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| Arbor Low Henge and Stone Circle and Gib Hill Barrow 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. Sometimes referred to as ‘the Stonehenge of the North’, owing to its henge bank and ditch, stone circle and cove, it is a well-known and impressive prehistoric monument. It bears more of a passing resemblance (though on a smaller scale) to that other great Neolithic monument, Avebury, in Wiltshire. History The name Arbor Low appears to derive from ‘Eorthburg Hlaw’, meaning ‘earthwork mound’. It consists of a massive bank and internal ditch surrounding a central area with stone settings. Description The site consists of a high circular bank, enclosing a partially silted ditch, which in turn encloses a flat plateau. Within this flattened area is a recumbent stone circle of white weathered limestone blocks, resembling the fallen corroded teeth of an ancient titan. In the centre of the circle is a group of four stones, which may be the remains of a cove. This unique arrangement has led some people to describe the circle as resembling a clock face, especially when seen from above. It is not known whether the stones were ever in an upright position, and archaeological evidence has been inconclusive (no socket holes have ever been discovered). Today the bank stands to an average height of 2.1metres (7 feet), and its almost circular crest has a diameter of 79 x 75metres (258 x 246 feet). The substantial quarry ditch defines an oval central area with an approximate diameter of 40 x 52metres (131 x 170 feet). There are two gaps in the ditch and bank that form wide entrances to the north west and south east. Within the central area are the ruined and fallen remains – more than 50 large limestone slabs and fragments – of a large stone circle. When it was built it is likely that there were between 41 and 43 stones in the ring; these would have been set upright, most probably in shallow holes. At the centre of the monument are the remains of a group of stones known as the ‘cove’, which may originally have formed an upright rectangular box about 3–4metres (10–13 feet) wide. To the south west, the henge bank has been disturbed by a large and later round barrow. Abutting the south-south-western bank are a low bank and ditch that run for some distance. The function and date of this linear bank are unknown, but it may be no more than an ancient field boundary built at a much later date than the henge. Gib Hill Some 300metres (100 feet) south-west of the henge is the massive barrow known as Gib Hill Nearby Gib Hill is worth mentioning as a site in itself, and takes its name from its use as a hanging hill for a local murderer. The mound is one of the most impressive late Bronze Age barrows in the vicinity, standing at around 16 feet in height even after early destructive excavation. These excavations revealed a stone cist, which contained a small clay urn and burned human bones. This is thought to be a Neolithic oval barrow with an Early Bronze Age round barrow superimposed at one end. This configuration can be seen by walking northwards downhill and looking back at the monument in profile. Excavations of the barrow by the Derbyshire antiquarian Thomas Bateman in the 19th century revealed human remains with a pottery vessel, as well as flint and other stone tools that appeared to be grave goods. On a more mystical theme the site is said to have a plethora of ley lines running through it, but the landscape of the surrounding area is very dense in archaeological sites, which means many alignments are likely to be pure chance. Additonal Information The circle is in a field off a farm track about five miles South West of Bakewell. The farmer who owns right of way to the stone circle may charge a small access fee. Understanding the site Arbor Low and Gib Hill form one of the most impressive complexes of prehistoric monuments in the Peak District. Nevertheless, there have been no excavations on either site for more than 100 years, and our understanding of their date, function and sequence of building is far from complete. By comparing them with better-studied sites elsewhere, however, it is possible that the Neolithic barrow at Gib Hill was the first element, perhaps followed by the bank and ditch of Arbor Low. The barrow over the henge ditch and the round barrow at Gib Hill are undoubtedly later features, as may be the stone circle and cove within the henge monument. It is important to remember that these monuments are the cumulative result of episodes of use that may have continued for more than 1,000 years, perhaps from about 2500 to 1500 BC. All the earthworks are substantial and they would have taken a considerable time to build. Perhaps the co-operative acts of construction were as socially important as the monuments themselves. High on the false crest of a limestone ridge, Arbor Low would have been visible for many miles around – although the view of whatever took place inside it would have been restricted to those standing by the bank. |
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| Nine Ladies Stone Circle . Stanton Moor is situated on elevated ground to the west of the River Derwent, near Bakewell in the Peak District. Few of the thousands of visitors who enjoy the tranquillity of the moor and the fine views can fail to notice the widespread archaeological remains that are dotted across this landscape. Most of these are thought to date from the Bronze Age, about 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. The Nine Ladies Stone Circle and the King Stone, set 40 metres (131 feet) to the west-south-west of the circle. Despite the name, there are 10 stones within the circle, the tenth (which has fallen and now lies flat) having been located in 1977. The stones are set on the inner edge of a slight bank, and form a ring which measures 11.5 x 10.5 metres (38 x 34 feet). The monument was first recorded by Major Hayman Rooke in 1782. He noted that there appeared to be stones in the centre of the ring, which may have formed a small cairn or ‘cist’. The names of the monuments derive from their associations with folk traditions, in which it is said that nine women were dancing on the Sabbath to a fiddler – the King Stone – and were turned to stone. The graffiti carved on the King Stone, which includes the name ‘Bill Stumps’, is also mentioned in The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. In common with many other stone circles, little evidence has been uncovered to suggest why or when this stone circle was built and how it was used. Suggestions include a place for ceremony or burial, a territorial marker, a perceived link between the earth and the sky and the living and the dead, or a meeting place for seasonal events. Such monuments may have had many functions, their uses and perceived significance shifting over time. The circle may have served as a meeting place, landmark, or place of ceremony or burial Stone Circle in Derbyshire. Nine Ladies is a typical Derbyshire circle consisting of nine visible small standing stones embedded in a grassed over stone rubble bank approximately 11.5m by 10.5m in diameter. The site is the most popular in Derbyshire and much in the media spotlight due to quarrying plans in the area. The stones are all composed of local millstone grit and none are taller than one metre in height. The bank has now all but disappeared, as has the cairn, which once lay in the centre. During the summer of 1976, the famous drought of that year brought to light a tenth stone which had lain unnoticed for generations beneath the soil. Note: Nine Ladies quarry threat finally over as official documents signed. Quarry protesters dismantle their camp after nine years |
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| Liff’s Low – Local to Biggin Hall Hotel From the A515 Ashbourne - Buxton road. The barrow is visible in the corner of the field as a low mound of rough ground. It is the finds displayed in the museums at Buxton and Sheffield that make this Neolihic barrow so well known. The mound, covering a single Later Neolithic crouched grave burial, has been excavated several times over the years both by professionals and amateurs alike. Thomas Bateman was the first in the 1840's,where excavating the centre as was his usual practice, he came across a cist of limestone slabs complete with a crouched skeleton and a range of grave goods associated with the burial. A mock-up of the cist and its contents is on display in Buxton Museum while two flint axes are in Weston Park Museum in Sheffield. The next excavations took place in the 1930's by a schoolboy staying on the farm that owns the land where the barrow is located. It wasn't until the early 1980's, when he was about to move out of the area, that he deposited several boxes of finds from his digging of the mound. In 1984 the barrow was investigated again over much of the area explored in the 1930's. The artefacts recovered related to the Neolithic and later Bronze Age and much later Romano-British period illustrating the barrows continued importance. This dig also found that before the barrow was constructed the ground had had another use, although that use is still unknown. The only clue was a number of postholes, both angled and straight, found on the old ground surface along with shallow pits and spreads of charcoal. |
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