Ancient Sites Gazetteer

Alderley Edge has been a sacred site for many thousands of years and has many legends attached to it. King Arthur and his men are said to sleep somewhere beneath the sandstone cliffs. Read More »

A holy well can be found here dedicated to St Non, as is a nearby church. As with many wells this one is reputed to heal, in this case madness.

Arbor Low is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Derbyshire. Surrounded by unspoiled countryside with fantastic views over classic Derbyshire scenery, it is not hard to image that one is thousands of miles away from the hubbub of modern life. Read More »

History, the ritual landscape and geometry once resonated very much as one. Faint traces of our ancestors whose silent whispers in the landscape once conveyed so much awe and splendour now sadly lie silent, their purpose and meaning largely forgotten, for in general there is a present day lack of any real sense of connectedness. Read More »

The stone circle and henge that surrounds the village of Avebury, is only one in a series of monuments concentrated in this small area. The site is a remnant of a ritual Neolithic landscape, which still survives although degraded with time and the actions of over zealous groups in past centuries. Read More »

This concentric ring hillfort dates from the Iron Age, and according to archaeologists was built to stem an invasion from the Northeast of the country. Read More »

Balfarg Henge and Bilbirnie Stone circle now sit in the midst of a housing estate separated by the A92, which runs through the site. Read More »

This cliff face site was rediscovered in the 1980's, and consists of an abundance of cup and ring markings and other more obscure symbols. Read More »

Ballynoe is a large stone circle dating from the Late Neolithic Period situated with superb views of the Mountains of Mourne to the South. Its position and size make it one of the most impressive stone circles in Ireland. Read More »

This burial mound has five carved stones within its chamber, now capped by concrete to prevent their erosion. The stones are carved with a range of patterns including spirals cup marks and zig-zag features. The purpose of these marks is unknown, but they may have had some ritual function. Read More »

The island is also known as the island of the currents and the saints. There are said to be the graves of 20,000 saints interred on the island, and legend suggests that anybody buried here will not go to hell no matter how wicked his deeds. Read More »

Barpa Langass is a Neolithic chambered cairn, which now survives as a jumbled mass of stone overlooking a moonscape of barren peatland. The cairn is roughly 16 feet high, and around 82 feet across. Read More »

The hot springs and the Roman bath house are a Celtic/Roman sacred place, dedicated to the Sullis and the goddess Minerva. In myth the sacred spring was discovered by King Bladud, who was cured of leprosy by the healing waters and mud. Read More »

The whole area around Dyfed is associated with Arthur, outlined in the old Welsh tales now part of the Mabinogion. This cairn on the hilltop is thought to be Arthur's Grave.

Directions: The grave is in the Prescely Mountains

The chambered tomb called the Bedd Branwen, is said to be the resting place of Branwen, the legendary wife of Bran described in early Welsh stories.

Directions: To the East of Elim.

Bedd-yr-Afanc means the monsters grave, the Afanc being a name commonly given to a water monster in Wales. The grave is actually the only Bronze Age Gallery Grave in Wales and dates from around 1500BC. Just two rows of parallel stones survive. According to legend the Afanc used to dwell in a pool by Brynberian Bridge, and was captured and killed then buried in this mound on the hillside. Read More »

Bronze Age barrows on the down are known as the music barrows, and are traditionally thought to be home of the fairy folk. According to folklore it was possible to hear the fairy revelry if you placed your ear to the barrows at midday.

Directions:
A public footpath runs near the down reached from the South West Coast Path. Read More »

Bodmin means the house of the monks, and this was an ecclesiastical town until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII.

The original monastery dedicated to St Petroc was founded in the 6th Century. St Petroc's bones are believed to be kept in an ivory casket in the crypt of St Petroc's Church. Read More »

A horseman garbed in Bronze Age attire has been seen on Bottlebush Down. He disappears into a long barrow from the site of a cursus on the B3081. Many witnesses including respected Archaeologists have seen the spirit. Bottlebush Down seems to have been important to early man and is littered with his remains.

The hill, which was once and Iron Age hillfort, is associated with an Arthurian Legend, and was the abode of three fearsome giants. Read More »

This Long Barrow standing on Congleton Edge, is thought to date from around 3000BC during the Mid Neolithic period. The barrow is aligned East to West and contains a chamber in the Eastern end. Excavated during the 18th century much of the covering mound was destroyed along with 2 other chambers. Read More »

The name of this site translates as the mound in the dark grove. It is a developed site, which changed in ritual use and importance during the Neolithic and Bronze age period. Read More »

The Clava Cairns - or more correctly Bulnaraun of Clava - is one of the best preserved Bronze Age burial sites in Scotland. There are three cairns here, two with passage ways aligned to the Midwinter sunset, and all with more subtle features, incorporated to reflect the importance of the South-west horizon. Read More »

This large hillfort has a plethora of traditions attached to it, most notably that it is the site of the legendary Camelot, the stronghold of Arthur. There is a distinct possibility that the historical Arthur - probably a sixth century war leader - had his base here, as the Iron Age hillfort was reoccupied and refortified around this time. Read More »

This is the best example of a Roman amphitheatre in Britain. Until 1926 when serious excavations were undertaken at the site, it was considered to be a circular earthwork and linked to the legend of King Arthur being known as his Round Table. Read More »

Situated near the village of Calanais, Isle of Lewis on a ridge of land above Loch Roag, Callanais is one of the more remote stone circles in the British Isles. The circle consists of a central stone just under five metres in height, surrounded by a circle of thirteen stones. Read More »

This standing stone has a number of traditions associated with it, it looks very much like a Neolithic standing stone, although sources suggest that it actually dates to the fifth century, during the end of the Roman occupation. The name of the stone is certainly of Roman origin although it may have been old during the Roman period. Read More »

Carn Brea was occupied from 3,900BC, and was protected from attack by stone ramparts. Archaeological evidence shows the settlement was attacked and burned down at some point in its history. Hoards of Celtic coins have also been found on the hill during excavation. Read More »

The remains of this Iron Age village dating from around 200BC, houses a 66-foot long fogou. A fogou is an underground passage, completed in stone and covered with earth. They date from the Iron Age period to the Roman occupation.

There is some speculation as to their purpose. Whether they are storage facilities, safe havens from attackers or channels for earth currents is debatable. Read More »

Carn Gluze Long Barrow is a developed site that has seen burials over a long period of time. Early in the history of the barrow a deep shaft was built in the centre of the monument with steps leading down into it, its purpose is unclear although theories of ritual usage have been expounded. Read More »

Castle Dore is an Iron age hillfort dating from around 200BC.  It was possibly home to Cunomonus a local king who had a son called Drustanus. The castle is also associated with the legend of Tristan and Isolde. Read More »

Castlerigg Stone Circle is one of the finest in Cumbria, it is spectacularly situated within a panorama of rugged hills of ever changing character, depending on the mercurial Lakeland weather. Read More »

The Cerne Abbas Giant or the 'Rude Man' is one of the largest hillfigures in Britain, he (the figure's gender is beyond doubt) is one of two representations of the human form, the other being the Long Man of Wilmington in East Sussex. The giant, carved in solid lines from the chalk bedrock measures in at 180 feet high, and carries a huge knobbled club, which measures 120 feet in length. Read More »

Chanctonbury Ring is a hill on the Sussex Downs some 700 feet above sea level and, until the hurricane, which swept across Southern England, was crowned with beech trees. Excavations at the site showed that the ramparts dated from 300 BC. Remains of several Roman buildings were found during the early digs, along with various items and fragments of pottery. Read More »

Chun Quoit: by Daniel Parkinson

Chun Quoit is one of the most recognisable of the Bronze Age burial cairns in the Penwith area.

Directions: On a footpath from a minor road off the B3306.

Dating from 1280, this is one of only two churches dedicated to St Alkeda (Alkelda,Athilda, Alcelda) (the other being in Giggleswick) and is said to be her final resting place. St Alkeda was a chaste Saxon maiden, sometimes described as a princess and a nun. Read More »

This mighty monolith - dating back to the late Bronze Age - is Scotland's tallest standing stone, measuring nearly 6m (20 feet) in height, it would have been even taller before the change in climate a Read More »

Cleaven Dyke was thought to be a Roman defensive structure until excavation revealed that it was in fact a Neolithic Cursus (a ceremonial earthwork), which must have been one of the largest - and most Read More »

This rocky hilltop was occupied during the Neolithic period around 3800BC, when there were a number of rectangular houses on the summit. During the Iron Age the hill was fortified and served as a hillfort. A rampart, which can still be seen today, was completed around the hill with an entrance towards the Southwest. Read More »

To the West of Newbury lie the villages of Kintbury and Inkpen. From here, you can follow a pleasant country road climbing the chalk downs to the south. There are a couple of viewing places near the summit of Combe down, and the scenery is fantastic for miles around.

Here you will find Combe gibbet, and the remains of the Iron Age (600 BC to 50 AD) Walbury hill fort (SU3761). Read More »

The Yew trees in the church yard are said to be the relatives of an ancient tree which sprouted from a staff planted in the ground by St Congar. Yew trees grow very slowly and are often found in ancient churchyards. In many cases they are the descendants of ancient trees planted when the church was first built. The story may be a folk memory related to the original planting. Read More »

The passage grave of Corrimory in Glen Urquart, consists of a circular mound of river pebbles enclosed by an outer kerb, and a ring of 11 standing stones. The construction of the cairn is of the Clava style, as the cairns at Bulnaraun of Clava are used as a standard for cairns of this period and region. Read More »

The Cors-y-Gedol burial chamber which still has it's capstone intact is also referred to as Arthur’s Quoit and can be found close to some ancient hut circles known as the Irishmen’s huts on the slope of Moelfre. Read More »

A large stone, close to the churchyard is said to have been thrown by the Devil from the Isle of May. It is possible that the stone was part of a sacred site here before the church. Read More »

One of the most impressive and easy to access stone circles in the Tay valley: Croft Moraig is situated just off the A827 between Aberfeldy and the head of Loch Tay. The sites long history as a changing ritual centre in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age make it one of the most important monuments in the area. Read More »

The ruins of this relatively little known abbey are remarkably intact, and stand in a part of Ayrshire steeped in history. As well as being historically interesting there are many enigmas associated with the abbey, which could well be worth further research. There may have been a Pictish site here, and some people suggest that the abbey may have a Templar connection. Read More »

Two giant earthworks named the Devil's Dyke and the Slad, enclose and area of around 40 hectares to the South of St Albans. The area was excavated in 1932 by Sir Mortimer Wheeler, and the ditch was found to have had an original depth of nearly thirteen metres making it a huge undertaking. Read More »

The legendary stronghold of Vortigern, and the place where the young prophet Merlin revealed the fighting dragons. Read More »

The Druids Temple, situated near Ilton, about 4 miles west of Masham is a folly created by William Danby of nearby Swinton Hall in 1820. The structure sits deep within a private forest and includes a large stone table, a sheltered cave and an altar stone. The temple is approximately 100 feet long and 50 feet wide, with some of the stones standing over 10 feet high. Read More »

This ruined dun is said to have been the home of a giant called Cuithach, who in the tradition of most giants, laid waste to the surrounding area by stealing cattle and killing local people. Read More »