“We Saw the Stone, But Not the Circle”: Bronze Age Monument Found in England

Near the city of Matlock in Derbyshire lies Farley Wood, a sprawling mix of pine for logging amidst old growth harking back to an ancient time when dense forests covered the British Isles.

Locals have long known about the strange stone at the heart of the wood, standing straight upright like a pillar some two meters tall. It had always stood there, an isolated monument serving mute testament to our forgotten past.

At least, it was always thought to be an isolated monument. But, according to a report by the BBC, there is much more to Farley Stone than meets the eye.

This is not some isolated standing stone, but part of a huge stone circle some 25 meters across, maybe a quarter of the diameter of the famous Stonehenge. Five other stones, half hidden by the vegetation, have been uncovered by Forestry England in association with Time Team, famous for their archeological work in the British Isles.

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Together the stones show the outline of the circle. Further excavations have uncovered a ceremonial platform close by Farley Stone, and the monument is thought to be some 3,700 years old, dating back to the Bronze Age.

Not a lot survives from this era except the monumental archaeology which covers the British landscape. We know very little about the people, their rituals and their lives, except what can be found in their long barrows, their earthworks, and of course their ancient piles of rubbish.

It is currently thought that the oldest part of the monument is the ceremonial platform, suggesting that the site was used for hundreds of years, the stones being added later as it grew in importance. Dr Lawrence Shaw, Forestry England’s lead historic environment adviser, described it as “evidence of a much more complex ceremonial landscape, which the original standing stone is part of.”

But what is clear from this discovery is that we are only starting to understand the ancient ceremonial landscape in the area. The team intend to return in the future, firstly to fully explore and understand the newly discovered stone circle, and then to find out what else is hidden beneath the trees.

In the meantime the site itself, although not officially yet a historic monument, will be protected as one. 

Header Image: Source: Time Team / BBC.