Wormy Hillock Henge
A picture of the mound; the henge lies in the left half of the photo
LocationAberdeenshire, Scotland
Coordinates57°21′48.32″N 2°55′3.40″W / 57.3634222°N 2.9176111°W / 57.3634222; -2.9176111
BuiltDuring the Neolithic Period[1]
Architectural style(s)British pre-Roman Architecture
Official nameWormy Hillock
Reference no.3278[2]
Wormy Hillock Henge is located in Aberdeenshire
Wormy Hillock Henge
Wormy hillock henge shown within Aberdeenshire

Wormy Hillock Henge, also known as The Dragon's Grave, is a small henge in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.[3] It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument[1] located in the Clashindarroch Forest.[4] It is a low, circular bank 16.5 metres (54 ft) in diameter which almost surrounds a 6-metre (20 ft) wide platform in the centre.[3] There is one gap in the bank at the southeast end of the henge.[3]

History

In 1891, James Macdonald, thinking that this mound was a "round for sheep", excavated the mound. However, this did not bring any archaeological finds.[4]

Legend

According to legend, Wormy hillock henge was the location of a buried dragon or monster.[4][5] In the legend, the dragon had been attacking villages in the neighbourhood, and the villagers eventually succeeded in killing the dragon. They then half-buried its corpse and mounded dirt over it, making a mound.[6] This legend is the source of the names of the mound: Wormy Hillock Henge and The Dragon's Grave.[5][6]

The site

The henge is located to the south of the mound known as Wormy Hillock, on a haugh ("a piece of flat alluvial land by the side of a river", according to the Oxford English Dictionary[7]) in a steep valley[4] in the Clashindarroch Forest. The henge comprises a circular bank, 16.5 metres (54 ft) in diameter,[8] enclosing an oval area 13.5 metres (44 ft) long by 13 metres (43 ft) wide.[4] The bank itself ranges from 3 metres (9.8 ft) broad and 10 centimetres (3.9 in) high up to 4 metres (13 ft) thick and 60 centimetres (24 in) high.[4] Wormy Hillock falls into the sub-category 'mini-henge' or 'hengiform' as it is less than 20m in diameter (see henge main article). The area enclosed by the bank is around 140 square metres (1,500 sq ft), and the average for a stone circle is around 260 square metres (2,800 sq ft).[9]

Inside the bank is a small platform 6 metres (20 ft) in diameter surrounded by a 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep ditch crossed by several causeways.[4] The southeastern one is apparently related to the 1 metre (3.3 ft) wide hole in the bank at the same angular position.[3][4] This site is similar to several others in Dorchester, Oxon, England.[8] There are two small pits on the bank, and they may be much more recent than the rest of the mound. A large boulder is lying in the ditch right below one of the pits.[4]

Currently, the site is completely overgrown by grass and heather.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Dip, Jill Moody (2006). Electricity Act 1989 (PDF) (Report). The Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  2. ↑ The Diversity Team (September 2009). Moray & Aberdeenshire Forest District Strategic Plan 2009–2013 (PDF) (Report). Forestry Commission Scotland. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Wormy Hillock Henge". Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Wormy Hillock". Canmore Site Records. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  5. 1 2 MacDonald, James (1891). Place Names in Strathbogie. Dwyllie and Son. pp. 258–259.
  6. 1 2 "Wormy Hillock Henge Monument". Attractions in Aberdeenshire. Britain Express. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  7. ↑ "haugh, n." Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. Oxford University Press. 16 December 20.
  8. 1 2 "Aberdeenshire SMR – Wormy Hillock". Aberdeenshire Council Sites and Monument Record. Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  9. ↑ Burl, Aubrey (August 2000) [First published 1995]. The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany (2nd ed.). Yale University Press. pp. 36. ISBN 978-0-300-08347-7. wormy hillock.
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