Hellstone

 

The Hell Stone. Although referred too as a dolmen, I'm not sure the Hellstone is one, they're not a common monument type for this region, being more customarily found further west and in Wales.  Of course that doesn't mean it isn't. Though I believe it's more likely the remains of an Neolithic chambered long barrow (a monument type typical to the region) reconstructed in 1866 using a degree of wishful thinking. Still, cool site.

The Grey Mare and her Colts

 

The Grey Mare and her Colts are the remains of one of the regions many Neolithic chambered tombs. Even in ruin it's an substantial monument, behind a large stone façade the capstone and supporting stones of the burial chamber lay collapsed, beyond which a greatly reduced long mound with evidence of peristalith is still clearly visible. Like many prehistoric monuments it would appear that site has an astronomical alignment, in this case with the Summer Solstice sunset.  The Grey Mare and her Colts is a nicely preserved Neolithic long Barrow one I'd recommend to anyone interested in prehistoric archaeology.

West Kennet Barrow

A trip to Avebury isn't complete without a visit to West Kennet Long barrow; prominently sited in the landscape it's the Neolithic equivalent of 'get orf  moi land'. Of all the sites in the Avebury complex it's always been West Kennet that's most captured my imagination.

 

Purbeck

 

Walking the Purbeck ridge this morning was wonderful, we'd last walked here back at the beginning of October last year, before the winter lockdown. The wooded hillsides and exposed chalk grassland are waking from their slumber, nature's boundless potential stirs as spring warms. A thick carpet of lush green leaves announce a sea of Ramsons and Bluebells are on their way. The first leaves are unfurling to greet the strengthening sun, whilst the main flush of canopy builds in branches of restless buds.  There's a lot of movement too, from the ground up to the crown. A deer crosses the track and quickly vanishes, melting back into the woodland, whilst numerous squirrels scurry about their business. All accompanied by a wonderful array of birdsong from above. We sat a while amongst the Ash and Oak of King's Wood as it opens into the rough chalk grassland of Kingswood Down. Transitional places have a certain atmosphere to them, two worlds meeting and all that. And I lost myself in natures song, so much so that I was tempted to give up our walk in favour of just sitting. Purbeck: beautiful, magical.  

Cursus's end

The Dorset Cursus would have been a magnificent monument and expansive feature in the Neolithic landscape. Comprising of two joined sections, the Cursus is a linear feature of two parallel banks and ditches running for 10 km north east/south west across the undulating north Dorset landscape. For the most part nothing of this vast monument remains visible above ground. Though some of the associated features still remain visible. The earliest of these features are the Long Barrows, the focus of collect burial, these monuments pre-date or are contemporary with the Cursus, with one being incorporated in the bank. At the north eastern terminus of the Cursus are several Long Barrows, a couple of which are tree crowned, and when approached from the right direction create a striking silhouette on the rise. I love walking these archaeologically rich landscapes, and they don't come much richer than Cranborne; although the Cursus and Long Barrows are Neolithic, all the ages are represented. Bronze Age Barrows, earthworks and enclosures, Iron Age settlements and earthworks, a Roman road, right up to the mid 20th century military firing ranges, and evidence of the hunting and farming practices in-between. Fantastic. I really feel I'm walking in footsteps of the ancestors, in their landscapes, their monuments and activities come to life in my minds eye.

Cursus Barrow

It's been a while since I've walked over Martin Down, it's a stunning landscape. It's a landscape steeped in history too. The seasonal nakedness of the trees allows for a clearer look at some of downs oldest monuments, here a group of Neolithic Long Barrows which cluster around the north-eastern terminal end of Dorset Cursus. These would have been collective burial monuments, chambered bone houses, with the interned bones often sorted by type. There is evidence from some Long Barrows of the bones having been removed then returned.

Prehistoric Dorset (The Neolithic Long Barrows)

  Dorset contains many excellent examples of Neolithic Long Barrows. Long Barrows were multiple burial monuments associated with the first farming communities, long earthen mounds sometimes covering a wooden mortuary enclosure or building, and sometimes a stone chamber or chambers.  There are differing interpretations of use and function, as individual sites throw up a variety of clues. They could represent the tombs of important families, maybe 2 or 3 generations. They could represent statements on land tenure. They could represent broader communal burials, with some having contained 50 or more  sets of remains. There is evidence of bones being reused and replace, maybe a form of ancestor worship. Or, it could be all of the above or something completely different. That's both the frustration and joy of prehistory. What I can say is, they took considerable effort and resources to build, and so must have been important to those constructing them.

Top is all that remains of the Long Barrow at West Compton, set on a high exposed ridge, the mound is all but gone and only 2 stone remain (or at remain visible). Increasingly when I visit sites I see the plough creeping closer and closer, here the area where the mound and ditches would have been is under the plough, probably destroyed, erased from the archaeological record (solemnly shakes head) rather than retained and the stones sit in isolation and increasingly out of any context. Still, it's a nice site to visit.

Next, is the Grey Mare and her Colts, the best preserved Long Barrow in Dorset (for stone setting at least, there are Barrows with more complete mounds, and probably some undisturbed). Set on the Dorset Ridgeway (an area crammed with prehistoric remains), you can see a considerable distance in all directions. Much of the mound has disappeared, and the burial chamber has collapsed in on itself, though some of the uprights of the large stone façade remain standing and evidence of a possible surrounding stone kerb are visible. Excavated in the 19th century, the chamber yielded quantities of human bone and some Neolithic pottery.  A really nice site to visit.

Finally, the Hell Stone. Again on the Ridgeway, the Hell Stone is a bit of an anomaly as it has clearly suffered from a 'romantic' restoration in the late 19th century, making it great visually, although in no way reflecting its original appearance.  A cluster of large upright stones support a substantial cap stone, there is also evidence of a long mound, although this is truncated and very eroded.  Again, this is a really nice site to visit and even if it doesn't reflect the original form, it is a Neolithic Long Barrow site.