernsey, the UK and Belgium will also be talking at the meeting.