Mayburgh Henge

A SACRED SPACE ODYSSEY (from Northern Earth 85)

Longer-term readers of this magazine and visitors to our Online website will know of John Billingsley's suggestion that some prehistoric sites may be related to prominent saddle formations in the visible horizon

Robert W. E. Farrah here presents a striking example of this from Cumbria.

Mayburgh is one of the three henges known as the Penrith Henges: Mayburgh, King Arthur's Round Table and the Little Round Table. All are to be found on the southern outskirts of Penrith, within 155m of one another on a tongue of land between the confluence of the River Eamont and its tributary the Lowther. Many ancient routes converge upon Penrith and upon the comparatively low ground of the middle Eamont, where these earthworks are to be found.¹

The Little Round Table (NY 52402818 ) lies in the SE corner of a field immediately S of King Arthur's Round Table. The earthwork, described as a 'low circular ridge',² is now a ghost in the landscape; a low curving scarp belonging to the northern perimeter of the earthwork is barely visible. Fragments of a low discontinuous bank with some stone can be seen in the modern plantation skirting Earl Henry's Drive and to the W of Lowther Lodge; the rest lies beneath field walls and the A6.

75 metres to the N is King Arthur's Round Table (NY 52332838 ), a bank and internal ditch with two opposed entrances on an approximate SE-NW axis. The northern entrance and eastern bank have been destroyed by adjacent roads, but the approximate diameter is thought to be around 90m. The irregular bank surrounds a circular ditch, 12m wide and 1.2 to 1.5m deep. The bank reaches a height of 2m at the entrance and is some 12m wide here. The interior consists of an elliptical platform varying from 44m to 52m in diameter.

1725 drawing of Arthur's Round Table (Stukeley)

Mayburgh (NY 51922843 ) is the most imposing of the henges, situated on a low knoll 155m to the W of King Arthur's Round Table. It is almost perfectly circular; a single bank up to 6.4m high and 50m across the base encloses an internal area measuring 90m N-S by 87.5 transversely. The bank is composed of cobbles carried from the riverbeds of the Eamont and Lowther. The entrance in the bank to the E narrows gradually from I 12.5m to 6.2m as it approaches the interior. The sole surviving monolith has a height of 2.79m and is 10m NW of the approximate centre of the monument³. It was once one of four equally spaced stones in a quadrangular central setting. Two further stones stood just outside the entrance, although Pennant differs from other early sources in recording a setting of four stones at the entrance, two on each side⁴. Beyond the entrance the land slopes down towards King Arthur's Round Table.

Time has not been kind to May burgh; the landscape has been heavily disturbed and it is now almost entirely surrounded by modern development and road systems; the M6 runs just 100m below the henge banks to the SW. Yet Mayburgh is the best preserved of the three henges, due possibly to its higher elevation or perhaps some twilight tradition of sanctity.

To commemorate 2000 years of Christianity a proposal was put forward to erect and dedicate a Millennium Monument in close proximity to Mayburgh, and I have written previously on the campaign to prevent this⁵. Unfortunately the Royal Commission survey of the Penrith Henges,⁶ undertaken specifically to assess the state of the monuments for management purposes, made no reference to the equinoctial sunrise alignment of Mayburgh, though it was acknowledged in the Appeal Decision, which concluded that this was no longer under threat. The final site for the Monument was outside the scheduled area, which extends just 5m from the banks. Endeavouring to extend these limits, I cited the RC survey, which suggested that all three could be regarded as related sites. Contemporaneity is suggested, although the trio cannot be termed a true ritual complex until further information is available.

'The survey further states that 'The southern aspect [the very location chosen for the siting of the Millennium Monument] and the eastern entrance of Mayburgh seem to have been deliberately constructed to be impressive..."⁷ and makes mention of recent research by Darvill at Stonehenge⁸, proposing that Stonehenge is symbolically related to the surrounding landscape and that the people saw some expression of meaning in their relationship with the landscape. It is indicated that the territorial environment of these monuments projects further out into the landscape. Although the Inspectorate chose not to heed these concerns, the hypothesis that Mayburgh could not be isolated from the surrounding landscape was to prove dramatically correct.

THE RESURRECTION OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN

The visitor to Mayburgh is encouraged by signs and the road system to approach the henge from the rear. Some take a short cut over the bank into the centre, while others walk around and through the eastern entrance. Either way is incorrect - for there was only one way to approach Mayburgh and that was from the E, from the direction of King Arthur's Round Table. The archaeological record and the topographic evidence would seem to support this.

The notes and sketches of early antiquarians have become invaluable in our understanding of the henges prior to development. The drawings of King Arthur's Round Table seem to agree sufficiently closely in depicting a circular enclosure with two opposing entrance causeways. Sir William Dugdale's 1664 sketch copied by John Aubrey in his Monumenta Britannica shows two standing stones at the northern entrance.⁹ These had disappeared by the time of Stukeley's visit on August 15, 1725, but the engraving in his Itinerarium Curiosum shows the earthworks to be intact.¹⁰

Pennant's drawing omits the northern entrance in the outer bank, although the northern entrance to the central area is depicted.¹¹ Dymond subsequently showed that the earthworks were less circular than these early antiquarians had supposed. However this should have no bearing upon the length and breadth of the N and S entrance causeways. This is important in trying to re-establish the location of the now lost N causeway.

The S entrance causeway is approximately 27m from the central inner plateau to the outer edge of the bank. Assuming the N causeway to be the same, this would take us 12.8m into the courtyard of the Crown Hotel. It would seem that the causeway became a convenient foundation for one of the outbuildings, now demolished, of the farm and inn. Remarkably the location of the northern entrance also coincides with the axial azimuth of 95º, which seems to confirm a linear connection between the two monuments and suggests that King Arthur's Round Table was laid out in association with Mayburgh by those with knowledge of Mayburgh's symbolic ritual axis of orientation. If it had been otherwise, then we would expect to see King Arthur's Round Table to have either fallen short or overlapped the azimuth of Mayburgh.

That this alignment is the true axis of Mayburgh is realised when approaching the henge from King Arthur's Round Table along the axis of orientation. Something quite magical happens, giving at once a dynamic spiritual dimension to Mayburgh. Standing at the threshold of the northern entrance, looking up along the axis to Mayburgh, the full open facade of the henge would have been seen for the first time in its entirety: Mayburgh on its higher knoll silhouetted against the skyline - an aspect now lost. Now approximately 42m of development intervenes between the northern entrance and the first unimpeded view of Mayburgh along the axis. The longest length of preserved pasture surrounding the henge is still along this axis of orientation.

It seems beyond doubt that Mayburgh was purposefully orientated towards Blencathra. The ritual emphasis placed upon the mountain in the alignment can only be realised by approaching the henge along this axis of orientation from the direction of King Arthur's Round Table. This axis from the perimeter of the northern entrance aligns through the entrance of Mayburgh to the centre of the mountain's saddle. It seems to have been incorporated into the landscape for effect and suggests a processional route. The difficulty is trying to understand and recover the intended perception of this alignment. There are a number of variables involved, such as alterations in the ground level and consequently eye height. Changes that may have occurred in ground levels are critical to the sequence of this alignment; change need only be slight, because the difference between the near horizon and Blencathra's summit is marginal. This is the cause of the fluctuation in the appearance of the saddle and may not have been the intended vision.

It seems that some importance was placed upon the entrances of the henges. Both had entrances which were enhanced and both had similar portal stones associated with the astronomical alignment. "The southern aspect and the eastern entrance of Mayburgh seem to have been deliberately constructed to be impressive, and it may be significant that it is the eastern perimeter that is seen from the neighbouring site of King Arthur's Round Table" ¹² . It is equally significant that the northern entrance of King Arthur's Round Table is the site from which the first frontal elevation of Mayburgh would have been seen, for this is the axis of the solar orientation. It has been suggested that the otherwise dissimilarity between the two henges may reflect a different ritual emphasis. 'Perhaps the height of Mayburgh's bank and single entrance through it could suggest a greater exclusivity in functional terms; the ceremonies taking place in the interior were possibly more secretive and had to be hidden from view, unlike those that took place at the comparatively open site of King Arthur's Round Table".¹³ Mayburgh, as Stukeley correctly observed, "is a little higher up the hill, on an eminence higher than any near it..." ,¹⁴ possibly a reflection of its sacred nature. From its eastern entrance King Arthur's Round Table can be seen at the lower level of the alignment, on the flat alluvial river terrace. Its northern entrance would have once shared the same ancient pasture as Mayburgh.

The slightest alteration in ground level at either end of the alignment defined by the henge entrances could affect the perception of the alignment. The Home Farm and Crown Hotel complex, which destroyed the northern entrance of King Arthur's Round Table, may have built up the ground level. At Mayburgh the eastern entrance banks may have been subject to erosion by the uprooting of trees and removal of road stone. Dymond was told that for a long time men were kept at Mayburgh breaking stones, with hundreds of cart-loads being taken away. Dymond concludes though that the eastern half "seems to have suffered little from this spoliation...".¹⁵ Although all this is circumstantial it is of some importance because it would effectively change the nature of the alignment. There may not have been any fluctuation in the saddle of the mountain above and below the horizon as it does now. It may have risen once only on the very final approach around 35m from the henge, when the mountain appears at its most dramatic.

Described by Wainwright as one of the grandest mountains in Lakeland, Blencathra rises steeply and in isolation above the surrounding landscape to a summit ridge so distinctive that the mountain is better known to some as Saddleback, a name that does not appear until 1769. Blencathra may mean 'mountain of the stone circular fort', from the Celtic blaen, summit, and cathair or cathrach, thought to refer to the nearby stone circle of Castlerigg. A similar interpretation could as easily apply to the Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment. However as cathair it could also mean a chair or seat, like its modern English name of Saddleback, which accurately describes its shape¹⁶ Mayburgh means 'Maiden Castle', from Old English maegeth and burg; hence 'mountain of the stone circular fort' can be seen to be more descriptive of the Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment. Although Castlerigg is nearer to Blencathra, the mountain's symbolic relationship with the henge is far closer within the ritual landscape.

THE ANNUNCIATION

The Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment is, I suggest, the true axis of Mayburgh at 95º degrees E and 275º W. The saddIe of the mountain, with a breadth of 2º, rises perfectly central to the entrance of the henge. The saddle is divided equally either side of the axis of Mayburgh. This axis differs from that given by Dymond ¹⁷ of 92º and is just S of the centre given by the RC survey. These discrepancies are due to there being no fixed points of reference available by which to arrive at a true measured axis. There has also been a problem of irregularity due to the erosion of the henge banks and entrance.

If the Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment is accepted, then the new axis, from the centre of the henge entrance to the centre of the saddle, has the advantage of two points of reference over a distance of about twelve miles. This would result in an accuracy far greater than any previous measured axis or attempts to locate the centre, which have not had the benefit of fixed co-ordinates.

It is likely that the setting of Mayburgh's stones would have served to define the Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment. The earliest description of the stone settings at Mayburgh is Dugdale's, who visited in about 1664: near to the centre thereof are erected four stones of great magnitude... equally distant in a quadrangular form about 50 foot asunder'. An accompanying sketch shows the bank with four central stones and two more just outside the entrance ¹⁸. It seems clear from these that the stone settings were aligned to accord with the axis, and if so then on an axial approach from the E the saddle would be seen to rise between the stones, surely enhancing its impact.

Observations of the setting sun were made at autumn equinox 2000 to ascertain the accuracy of the astronomical alignment. At this time in the annual solar cycle the sun is moving fast along the horizon, approximately 0.7º a day, just over the solar diameter of 0.5º. Weather and horizon conditions during the equinox week were poor, but observation was possible on the calendrical equinox, the 23rd, when the sun set on the left horn of the saddle (Fig. 3).

Saddle features occur frequently in mountainous areas. In an inspired article which received very little attention at the time, John Billingsley suggested that there are some indications that the saddle landform, when sandwiched between two distinct highpoints, may have held a symbolic significance in Britain".¹⁹ He also notes that such land-forms "need to be looked at from the vantage point of the archaeological site to be understood, which may hold the clue to form and symbolism in the landscape", finally suggesting that "pre-Celtic sacred sites should therefore also be evaluated for the existence of saddle formations". These words are descriptive of the Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment, both mountain and monument woven into the landscape together. The horned peaks of the conical mountain top of the Blencathra saddle make it one of the most distinctive of all saddle-backs, used to great visual effect in the Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment.

Burl suggests that the equinoctial entrance to Mayburgh was in keeping with the idea of autumnal gatherings when the summer work at axe factories was at an end.²⁰ This alignment could certainly have served this calendrical purpose, with Blencathra as some ancient barometer. The first severe frosts and snowfalls of winter usually occur on the mountaintops in October. This winter the first snow fell on Blencathra in the last week of October, but within recent memory it has fallen in the first week. Yet the practicalities of such a calendrical alignment did not necessitate the dramatic visual alignment of Mayburgh-Blencathra. The almost supernatural rising of the mountain from the centre of the henge seems to go far beyond such practicalities into the realm of the sacred.

The axe has been ritually associated with the sun at many megalithic sites, suggesting the existence of a solar axe cult. This is evident in the number of instances the symbol of the axe has been found at megalithic sites with solar orientations.²¹ The flint axe symbolised the forces of life and death. Like the rising sun, it was a means of giving life, creating the smaller 'stolen sun' of the promethean fire. Like the setting sun and the coming of darkness, the axe could also take life away. It was such associations as a symbol of power that were responsible for the axe evolving into a sacred symbol comparable to the crucifix today. Miniature axes of callais and serpentine, perforated to be hung around the neck, were found amongst the grave goods of the great Carnac Mounds. In the late 19th century an axe was found buried at the entrance to Mayburgh, along the axis of orientation where all must enter. It was very likely ritually buried in an act of consecration. Its symbolic placing in association with the Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment was surely significant.

The source of the axe was the moun-tains and factory sites that have been linked with the Penrith henges as a place of distribution.²² Blencathra can be seen to be representational of this source and the reason for the symbolic solar orientation of the Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment.

Mountains and hills have had a significant place throughout our spiritual history. They were held in special reverence because they were conspicuous landmarks and were seen to aspire towards the sky. They were nearer to the heavens and were seen to be an interface between heaven and earth. The cosmic attributes of the mountain are, I suggest, the reason for the Mayburgh-Blencathra alignment.

Isaiah's sacred mountain - "I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far north: I will ascend above the heights of clouds, I will make myself like the most High" - possibly comes near to giving voice to our ancestors and how they perceived the mountain. Blencathra is a mountain that lies and rises like a phoenix from the very heart of Mayburgh.

A full astronomical survey to ascertain the true declinations of the solar orientations is currently in progress.

NOTES

1. Topping 1992:249
2. Atkinson 1882:444
3. Topping:250
4. Pennant 1790:pl. XXXVII
5. Farrah 2000
6. Topping:249-264
7. Topping:250 -see below
8. Darvill 1997a:1-13: Darvill 1997b:167-202
9. Aubrey 1980:113
10. Atkinson:opp. 450
11. Dymond 1891:opp. 188
12. Topping:250
13. Topping:263
14. Atkinson: 454
15. Dymond:198
16. Lee 1998
17. Dymond;plan
18. Aubrey 1980:113, 114
19. Billingsley 1994:13-18
20. Burl 2000:101
21. Burl 1989:81-83; 2000:345, 346, 371; Maringer 1960:169
22. Burl 1989:68, 69; 2000:98-100

REFERENCES

Atkinson, W. l882. On some Earthworks near Eamont Bridge. Trans. Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Soc. 1st Series 6.
Aubrey, J. 1980. Monumenta Britannica. ed. Fowles, J. Dorset Publishing Company.
Billingsley, J. 1994. The saddle - A sacred landscape? Northern Earth 57.
Burl, A. 1989, The Stone Circles of the British Isles. Yale University Press.
Burl, A. 2000. The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany. Yale University Press.
Darvill, T. 1997a. Neolithic Landscapes: Identity and Definition, in Topping, P. (ed), Neolithic Landscapes, Oxbow Monographs 86.
Darvill, T. 1997b. Sacred Geographies, in Cunliffe, B. & Renfrew, C (eds), Science and Stonehenge.
Dymond, C.W. 1891. Mayburgh and King Arthur's Round Table. Trans. Cumb. & Westmorl. Antiq. & Arch. Soc. 1st Series 11
Farrah, R.W.E. 2000. Stand-off at Mayburgh Henge. Northern Earth 84.
Lee, J. l998. The Place Names of Cumbria. Heritage Services.
Maringer, J. 1960. The Gods of Prehistoric Man. London.
Pennant, T. 1790. A Tour in Scotland; 1769. (5th edition. Vol.1.). London: Benjamin White.
Topping, P. 1992. The Penrith Henges: A Survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. Proc. Prehistoric Soc. 58.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My thanks to Justin Grammer, regional co-ordinator during the campaign against the Eden Millenium Monument, for Figs. 1 & 2 (420mm zoom). For further information and developments concerning Mayburgh visit www.grammer.greatxscape.net.

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