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.
Details
The monument includes a henge monument which is situated on the top of a north
east facing ridge, 2.25km north west of Weston parish church. The monument is
visible as a raised platform about 1m in height, circular in shape with a
diameter of about 65m. A surrounding ditch is also visible as an earthwork and
measures between 7m and 10m in width and a maximum of 0.5m in depth. Although
no longer visible at ground level, two opposing entrances across the
surrounding ditch can be seen clearly as cropmarks on aerial photographs and
will survive as buried features. The eastern entrance measures 15m across,
the western entrance measures 20m across. The monument is classed as a type 2
henge because it has two opposing entrances. The site is associated with a
local legendary giant called Jack O' Legs who was supposed to have lived in a
cave nearby.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
20764
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
