Mayburgh Henge Standing Stone - 1995

Mayburgh is a huge circular henge with a circumference that measures more than 150 metres and a bank constructed from over 5 million cobblestones brought from the nearby River Eamont. This bank varies in height from nearly 4 metres to over 7 metres on the southern side and with a width of between 33 and 45 metres - the bank has been disturbed many times by the removal of stones for building material. Unusually for a henge Mayburgh has no internal or external ditch, however there were originally 4 large standing stones at the centre of the structure although only one now remains, there were also 4 stones standing within the single 7 metre wide entrance to the east - these too are gone. Through this entrance King Arthur's Round Table henge can clearly be seen a few hundred metres away while a little further southeast is the almost destroyed Little Round Table henge. All three monuments stand on the same triangle of land between the confluence's of the Rivers Lowther and Eamont and we can be certain that the three henges were connected in some way in what must have been an important ritual area for the local and perhaps wider population. What we don't know however is the order of construction of the monuments or even why their building was undertaken. While King Arthur's Round Table has an intimate feel Mayburgh gives the impression of being a vast amphitheater where perhaps hundreds or thousands of onlookers may have stood on the banks and watched ceremonies that concerned the passing of the seasons or the succession of new tribal leaders being enacted within.
Glossary Items: Neolithic, Bronze Age