Henge Complex

A pebbled bank reveals a hidden hollow
within the ring, one standing stone remains
sheep nibble grass, where sometime pilgrims follow
ancient clues, and wonder at the finds:

Fingerprint traces, earthworks overgrown
with grass, and time, amnesia and mist; 
manicured, resembling a lawn,
a village green, King Arthur’s holy quest

Perhaps began here, in the mythic mind
but elders, in more distant times than this
had watched the stars, in ever-changing motion
and left behind these earthworks to bear witness.

Exploring Ancient Cumbria

I’ve always been interested in Cumbria’s ancient past, and have written on this subject before (most recently, Epiphany, 2024), but I recently discovered a book, Ring of Stone Circles, by Stan L. Abbott, which is causing me to look at the landscape in a whole new light.

Inspired by the book, I took the kids to visit Mayburgh Henge and King Arthur’s Round Table yesterday. The latter is far older than the legend of Arthur, but romantic minds in days of yore must have given it this name. The henge complexes are linked, and possibly around 5000–6000 years old. The eastern entrance of Mayburgh Henge is aligned to sunrise on the spring and autumn equinox, and the sunset on this same date is visible from the centre of the circle, as it sets behind Blencathra.

Whenever I leave such places, I am left with a sensation of wheels in motion, an effect which I do not doubt the original architects intended…