Henge, 550m south east of Tone Hall

Reasons for Designation

Henges are ritual or ceremonial centres which date to the Late Neolithic period (2800-2000 BC). They were constructed as roughly circular or oval- shaped enclosures comprising a flat area over 20m in diameter enclosed by a ditch and external bank. One, two or four entrances provided access to the interior of the monument, which may have contained a variety of features including timber or stone circles, post or stone alignments, pits, burials or central mounds. Finds from the ditches and interiors of henges provide important evidence for the chronological development of the sites, the types of activity that occurred within them and the nature of the environment in which they were constructed. Henges occur throughout England with the exception of south-eastern counties and the Welsh Marches. They are generally situated on low ground, often close to springs and water-courses. Henges are rare nationally with about 80 known examples. As one of the few types of identified Neolithic structures and in view of their comparative rarity, all henges are considered to be of national importance.

The henge near Tone Hall survives well and is a good example of a monument class which is very rare in Northumberland.

Details

The monument is a henge of Neolithic date, situated on an elevated and exposed position in a small plantation. It includes a raised, roughly oval central platform measuring 43m by 54m across, within a broad shallow ditch 4m across and 0.3m deep. Outside the ditch there is a narrow flat space or berm 1.5m wide surrounded by an external bank. The bank is on average 5m wide and 0.6m high. At the northern end of the enclosure there is an entrance 7m wide. The fences which delimit the conifer plantation at the northern end of the monument are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

20966

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Hogg, A H A, Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11 in Proc Soc Antiq Ncle 4 ser 11, (1947)

Other
5421,

End of official list entry

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