moss
Well, according to this link, sacredsites.com/europe/england/cerne_giant.html.
If you take a sightline/alignment on May Day you should see the sun coming up;
to quote; “a sightline taken up the giant’s penis on May Day points directly at the sun as it rises over the crest of the hill”
So to verify this fact if anyone is around at dawn on May Day next year – please check..
All these eight barrows were investigated by the Reverend John Skinner in 1815, and all barrows produced one or more cremations. Some of these contained Early Bronze age urns and were covered with stone slabs (similar to Lansdown barrows cemetery). Three barrows had bronze daggers, one in a wooden sheaf. One barrow contained a rich burial which included beads and other objects of amber (maybe faience) and a miniature incense cup. There are a further two, much larger barrows, located north of the main cemetery.
Taken from;
British Barrows (A Matter of Life and Death) by Ann Woodward.
Seen from layby in March, the barrows linear symmetry spoiled by intrusive paraphenalia, dominant position on crest of hill/Ridgeway route, suggests prestigious burials.
Freezing Hill, took some photos the other day of the lynchets that lie to the east and south of this maybe defended enclosure but no inner bank It is mentioned as a hillfort in Iron Age southern map, (1960) but not scheduled on Magic..
The barrow is at ST722.715. There seems to be a pattern of settlement around these forts/enclosures that needs to be explored. Its on private land, with lots of frisky bullocks around at the moment.
Edit;This site, is in many ways similar to Hinton Hillfort. A promontory hillfort, but in this instance guarding two valleys down from the Cotswold; a distinctive territorial barrier also perhaps. As Wick burial chamber is not too faraway, neolithic finds round this area would be expected (Rhiannon’s post).
Freorig = cold chill,(freosan – freezing) Anglo saxon.
Should anyone be in the area; a standing stone was recorded at Priddy close to the wall of St.Lawrence Church at ST 528513 standing 0.7 m above ground, (much weathered) also stones at ST510524 and SO595238. There is a tumulus nearby, just off Nine Barrows Lane.
Proceedings of Somerset Arch. Soc; Vol; 1984
There has been a slight change of footpath’s since Earthstepper’s 2003 visit, as you turn right into the wood, before the house, follow the steep path up into the wood for a short while but turn left up the track. This will bring you to the farmhouse that lies behind the fort, (its best to go thro the rough grass/trees not across his mown lawn bit!) there is a little gate into the field. This is the north entrance into the camp, there is a small bank traversing the centre of the camp, which lines up with the east entrance. North and south defenses, the ridge on the west side overlooks the Bristol Plain and has no bank. Banks were covered with sweet smelling Ladies Bedstraw.
Brooding on the moment in time when iron age people took to the high places the question must be asked why. Social change, population explosion, lawlessness, climate deterioration or warfare, so that people, foodstocks and animals had to be protected. Little Sodbury is a big place – 22 acres – Horton and Dyrham forts just down the road. Were they palisaded enclosures, noisy with people and animals, the stench of both human and animal manure thick on the air, ruled by a tribal head, its an intriguing part of our unknown history. Visiting these places today, all soft english countryside farmed neatly we should do well to remember their past often violent history.
Countering Goff’s slightly dismissive impression of the Chalice Well it does indeed have a small history. It is a major spring and in olden times would have served the settlement on Glastonbury Tor and the later abbey. A small excavation in 1961, which had to go pretty deep down because of silting, found flint and roman pottery. Also nearby the remains of a yew tree stump, bringing to mind the pagan reverence for a “sacred tree”, and yew trees have been found growing by the roman temple site at Pagan Hill nearby on the Mendips.
Today when you look down at the well you are looking through a hole of the roof of the old medieval wellhouse, which just shows how much it has silted up.
Taken from; Glastonbury, Myth & Archaeology – P.Ratz and Lorna Watts
St.Non’sWell, Pelynt.. directions
From Pelynt, take either minor road east down a steep hill to Watergate. Turn left on the road to Duloe. Before crossing the bridge over the West Looe River, bear left up a steep hill road signed “Hobb Park, at the top of the hill park at the cattle grid. The well is signed in the first field on the left. Go through the gate and turn left. After three minute walk you can see the well
Taken from Celtic Saints, Passionate Wanderers, Elizabeth Rees.
The hillfort is situated on a spur and faces west overlooking the Bristol plain, focussing on the gap between two hills on which a clear day the welsh coast can be seen. Said to be one of the possible sites of the Battle of Deorham AD577, where three British kings were defeated and Cirencester, Bath and Gloucester were lost to the West Saxons. More factual, is that Hinton, like Old Sodbury fort and Horton Camp all lie near to the A46 road. Solsbury Hill also guards the pass which runs through the valley overlooking the A46.
1967 Excavation by Geoffrey Wainwright of I/A hillfort on Bathamption Down.
80+ acres univallate fort, plus its relation to a field system was examined. Conclusions were that this was an early hillfort and was probably used as a stock enclosure... The ramparts were small and probably non-defensive, and the banks of the field system overlay the fort banks.
Reading everyones field notes, and if ones speculates, the stone circle would most probably be on the north side near to the river and facing Solsbury Hill, with the avenue(if it existed) leading down to the river. A bit like the missing stones on the other side of Bath, near to the river and facing Kelston Hill.....
Not a good photo,but taken from Solsbury Hill, this is the north side of Bathampton showing the “romano-british” field system, and where the stone circle (should there have been one) would have been, with perhaps the avenue leading down to the river, terracing on the lower slope is later.
Good Friday 14th April 2006. The date is important, because as I walked up the steep lane met a lot of friendly people coming down. Arriving at the top, someone stopped to talk to me, and explained what was happening. An open air church service, followed by a picnic and kite flying for the children. Everyone had walked round the different churches in Batheaston, a service at each one and carrying a wooden cross, then they had walked to the top of the hill with the cross. It was extraordinary touching for one who does’nt believe; I likened it to the pagan festival at Avebury, which perhaps was’nt the wisest comment but she agreed..
I record this because it is part of the hills history and local togetherness, which is repeated every year.
The maze has been burnt at the entrance, either in some symbolic act, or wanton malice, but I’m sure it will mend with time.
Wandered round the ramparts which are very impressive and took a photo of Bathampton Down’s celtic field system on the other side of the valley.
It was possible, the air was clear after rain, to see to the older prehistoric Priddy landscape, Penhill TV mast, with a longbarrow on its flanks and to imagine the 4 henges that are close by and the bronze age burial mounds. To the south, the landmark to look out for is the Lansdowne? Obelisk on top of Cherhill down, there’s a clump of trees in front of it. Perhaps the smoke from prehistoric settlements could be seen from a long distance. Solsbury, Avebury, Priddy and Westbury, especially at night the fires would have been very noticeable.
This is approximately a five acre enclosure, fairly triangular with a steep drop on the other two sides, Bank is still impressive, it maybe that this site belongs to the same time as Old Sodbury Camp, (250bc-50bc according to James Dyer) There is a longbarrow above the church at Hawkesbury, which is about a mile down the road.
Longbarrow ref; ST768 871. It sits high on the hilltop, somewhat reminiscent of Adams Grave.
There is also another longbarrow marked at ST777828, Grickstone Farm but this has only one stone remaining, see Rhiannon’s information.
Stantonbury from afar, a gently rounded hill, not terribly defensive as a hillfort, more a fortified settlement.
This small camp must have been a fairly attractive place to live. Screened from the wind and facing inward towards the land amongst a jumble of rocks, it would have been difficult to find. Spent some time up here watching small birds feeding in the boggy wet ground, it has enormous presence this rocky outcrop, peaceful as well.
Not so peaceful (reason I am writing this) is the walk up the cliff path, 18 inches wide and a vertical drop to the sea, for those who suffer from vertigo take a different route. At the stream below turn right up the valley and then head back to the headland along the top.
Cunliffe -Iron Age communities in Britain; to quote;-
A complex rampart protected a small group of 6 conjoined
stone wall huts 5-20 ft in dia., excavated in 1900.
Sparse finds;- whetstones, spindle whorls, hammer stones and fragments of iron, plus a few glass beads.
South side, with greenhouse type buildings taking advantage of both outcrop and sun..
This site is an important prehistoric settlement, in the sense that it is always mentioned in books on prehistory. It features in the landscape as a small twin-peaked saddled rocky outcrop, set about a mile back from the sea.
Two periods are archaeologically defined, the later iron age settlement is a rectangular enclosure, measuring 100m x 25 metres. Two, possible third, neolithic houses have been found placed centrally within the ramparts. The area around the settlement site shows evidence of Mesolithic activity, and there is probably continuous occupancy of this area of 4000 years. One of the huts had been burnt which maybe implies ritual burning on abandonment.
Hav’nt explored its interior, due to exhaustion from long walks!, but will do so this year. Also worth noting that the burial tombs of Carn Llidi and Coetan Arthur may belong to these people.
information taken from Geo.Nash and Geo.Children- Neolithic Sites.....Pembs, Cards, Carms.
taken from the north side, coming back from St.Justinian
Lugbury has as the first syllable the name of a celtic god, Lugh or Lugus found mostly in Gaul but also in Britain, its Welsh equivalent is Lleu, and the land round here would probably have been Old Welsh country. Strange therefore, that two kilometres from the longbarrow should there be but the temple site of Nettleton Shrub, a romano-british shrine of several periods. The earliest being an early native round enclosure or temple. The dedications found at this site refers to Diana and her hound, Mercury and Rosmerta and Apollo Cunomaglus (the hound god)..... As Sulis was coupled with Minerva at Bath, Lugus as a celtic god was probably coupled with the roman Mercury. So does that mean that this longbarrow has carried the name down through the centuries, or has it been named by antiquarians? 28/7/06 to answer my own question, it seems to be called Lockstone on the 18th map of Andrew and Dury
E/W orientated was originally about 190 feet long and 90 feet wide, there are two small burial chambers, one on the north side, the other one visible on the south, maybe a false entrance on the east end. East and west end have only been recently destroyed (this statement made back in the 1960s.) Apparently 20 burials were found in the chambers and evidence from the bones suggest that it was used by one family.
Taken from A Guide to Prehistoric England – Nicholas Thomas.
The Hubba Low story may have got a bit mangled with the history of Chippenham and Alfred.. The Dane leader Guthrun had camped at Chippenham, 878AD, after he had defeated the saxons. Alfred eventually trounced him at Edington, and Guthrun was baptised into the faith and stopped harassing Wessex; Guthrum finally settled in East Anglia. Hubba, another Danish leader at this time, was defeated and killed in Devon at Kenwith castle by Odun.
Well here’s another story from Mrs.Clifford, Rhiannon, she could do sums as well..
She estimated that the Rodmarton l/b contained at least 5000 tons and writes
“The stones in the body of the cairn are placed with some care, not thrown in haphazardly. Not more than 20 men could do this at one time. This would employ 20 men placing, 20 men carrying, 40 men digging, and 20 directors (you can see its all male) and those engaged on ancillary activities – a total of 100. The 40 men digging won half a ton of stone a day,250 working days would be needed to provide 5000 tons, or one year with stoppages for weather, festivals, rest etc, and another year for preparation of site and erection of megaliths which would involve continuous employment of 100 men for two years”.....
not sure how she worked that one out, but the Glyn Daniels book I have taken it from,” Megalithic Builders of Western Europe”, shows Rodmarton as a Portal tomb, I suppose she is the one to blame for the destruction of the portal opening. Avening down the road was also a portal tomb. Its a stylistic difference – two opposing vaguely K shaped stones making the entrance....
Visited Knap Hill early in February, a cold misty day and most of my photos reflect this. Adams Grave is probably contemporary with Knap Hill and the landscape round here is luminous with the past. If someone from the neolithic past had sat down beside me and Moss on top of that hill I would’nt have been surprised. We would both have been looking at a lunarlike landscape, hills and downs defined by sharply etched lines that meet the plain below. Perhaps in neolithic times the land below would have been marshy and tree covered, but in the distance Picked Hill would have stood out, as did Silbury in its time, was it a sacred hill? could the inhabitants of Knap hill look out and brooded on the meaning of life as they went about their daily tasks – who knows.. But this area is so imbued with man’s need to imprint himself within the landscape, The Wansdyke on the other side of Adams Grave reminds one of this. The colossal effort that went into making one’s mark, whether in death, or defence, or as a boundary to define the edges of territory.
The holy well at St.Madron is one of Cornwall’s oldest and most famous wells. St.Madern, of whom nothing is known may have been unique to this area, though apparently it has been a local surname. Madron church is an ancient church with a pre-christian standing stone now in the church, it was re-used in the 6th/7th C to mark a christian burial
St.Madern’s well is a mile north of the church, it is set in a grove of sallows and bubbles up through marshy ground.
Hung on the branches are hundreds of clouties and strips of cloth; these are symbolic prayers for healing or in gratitude of a cure. The chapel is 75 metres along the track, foundations of a 12th C building with a granite altar and a baptismal basin in its n/w corner. During the 17th century a great thorn tree’s branches formed a leafy roof over the ruined chapel, and the people used turf to repair a green bank by the altar which they called St.Madern’s Bed, and which, of course, sick people lay on and were cured......
Above taken (almost verbatim) from Elizabeth Rees – Celtic Saints in their Landscape.
Yesterday I walked round Silbury Hill following the line of the River Kennet, and crossed the road to seek out the Swallowhead Springs.
Water only rises on these chalk downs in the winter at the beginning of the new year. Once it does, the water plants in the river stretch out their green tresses and swirl gently in the small currents and the quiet sounds of water flowing and moving over stones can be heard. The Kennet is sourced from a number of chalk streams, one from the Beckhampton Pond, but the common understanding is that it flows from the Swallowhead springs, “which emerges from a small wall of chalk at a corner of the meadow, this joins the stream flowing south from Avebury, past Silbury Hill and under the A4. The joined streams then turn east. Half a mile downstream from the Swallowhead springs, another spring feeds into the Kennet at times from the south end of Waden Hill.”
So this small area of place is linked by small streams and perhaps the patterning of its early prehistoric beginning can partly be understood by its relationship to water.
quote taken from this linkhttps://www.riverkennet.org/riverkennet.htm
Found in Pevsner – North Somerset 1958. interesting fact,
He mentions that there was... l mile to the NW of Hautville Quoit, two similar stones in a field called Middle Ham.
Checking back to Burl in “Carnac to Callanish” possible grid.ref. at ST591 633, under Lower Tyning – 2 adjacent prostrate stones (now presumably lost).
Pevsner also goes on to describe the Stanton Drew stones as
“dolomitic conglomerates of different kinds, probably from near Harptree; sandstones of uncertain origin; and a jurassic limestone – probably Dundry stone.
The Harptree connection is interesting because Burl mentions two stones (now lost) at Shrowl Field, East Harptree called The Devils Quoits (what else).
How did these stones travel, by the river Chew maybe...
[Also see
pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=1097273 – TMA Ed.]
These pair of barrows lie adjacent to the road, on the opposite side of the road is an old farmhouse. And hereby hangs a tale – for many months I have spied this farmhouse from afar, and have always been able to locate through its opposing chimneys the monument on Cherhill down (30 kms) in the distance, allowing me to focus on Silbury and Avebury. Not exactly a blinding white flash, but the penny dropped when I remembered there was an old chapel which had been embraced in the farmhouse building, giving the whole building an east/west alignment., in fact it sits at an awkward angle to the road – which in itself is probably roman/prehistoric track.
So was this an early holy place settled maybe by the “desert” monks, who set up in opposition, or maybe on top of these tumuli, and the thin thread of religion continued down through the ages. What makes it more conclusive is that there is a holy well about 500 yards from the chapel, its called St.Alpege (much later saint) Well.
Having written that, no way am I implying that there is a “straight line” to Avebury, its just happenstance and the strange things that happen between earth and sky!!
Charmy Down and Solsbury Hill seen from across the valley. In the foreground remnants of an old track that would have joined these old prehistoric settlements can be traced through the farm paths and hedgerows perhaps...
These two barrows lie near to the Cotswold Way going down to Lower Hamswell. They lie just under the hill and are I believe what is termed “false crested”, in other words they are slightly hidden. Last of the Lansdown barrows, before the trackway descends into the valley across the A46 up to Charmy Down, site of another group of barrows now lost. Rev.Skinner recorded this barrow group/cemetery of about 8. They were ploughed under and lie beneath an old airfield. I believe one was recorded by a Mrs.Williams, wife to Grimes, and the subsequent article appeared in Antiquary in the 1950s., she recorded them as kerbed cairns.
All these bronze age barrows sit on the hills/downs that surround Bath, which must have been very marshy around the river and not suitable for settlement.
Some nature notes, walking back through the fields following some giant hoofprints of a horse, I noticed a beautiful fox in the distance sitting calmly watching the dog, as he lolloped along on a quest for pheasants, he managed to flush two from the hedgerow. They were shooting down in the valley, with a noisy beater and dog, probably that was why the not so stupid pheasants were higher up with us!
St.Non’s church with stone in front of church seaward and other stones in field bank.