Threshfield Henge 2 (southern)

Summary

Upstanding earthworks and buried archaeological remains of a Neolithic henge monument with two opposed entrances, to the north-west and south-east. The southern of a pair of henges which appear to be orientated to respect the adjacent River Wharfe. Geophysical survey also identified a large, roughly rectangular pit aligned just west of the centre line of the henge.

Reasons for Designation

Threshfield Henge 2, the southern of a pair of prehistoric henge monuments, is included on the Schedule for the following principal reasons:

* Rarity: as a positively identified henge; a nationally rare site-type, and one of the few forms of monument that were constructed in the Neolithic period;

* Survival: it retains upstanding earthworks, thus making it one of the better-preserved henges known nationally;

* Potential: as demonstrated by the well-defined ditches and pits identified via geophysical surveying, showing that the henge will also retain important in-situ archaeological deposits;

* Group value: the close proximity with a second henge to the north, which appears to share the same alignment respecting the adjacent River Wharfe, adds to the importance of the monument.

History

Henges are ritual or ceremonial centres which date to the Late Neolithic period (2800-2000 BC) with some examples now thought to extend into the Early Bronze Age (up to around 1700 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 less than 80 known examples.

The upstanding earthworks of Threshfield Henge 2 were identified from Lidar data released in 2012. Although it had not been previously identified by archaeologists, the site appears to have been recognised locally as being constructed rather than natural because the field in which it lies is called Castle Dykes Pasture. Centred about 120m to the north of the henge, in a field called Castle Dykes Meadow, is a second henge (Threshfield Henge 1, see NHLE 1492322) which survives as a levelled archaeological site that was identified in 2006 as a crop mark by English Heritage’s Aerial Survey. About 250m to the south-east of Henge 2 is a low mound which may be the earthwork remains of a round barrow, but may also be a natural feature. These three sites and the surrounding area were geophysically surveyed in 2013 using laser-scanning, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetometry (Gibson, 2017). The geophysical survey also identified various other potential archaeological remains in the wider area. These have not been included in the scheduling as their interpretation is uncertain.

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: henge monument surviving as low upstanding earthworks and buried archaeological deposits.

DESCRIPTION: Threshfield Henge 2 lies on a river terrace on the southern side of the River Wharfe, the edge of the 15m scarp down to the river being nearly 300m to the north-east of the centre of the henge. Geophysical survey has clearly shown that the henge has two opposed entrances, on the north-west and south-east sides, these appearing to reflect the general orientation of the river. Centred around 120m to the north is a second henge (see NHLE 1492322) which survives as a levelled archaeological site, this having a single entrance but a similar alignment. Centred about 300m to the south-east is a low mound, which might represent the remains of a round barrow.

The outer bank, inner ditch and roughly circular interior of Henge 2 can all be readily identified as upstanding earthworks, the change in height between the bottom of the ditch and the top of the bank being in excess of 1m in some areas. However, ploughing has spread and modified these earthworks to falsely suggest that the henge has two opposed entrances on the south-west and north-east sides, these being aligned with the orientation of previous ploughed cultivation. The geophysical survey, however, is very clear: this shows the broad inner ditch, 5-6m wide with distinct entrance causeways about 5m wide on north-west and south-east sides, the breaks in the outer bank having been infilled with material spread by ploughing. The geophysical survey also shows that the terminals of the ditches either side of the causeways are rounded. The outer edge of the henge bank on the west side is marked by a narrow ditch, just under 2m wide, interpreted as a foundation trench for a timber revetment for the bank. The corresponding areas to the north-west and north-east lie beneath drystone field walls and were thus not included in the geophysical survey. In the middle of the henge, just off-set to the west of its centre line and orientated with the entrances, the geophysical survey also identified a broadly rectangular pit some 12m long. Smaller pits below the bank to the north of the south-east entrance were also identified.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: this is defined as an 83m diameter circle designed to enclose the full extent of the henge, including its outer ditch with an additional 5m margin. The drystone field walls that cut across the north-west and north-east sides are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

Sources

Books and journals
Gibson, A, Survey and Excavation at the Henges of the Wharfe Valley, North Yorkshire, 2013–15 in Archaeological Journal, (2017), 1-55

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.