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ARBOR LOW

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DESCRIPTION

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A Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age henge monument comprising earthwork enclosure defined by a bank and internal ditch with an inner ring of standing stones, all now recumbent. The maximum external diameter of the enclosure is circa 90 metres. There are two entrance causeways, one to the northwest and the other to the south-south-east. The circle of stones may originally have comprised around 39 uprights, while in the centre of the enclosed area are the remains of a roughly square setting of stones, perhaps a cove. Excavation of the site was undertaken by Harold St George Gray in 1901-2, but were not extensive. Finds included flint implements including a few scrapers and arrowheads, including a barbed and tanged example from the bottom of the ditch. A few fragmentary bones and teeth were also recovered. A human skeleton was found in the area of the central setting, but was not accompanied by any artefacts. Scheduled. A linear earthwork approaches the henge from the south (see Monument No. 308731), while a round barrow (see Monumnet No. 308666) is situated on the south east part of the henge bank.

DETAIL

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[SK 16036355] Arbor Low [O.E.] (1)

Arbor Low is a Class II Henge Monument consisting of a ring of 42 stones and a central core surrounded by a ditch with an external bank. (2)

Scheduled, and in the charge of the M.O.W. (3)

The excavations of 1901-2 suggested that the earthwork connected with the ditch on the south-west was of the same date.(4) (2-4)

Stones all recumbent, some signs of mutilation of the bank. (See plan with field notes). (5)

Field report of 19.8.52 correct.

Resurveyed at 1/2500. (6)

Additional references. (7-9)

Excavation of the site was undertaken by Harold St George Gray in 1901-2 on behalf of the Anthropological Section of the British Association. The excavations were not extensive. Finds included flint implements including a few scrapers and arrowheads, including a barbed and tanged example from the bottom of the ditch. A few fragmentary animal bones and teeth were also recovered. A human skeleton was found in the area of the central setting of stones (or cove), but was not accompanied by any artefacts. Gray also examined an associated earthwork (Monument No. 308731) which runs up to the S side of the enclosure. He also discussed but did not re-examine the previously excavated round barrow (Monument No. 308666) constructed on the SE part of the henge bank. (10)

The site and its archaeological history have recently been described by Harding & Lee (11) and Barnatt (12), the latter suggesting that the stones, now almost all recumbent, had originally been set in shallow stone holes, contrary to the frequently expressed view that they had never stood upright.

A fuller description of the site including pre-Gray excavations is provided by Barnatt in his survey of henges and related monuments of the Peak District (13), while the broader background of the site is discussed by various authors in a recent volume on the prehistory of the Peak District (14).

Arbor Low henge is a scheduled Monumnet described as a "large irregular stone circle. Linear bank and bowl barrow". The monument includes the henge and stone circle, the linear bank adjoining the henge, and a bowl barrow superimposed on the east side of the henge bank. The henge features a massive bank and internal ditch surrounding an oval area of circa 40m by 52m. The ditch is between 7-12 m wide, the bank is circa 2m high and is between 8-10m wide. It is roughly circular and has an external diameter of 90 by 85m. The ditch is crossed by causeways at the entrances. The remains of the stone circle are situated within the henge. There are 50 stumps and fragments of stones: the original number of stones may have been 41-43. Leading southward from the henge is a bank and ditch that extends for 150m further south is another section which is 200m long and turns westward. The 70m gap between the two is not included in the scheduled area.(15)

Fieldwork has shown that the site of Arbor Low may have been chosen because for a henge it was close to an earlier "sacred" complex. A Neolithic barrow (Gib Hill) is situated approximately 1000 foot from the henge: this was constructed in two phases, the first an oval mound partly overridden by a second later mound with a cist burial. Furthermore there were traces of a fragment of a circular earthwork enclosure and stone bank. J. Radley conjectures that this may be the remains of an earlier henge that was superseded by Arbor Low and subsequently slighted. (16)

D. Thomsen published a guide to Arbor Low in 1963, this includes a map of the site. (17)

Arbor Low is an English Heritage managed property. Details of opening hours and how to find the monument are included on the English Heritage web site. (18)

The name Arbor Low is thought to derive from 'Eorthburg Hlaw' which means 'earthwork mound'. See source for further details. (19)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1955

( 2) by R J C Atkinson, C M Piggott and N K Sandars 1951 Excavations at Dorchester, Oxon: first report. Sites I, II, IV, V and VI, with a chapter on henge monuments

Page(s)95

( 3) General reference

Ancient Monuments in England and Wales, 1961, (Ministry Of Works) Page(s)31

( 4) Society of Antiquaries of London Archaeologia : or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity

St George Gray, H. On the Excavations at Arbor Low, 1901-2. 58, 1903 Page(s)461-98

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 FC 19-AUG-52

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F2 FC 28-APR-66

( 7) Royal Archaeological Institute The Archaeological Journal

126, 1969 Page(s)1-28

( 8) Aubrey Burl 1976 The stone circles of the British Isles

Page(s)343, 396

( 9) Aubrey Burl; with photographs by Edward Piper 1979 Rings of stone : the prehistoric stone circles of Britain and Ireland

Page(s)216

(10) Society of Antiquaries of London Archaeologia : or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity

St George Gray, H. On the Excavations at Arbor Low 1901-2. 58, 1903 Page(s)461-98

(11) by A F Harding ; with G E Lee 1987 Henge monuments and related sites of Great Britain : air photographic evidence and catalogue

BAR British series1 (1974) - Site 037 175 Page(s)110-1

(12) by John Barnatt 1989 Stone circles of Britain : taxonomic and distributional analyses and a catalogue of sites in England, Scotland and Wales

BAR British series1 (1974) - 215 (i-ii) Page(s)364-5

(13) by John Barnatt 1990 The henges, stone circles and ringcairns of the Peak District

Sheffield archaeological monographs 1 Page(s)31-8

(14) edited by Richard Hodges and Ken Smith 1991 Recent developments in the archaeology of the Peak District

Sheffield archaeological monographs 2

(15) Scheduled Monument Notification

Amendment 15-Apr-1994

(16) by J Radley 1969 The origin of the Arbor Low monument

Derbyshire archaeological journalVol 81 (1961) - 88, 1968 Page(s)100-103

(17) by D Thompson 1963 Guide to Arbor Low, together with notes on three other prehistoric sites in Derbyshire

(18) World Wide Web page

English Heritage 2004 "Places to Visit: Arbor Low Stone Circle and Gib Hill Barrow"; http://www.english-heritage.org.uk; accessed 22-SEP-2004

(19) English Heritage 2006 Heritage Unlocked: Guide to free sites in the Midlands

Page(s)8-9

RELATED MONUMENTS

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Monument Name/No

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Description

MONUMENT NO. 308666
MIDDLETON AND SMERRILL

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A large bowl barrow overlying the bank of Arbor Low henge (see Monument No. 308656). The barrow has been dug into on several occasions during the 18th...

MONUMENT NO. 308731
MIDDLETON AND SMERRILL

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Linear bank and associated silted-up ditch, running south west for a considerable distance from Arbor Low henge (see Monument No. 308656), though prob...

MONUMENT NO. 308779
MIDDLETON AND SMERRILL

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Two Neolithic stone axes and a whetstone were found near Arbor Low (see Monument No. 308656) in 1839, 1852 and 1853.

MONUMENT TYPES

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LATE NEOLITHIC COVE -2900 to -2200

LATE NEOLITHIC HENGE -2900 to -2200

LATE NEOLITHIC INHUMATION -2900 to -2200

LATE NEOLITHIC STONE CIRCLE -2900 to -2200

EARLY BRONZE AGE COVE -2600 to -1600

EARLY BRONZE AGE HENGE -2600 to -1600

EARLY BRONZE AGE INHUMATION -2600 to -1600

EARLY BRONZE AGE STONE CIRCLE -2600 to -1600

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