Ancient Monuments and Ritual: Six of the Best Henges in Scotland

As one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments, Stonehenge in England may dominate headlines, but you don’t need to travel south of the border to find some of the best henges in Britain.

What’s a Henge?

‘Henge’ is quite a vague term and there are differences among the prehistoric earthworks which archaeologists have called henges. But in general, the key features of a henge are a ring-shaped bank, with a ditch inside the bank that marks out a central, circular area. They also have openings, entrances and exits that pass through the earthwork circuits into the central circle – it’s these openings which have helped us group henges into different classifications:

– Class I henges have a single entrance created from a gap in the bank

– Class II henges have two entrances sitting opposite each other

– Class III henges have four entrances, facing each other in pairs

Most henges are somewhere between 20m and 100m in diameter, but there are a few monster exceptions known as ‘superhenges’ and smaller ones known as ‘mini-henges’.

Henges were built around 5,000 to 4,000 years ago (3000 BC to 2000 BC), during the Neolithic and early Bronze Age periods. They were usually constructed in low-lying areas and often combined with additional structures (sometimes added a later date), such as timber posts or standing stones, but henges exist as their own type of monument too.

At least 88 henges have been identified in Scotland, but it’s likely that there are many more waiting to be discovered.

What Were Henges Used For?

It’s believed that henges were the focal point of prehistoric ritual. While we don’t know exactly what went on inside them, they’re generally accepted to be places in which some form of ceremony or ceremonies took place and we know that some were used as burial places later on.

The fascinating thing about henges is that the ditch sits inside the earthen bank – so it appears that they were built with the intention of keeping something in, as opposed to a defensive site where a ditch was built on the outside of a bank to keep something out.

It’s thought that this bank lying outside the ditch may have been built to shield the interior of the henge from view, which suggests that only a select few took part in what went on inside. Or this could have been used as a platform from which to view what was happening inside, like a prehistoric version of Murray Mound or Henman Hill at Wimbledon.

Standing Stones of Stenness, Orkney

Built about 5,400 years ago, the henge monument at the Stones of Stenness may be the oldest in the British Isles.

Sadly, years of erosion and modern ploughing means the henge earthworks are no longer visible, but excavation tells us that these once consisted of a large ditch (4m wide and 2m deep) and bank. Building the ditch involved digging straight into hard rock, an activity that required a considerable collective effort, suggesting that this monument was important to the whole community. The four enormous standing stones you can see today are all that remains of a great 12-stone circle which were added several hundred years later in the centre of the henge.

The focus of this ancient ceremonial site was a large hearth (fireplace), which can still be seen today. Excavated pottery and animal bones show that Neolithic visitors to the site cooked and ate food here. We also know this spot was important because other features inside the henge – a paved path, a possible second hearth and three upright stones – mark the approach to the central hearth.

Wormy Hillock Henge, Aberdeenshire

This henge hidden away in dense forest sits at one end of a large mound known as Wormy Hillock or the Dragon’s Grave. The henge itself is perhaps not so unusual, other than being one of Scotland’s few mini-henges, but the site on which it was built has a fascinating story attached to it.

According to legend, long ago local villagers managed to kill a dragon that had been terrorising the area. They decided to dig a grave for the beast, but gave up partway through and simply rolled the carcass into the half-dug grave. They then covered the dragon with the earth they had already dug from the hole, creating the hillock, the name of which became a reminder of the dragon (or ‘worm’) buried below.

Did this story originate long after the henge was in use as a ritual site around 4,000 years ago? Or is it possible that the legend was passed down from the time the Neolithic builders constructed the henge?

Quarry Wood Henge, Moray

Perhaps the only known henge in Moray, Quarry Wood is unusual in that it commands a prominent high position in the landscape.

In 2011, a geophysical survey found possible pits or post settings that could indicate that a ring of timber posts once stood inside the monument – over thousands of years, the timber decayed and left a visible difference between the soil in which the posts once sat and the surrounding earth. Experts also found evidence that could represent further activity within the henge, such as burials, burning or occupation of some kind. There are also some large stones remaining in the centre of the henge that may be the remains of a later stone circle.

Several pieces of flint debitage (waste material produced in the making of prehistoric stone tools) were also recovered from the site and an early Bronze Age flat axe mould (now on display in Elgin Museum) was found in 1945 in the centre of the henge.

Cairnpapple Hill Henge, West Lothian

Like Quarry Wood, the henge on Cairnpapple Hill is unusual in that it was built high up, with views from the Highlands to Pentlands. It’s also a striking example of a prehistoric complex which was in use, on and off, for thousands of years.

Archaeological digs in 1947-8 revealed that the site had been used by local farmers for over 200 generations, from the early Neolithic (some 5,800 years ago) through to the early Christian era (around 1,500 years ago). In addition to a henge built around 5,000 years ago, the excavations uncovered later pottery, axes, three burial cairns (ancient stone burial monuments), and four long-cist burials (small stone-built coffin-like boxes used to hold the bodies of the dead).

The burial cairns were built on the site between 1,000 and 2,000 years after the henge was first constructed and the pottery vessels found with them (now in the collections of National Museums Scotland) are some of the site’s most interesting finds. The design of the vessels indicates that the people burying their dead must have had strong trading links with people from hundreds of miles away.

Cairnpapple is hugely significant as a rare late Neolithic/Bronze-Age ceremonial complex in Scotland, and the dig in the 1940s by Professor Stuart Piggott FSAScot was the first henge monument excavation in modern times.

Balfarg Henge, Fife

Discovered from aerial photographs around 1950, Balfarg henge on the northeast edge of Glenrothes dates back over 6,000 years. In the late 1970s, the site was excavated before a housing development was built, and clear evidence was found that a timber circle (25m in diameter) once sat in the centre of the henge. A significant amount of grooved ware pottery (the name given to a distinctive pottery style found in Britain during the Neolithic period) was also discovered around the timber posts. Experts have also suggested that five other timber circles existed on the site.

What’s more, there is evidence to suggest that this spot was also home to two stone circles which were probably built after the timber circles, and that the western entrance of the henge was marked by a single portal stone. The final period of prehistoric activity on the site is represented by the burial of a young person in a pit at the centre of the henge; the burial, along with an unusual handled beaker and a flint knife, was covered by a large slab weighing about two tons, which has been replaced in its original position.

One of the first examples of a prehistoric monument incorporated into the design of a modern housing development, Balfarg henge is very easy to visit as it forms the central green area of this urban housing complex.

Balfarg Henge, whose modern setting in the middle of a housing estate on the north east edge of Glenrothes in Fife would be very alien to its ancient builders. This ritual site dates back over six thousand years. @UndisScot Info ‘Jackdeighstonsf’ image & mock-up suggestion. pic.twitter.com/PrJOWWUP3Z

— Andrew Spratt (@andrewsp2009) August 12, 2021

Migdale Loch Henge, Highlands

Experts believe that ceremonies using fire once occurred at this mini-henge, which was likely built in the Later Neolithic or Early Bronze Age around 4,000 years ago.  In addition to a layer of dark “burnt” earth forming a rim around the central area and a scatter of quartz chips, archaeologists have discovered that a wooden post which once stood at the centre of the henge, and a standing stone in front of the entrance, would have lined up perfectly with the sun as it rose through the hills behind the henge at the spring and autumn equinoxes.

Dubbed a “pocket-sized Stonehenge”, Migdale may be only 12m in diameter, but it sits in a landscape that has been hugely significant in improving our understanding of the prehistoric period in Scotland. Just a stone’s throw from the site is an Iron Age crannog and the world-famous Migdale hoard, containing jewellery from around 2000-1150 BC, was also found nearby. Together the henge, crannog and hoard reveal a story of 2,000 years of human activity around Migdale loch.

 

Want to keep exploring? Check out NOSAS’s Highland Henge Trail or dig into our list of Five of the Best Hillforts in Scotland.

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Header Image: Dr John Wells via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

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