I was asked, so I had to look it up, and thought it worthwhile to note it down.
It is most probable that the Slaughter Stone fell inwards towards the monument and that it was originally in line with stoneholes D and E. But we aren't sure, and we don't know for certain if the Slaughter Stone's hole is under it or is in fact hole E. We also don't know when the companion stones to it were removed, in some early illustrations they are still standing in the 17th Century. There was a track into the monument that passes over D & E and it might be why they were removed and the Slaughter Stone buried.
More of a mystery than I expected! Information mainly from Cleal et al.
In looking at illustration C3 in Stonehenge in it's Landscape Cleal et al.pg. 286 it appears to me that the hole's northern shape is similar to that of stone 95.
ReplyDeleteI suspect William Cunnington and/or someone earlier in history dug to the south and slid store 95 away from Aubury 56 to the south.
This moves stone 95 out of alignment with hole D & E. Also the Healstone and stones 55&56. The center of the Avenue.