The Cornish Group 1 Stone Axe found at Stonehenge in WA3639

The axehead as found.

My Photo of it in Salisbury Museum

 The Salisbury Museum description:   https://collections.salisburymuseum.org.uk/object/SBYWM:1963.27

Stonehenge Byway Consultation

From Wiltshire Council:

"I am writing to you in relation to the Byways Open to All Traffic contained within the vicinity of Stonehenge. For some time, the current level and type of use of these Byways Open to All Traffic has resulted in a number of issues around damage to the surface of the Byways Open to All Traffic and degradation of the environment within the World Heritage Site (WHS). While it was thought that the promotion of the Stonehenge Tunnel Scheme would have addressed a number of these issues, its cancellation means that this opportunity has now disappeared.
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site Management Plan (2015) sets out some specific objectives in relation to highways and public rights of way:
· Policy 6a of the Management Plan states the need to identify and implement measures to reduce the negative impacts of roads, traffic and parking on the WHS and to improve road safety and the ease and confidence with which residents and visitors can explore the WHS.
· Policy 6b states the aim to manage vehicular access to byways within the WHS to avoid damage to archaeology, improve safety and encourage exploration of the landscape on foot whilst maintaining access for emergency, operational and farm vehicles and landowners.
Most recent inspection of the Byways Open to All Traffic, carried out in conjunction with the “Winter Solstice” closures, identified the fact that the byway surface conditions had deteriorated to an unacceptable condition. This has necessitated the closures being extended to enable repair works to be undertaken.
Wiltshire Council as the Highway Authority is now seeking to develop a holistic approach that addresses Policy 6a and 6b of the Management Plan. To this end we are now looking to consult with user groups and interested parties for their views on what measures they feel would be appropriate and proportionate to address the problems being experienced.
We would be grateful if you could make any observations and respond to this correspondence by 21st March 2025.
Responses can be returned to:
stonehengebyways@wiltshire.gov.uk
Thank you for your attention in this matter."

Ffynnongroes or Crosswell Barrow Cemetery

Ffynnongroes or Crosswell Barrow Cemetery, Pembrokeshire

Reproduced under Open Government Licence No; 001588/1

This is the site that Mike Parker Pearson's team has been, and will continue to, excavate. The three aligned rings appear to be aligned to the Mid Summer Solstitial Sunrise. In recent talks he has outlined that underneath the bronze age ditches there are older ones, and under the banks there are stone sockets. Intriguing, the publication of the results and analysis are eagerly awaited. Could it be the missing bluestone circle?

Grid Reference SN1274036570  NPRN:423423

https://coflein.gov.uk/en/archive/AP2024_500_251  (Larger aerial photos)

Cemetery of four plough-levelled round barrows or ring ditches discovered on 11 July 2018 during RCAHMW aerial reconnaissance. The barrows are sited on level ground on a river terrace on the south side of the Afon Nyfer river. The four barrows are clustered closely together; three are aligned north-east/south-west comprising the two largest ring ditches framing a third smaller ring ditch in the centre of the alignment. The fourth smaller ring ditch lies outside this group. The two largest barrows are c. 50m diameter, with two smaller barrows each measuring c. 35m diameter. Only the south-western barrow displays evidence for internal features, in the form of an off-centre inner circular ditch and a possible entrance on the south side. The barrows are neatly framed within the present field boundaries suggesting the group was extant when the fields were laid out.

Discovered during the 2018 drought.

T. Driver, RCAHMW, 11th Oct 2018

Beginning of the Circle?

The research article Greaney, S. et al. (2025) ‘Beginning of the circle? Revised chronologies for Flagstones and Alington Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset’, Antiquity, pp. 1–17. doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.28. published in Antiquity in 2025, presents significant new findings on the dating of proto-henges, particularly focusing on the Flagstones enclosure in Dorset, UK. Using an extensive radiocarbon dating program and Bayesian chronological modeling, the study provides a refined timeline for the construction and use of Flagstones and compares it to other key monuments like Stonehenge and Llandygai 'Henge' A. 

Flagstones Enclosure

• Construction Date: The Flagstones enclosure, a 100m-diameter circular monument made of intercutting pits, was constructed between 3315–3130 cal BC (95% probability), with a probable range of 3285–3215 cal BC (41%) or 3210–3160 cal BC (27%). This makes it one of the earliest precisely dated large circular enclosures in Britain.
• Funerary Activity: Burial activity, including inhumations and cremations, began shortly after construction, estimated at 3265–3105 cal BC (95% probability), probably 3230–3220 cal BC (4%) or 3205–3120 cal BC (64%), and ended between 3220–3065 cal BC (95% probability), probably 3150–3090 cal BC (68%). This activity spanned a relatively short period of 1–170 years (95% probability), suggesting it may have been part of the site’s initial dedication.
• Context: Flagstones predates the nearby Mount Pleasant henge (built 2615–2495 cal BC) by several centuries and is closer in time to Early Neolithic monuments like the Maiden Castle causewayed enclosure (3660–3635 cal BC or 3570–3525 cal BC) and the Alington Avenue long enclosure (before 3625–3380 cal BC).

Alington Avenue

• Construction Date: New radiocarbon dates from a cattle skull in the northern ditch of the Alington Avenue long enclosure indicate it was built before 3625–3380 cal BC (95% probability), probably before 3605–3405 cal BC (68%). This places it 110–470 years (95% probability) earlier than Flagstones, marking it as an earlier linear monument in the Dorchester complex.

Comparison with Other Proto-Henges

• Stonehenge: The first phase of Stonehenge, a segmented circular ditch, is dated to 2980–2720 cal BC (95% probability), probably 2940–2800 cal BC (68%), making Flagstones 70–285 years earlier (95% probability). Cremation burials at Stonehenge began in 3075–2945 cal BC and ended in 2890–2765 cal BC, later than those at Flagstones.
• Llandygai 'Henge' A: Funerary activity at this 80m-diameter enclosure started in 3655–3345 cal BC and ended in 3075–2715 cal BC, earlier than Flagstones’ construction, though the enclosure itself lacks direct dating. This suggests a longer tradition of circular monument use in some regions.
• Stones of Stenness (Orkney): Previously considered one of the earliest henges, its ditch dates to 3035–2895 cal BC, later than Flagstones, reinforcing Flagstones’ claim as an early example.

Broader Implications

• Earliest Circular Enclosure?: Flagstones may be the earliest large circular enclosure in Britain with precise dating, predating Stonehenge and other candidates like the Stones of Stenness. Other potential early sites (e.g., Ysceifiog, Priddy Circles) lack sufficient excavation or dating to challenge this.
• Transition to Circular Forms: The study highlights Flagstones as a key marker in the shift from linear (e.g., long barrows, cursus monuments) to circular monument archetypes in the Middle Neolithic (3400–2800 cal BC), bridging earlier causewayed enclosures and later henges.
• Funerary Practices: The mix of inhumations and cremations at Flagstones reflects an early phase in the transition to cremation rites, paralleled at Stonehenge and Llandygai, and tied to smaller ringform enclosures (dated 3960–3400 cal BC to 3265–2605 cal BC).

Significance

This research refines the chronology of proto-henges, positioning Flagstones as a pioneering circular monument that influenced later developments, such as Stonehenge. It underscores continuities with Early Neolithic practices (e.g., pit construction) while introducing innovations like large circular forms and cremation burials, possibly inspired by connections with eastern Ireland. The precise dating enhances our understanding of the Middle Neolithic’s monumental landscape and its cultural transitions in Britain.