X-Files from the Bog: Halloween Dive, Thornborough Henge

Thornborough Henge

Near the village of Thornborough, close to the town of Masham in North Yorkshire, lies Thornborough Henge. This is an alignment of three "henges", or earthworks, that form part of a Neolithic and Bronze Age "ritual landscape" dating from between 3500 and 2500 BC, and which probably includes the Devils Arrows further down the Ure which I dived earlier.

The henges are about 550 metres apart and run roughly northwest to southeast. It's been suggested that they are meant to represent the three stars of Orion's belt. They are very similar in size and construction, although the northern henge is now covered by a small, circular wood. Each is about 240 metres in diameter, and there are two entrances that are positioned at opposite sides of each henge. Archaeological inspection of the central henge suggests that it may have been lined with white gypsum, which would have made it a highly visible feature from round about.

There are several correlated ancient structures in the area including the "cursus" that runs for almost a mile from the village to the River Ure, and which cuts by the southern edge of the central henge of the Thornborough complex. The present road from Thornborough village more or less follows the line of the cursus, which originally consisted of two parallel ditches.

Interestingly, by my measurements this line runs 228 degrees south west, which is the azimuth of midwinter sunset. If you follow this road it will eventually take you to the River Ure. That's where I chose to do my Halloween dive, close to the south-western end of the cursus. Serendipitously, my spot proved to be at the azimuth of sunset that very evening, 245 degrees south west, as seen from the intersection of the cursus and the central henge. I only discovered that later when I checked my maps.

I parked the car on a grass verge beside the river, placed my Turnip Lantern on a concrete block right by the river's edge, and geared up. There was only the occasional car passing by, some with excited voices from within, obviously containing children being ferried to Halloween parties.It was only just after 6pm, but the night was already pitch black. The sky was overcast although I knew that above the clouds the moon was almost full. With the lantern glimmering balefully a few yards away, I peered at my gear, blinking by the interior light of the car to see what I was doing. Once I had suited up I walked down to the riverside with the light of Jack-O-Lantern to guide me.

I stood in the shallows and put on my fins. I had to be careful - the bottom falls away very quickly within a foot or two of the water's edge. It's important to take things slowly and to remain in control, or you could be swept away and over the weirs downstream. With the light of my video camera switched on, I turned from the flickering flame of my lantern and carefully groped my way into the cold, black current.