Stanton Drew
By Mike Haigh from Northern Earth 73
One of the most exciting developments in British archaeology in recent decades was the discovery of a huge henge and ceremonial complex around the stone circle at Stanton Drew in Somerset. Mike Haigh summarises what is now known about the site.
A geophysical survey commissioned by English Heritage at the complex of stone monuments at Stanton Drew (ST 601 631), between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, has found traces of an earlier complex underneath. Archaeologists studying the evidence believe that the newly discovered monuments are comparable both in age and significance to Stonehenge; indeed, it is probably a few centuries older, at around 3000 BCE
The survey revealed that before the stones were erected, a large circular ditch, 135m across and 5-7m wide, with a single entrance to the NE, was in existence. The soil from this ditch was piled up to form a henge, an enigmatic feature popular in Neolithic Britain from around 3200 to 2500 BCE. Inside this feature were nine concentric circles of pits; the rings varied in diameter from 95m down to 23m, while the pits were 1-2m across and about 2.5m apart. Similar pits have been excavated at Woodhenge and Durrington Walls where they were found to have held wooden posts possibly up to 10m in height. Such sites are thought to have possibly been roofed wooden temples. At the centre of the feature were five large pits, which, on evidence from other contemporary sites, may have contained sacrificial offerings (a Stanton Drew stone which fell over in the 17th century revealed human remains underneath its base). The timber-posts were later replaced by a concentric ring of 36 stones, 112m across; the stone circle is the only visible sign of the complex today. This is the site known today as the Great Circle and is the second largest stone circle in the country (Burl 1995 p78).
NE of the remains of the henge, the surveyors found a quadrilateral of four pits. What these held is unknown but later, pairs of stones were aligned with this setting to form another stone circle, the remains of which survive to this day. This circle was 29.6m (97ft) across and consisted of eight massive stones, the largest of which was 3m (9ft 8in) high. Like the Great Circle, this had a short avenue leading from it towards the nearby River Chew. Both these avenues apparently joined together. A line from the centre of this circle, through the centre of the Great Circle, accurately points to another monument about 300m to the SW, known as The Cove.
The Cove consisted of 3 large stones forming a roughly box-like structure, about 3m (10 ft) across, open to the SE. It has been suggested that this site aligned on the most southerly rising of the moon (Burl 1995, p79). One theory about such monuments is that they developed from the ceremonial forecourts constructed at one end of long barrows (Thomas 1976, p44), though there are other suggestions.
SW of the Great Circle lie the remains of another stone circle. This site consisted of twelve stones set in a circle about 44.2m (145 ft) across. Again, a line through the centre of this circle and the centre of the Great Circle points to another nearby monument, Hautville's Quoit.
Hautville's Quoit is to be found on a high ridge about 566m (1856 ft) NNE of the complex. It consists of a prostrate standing stone of sandstone, though it is reported that there was once a second stone nearby (Thomas 1976 p44). When measured during the 17th century, it was 3.2m high and 2m wide. In 1836, however, it was vandalised and it is now about half this length. Local folklore alleges that this stone was thrown here by a crusading knight called Sir John Hautville, from Maes Knoll, an Iron Age hill fort about 2 km N. Sir John is also said to have constructed this hill fort from a single spadeful of earth (Grinsell 1994 p10).
In folklore, the Stanton Drew complex is known as "The Wedding". It is said that the stones are the remains of a wedding party that went on too long. As Saturday became Sunday, the revellers were turned to stone for dishonouring the sabbath. The Cove is the bride and groom, standing beside the drunken parson, now flat on his back. The circles are the remains of the guests, while the avenues are said to be lines of fiddlers. This legend was later turned into a short play which ran for two days at the Theatre Royal, Bath, in April 1869. There is also a (common) tradition that the stones cannot be counted. Death or serious illness awaits anyone who tries (Grinsell 1994 p2).
There is a mystery connected with this site. No remains of Bronze Age burial mounds have been found in the area. This contrasts with places like Stonehenge, Avebury and Thornborough, which are surrounded by such remains. One theory put forward for this was that Stanton Drew was, in some sense, a failure, a "white elephant" which was abandoned when it failed to attract pilgrims or satisfy local needs (Grinsell 1994 p8). However, the revelation that the site developed from an earlier complex indicates that it was in use for some time, so it must surely have fulfilled some important function for the local population. We are still left to wonder why no round barrows are to be found in the area. Stanton Drew is on private working farmland, but is accessible during daylight hours. Please remember the new discoveries are not visible on the ground!
Home | Contact Us | Site Map | Search
© Northern Earth