The Bull Ring
The Bull Ring is found Dove Holes in Derbyshire, built in the late Neolithic era. Archaeologists class it as is a 'Class II henge'.[1]
- Location map: 53°18’3"N, 1°53’4"W[2]
- Streetmap: SK07857823)
There are also two barrows about 20 yards away from the henge; one oval, one bowl.[1]
The henge consists of a large, circular earthwork, which is currently about three feet high and 30 to 36 feet wide; however it was originally 10 feet high and 18 to 23 feet wide. The henge has a ditch on the inside, which varies between a foot and a half to three feet deep and 26 to 40 feet wide; it was originally 4 to 10 feet deep and 16 to 21 feet wide. The ditch and bank are separated by a berm, which was originally 16 feet wide. It encloses an area 58 yards (north–south) by 50 yards (east–west), with entrances to the north and south, each of which have a causeway across the ditch. A skeleton was reputedly found near the north entrance; this entrance was also damaged in the 19th century by quarrying. The centre of the henge was ploughed in the 18th century; a drystone wall was also built across the site during the same era.[1]
A single standing stone (orthostat) was recorded as remaining in 1789 by Pilkington, potentially the remnant of a stone circle.[1] It has been suggested that stones from the henge were used as sleepers for the Peak Forest Tramway circa 1790.[3]
Excavation
A minor excavation was carried out in the west ditch in 1902 by Micah Salt; this reputedly discovered some pottery sherds and flint flakes, which have since been lost.[1] A trial excavation by Oxford University Archaeological Society in 1949 established that the ring has two entrances, and also provided information about the original size of the bank and ditch. However, it did not provide any evidence of stones on the site.[4] The excavation also turned up flint flakes, as well as a rim from a pottery food vessel.[1]
A third excavation was carried out in 1984 outside the south entrance, which found further flint flakes and pottery, several pits, and stakeholes of a fence following the henge bank, which are potentially original features of the henge.[1][5] Most recently, Magnetometer and earth resistance surveys were carried out in 2000, with no conclusive results.[6]
The oval barrow to the south-west of the henge is about 30 yards by 23 yards, and is approximately 8 feet high. It was constructed at some time in the early to mid-Neolithic period. A later (late Neolithic to late Bronze Age) bowl barrow is superimposed on it. The summit of the oval barrow was disturbed by a Second World War slit trench; the edges of the barrow have also been disturbed by ploughing as well as a drystone wall, which has subsequently been removed. The barrow has not been excavated.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 National Heritage List 1011204: Bull Ring henge, oval barrow and bowl barrow (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ Megalithic Portal: Bullring Henge
- ↑ "Peak District Towns and Villages: Dove Holes". http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/towns/doveholes.php.
- ↑ Alcock, L. (1950). "The Henge Monument of The Bull Ring, Dove Holes, Derbyshire". Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 16: 81–86. doi:10.1017/S0079497X00018934.
- ↑ Barnatt, J. (1988). "Excavations at the Bull Ring henge, Dove Holes, Derbyshire, 1984–85". Derbyshire Archaeological Journal 108: 5–20.
- ↑ Martin, L (7 November 2000). "The Bull Ring, Dove Holes, Derbyshire. Report on geophysical survey, September 2000.". http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/reports/bullring/.
- Andrew, W.J. (1905). "The Bull Ring: a stone circle at Dove Holes". Derbyshire Archaeological Journal 27.
- Tristram, E. (1915). "The stone circle, known as the 'Bull Ring', at Dove Holes, and the mound adjoining". Derbyshire Archaeological Journal 37.