Reasons for Designation
Hengi-form monuments are ritual or ceremonial centres closely connected with
burial and dating to the Middle and Late Neolithic periods (3000-2000 BC).
They were constructed as flat, roughly circular enclosures comprising an area
of ground typically between 5m and 20m across enclosed by a ditch with
external bank. One entrance or two opposing entrances through the earthwork
provided access to the interior of the monument which often contained pits,
cremation pits, postholes and graves. Cremation pits and postholes were often
present around the perimeter of the site. They are distinguished from standard
henges by their small size and their more specific association with burial.
Finds from the ditches and interiors of hengi-form monuments 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. Most examples are situated on gravel terraces or on hill slopes.
They sometimes occur in pairs or groups of three in close proximity. Hengi-
form monuments are very rare nationally with only 24 examples known, although
this is likely to be an underestimate in view of the difficulties in
recognition. As one of the few types of identified Neolithic structures and in
view of their rarity, all hengi-form monuments are considered to be of
national importance.
Despite some 20th century disturbance, the hengi-form monument 520m north of
Up Cerne Manor House is a well preserved example of its class and will contain
archaeological remains providing information about Neolithic burial practices,
economy and environment.
Details
The monument includes High Cank, a hengi-form monument, located on the top of
a ridge, 520m north of Up Cerne Manor House.
The monument has an uneven central platform at natural ground level, 10m in
diameter, surrounded by a ditch 2m wide and up to 0.4m deep, with an outer
bank of flint nodules 3m wide and up to 0.4m high. On the eastern side there
is a break in the bank with a corresponding causeway across the ditch, 2m
wide, creating an entrance into the earthwork. Previously, traces of a much
disturbed slight mound were recorded at the centre of the enclosure. This now
appears as a depression, possibly the result of past excavation, 2.7m by 1.6m
and 0.2m deep, surrounded by dumps of upcast soil. The bank on the south
eastern side is abutted by a mound containing a water reservoir which was
constructed in the 1970s.
All fence posts and the water tank are excluded from the scheduling, although
the ground beneath these features 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.
