Dryburn Henge, Cumbria

Kirkhaugh Cairns – Cumbria

This mound is 22ft. in diam. and about 3ft high. It has been built upon a natural knoll which makes Read more

Moulton Henge

Archaeologists now recognise a true Neolithic henge lying immediately south-west of Moulton village, roughly midway between the Swale and Dere Read more

Castle Dykes Henge, Thoralby – North Yorkshire

Castle dykes it is a small class one henge, 90m across, perched on the high ground up in the North Read more

Mayburgh Henge

Mayburgh Henge is a remarkable prehistoric monument located near Eamont Bridge in Cumbria, England. It consists of a massive circular Read more

King Arthurs Round Table Henge

King Arthur's Round Table is a Late Neolithic Henge (2000-1000 BCE). It consists of a low circular platform surrounded by Read more

Newton Kyme Henge

Newton Kyme Henge occupies a slight rise on the south bank of the River Wharfe immediately west of the village Read more

Sinderby Henge

Although all the existing literature assures us that the Great Henge Alignments of North Yorkshire are now covered by – Read more

Cana Barn Henge

The stats for this Neolithic monument are astounding: 200m across, once a great circle of earthen banks and deep ditches. Read more

Nunwick Henge

A henge at Nunwick visible both as a low bank and shallow internal ditch and as a cropmark. A berm Read more

Catterick Henge

The henge at Catterick racecourse is an intriguing prehistoric site. Initially thought to be a Roman amphitheatre, it is now Read more

Thornborough Henges

A site that spans several thousands of years from the Stone Age to at least the Iron Age, the ancient Read more

Hutton Moor Henge

Hutton Moor Henge is almost identical the the henges at Thornborough and Nunwick. It's been proposed that these henges form Read more

Dry Burn enclosure - Satellite - LiDAR Finder

Dryburn Henge/Enclosure

Location and Landscape Context

Dryburn Henge lies on Alston Moor in Cumbria, within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It occupies a strategic point on the high moor, being located at the very centre of Alston Moor, at a key strategic and routeway point. It is located roughly at NY 760 430, where routes across the Pennine watershed converge. The surrounding terrain is underlain by Carboniferous Great Scar Limestone and interbedded Yoredale Shales, with scattered fluvioglacial gravels in valley bottoms. Heather-clad moorland and peat bogs dominate the immediate vicinity, offering expansive views toward the Eden and Tyne valleys .

Dry Burn enclosure - 1m Lidar - National Museum of Scotland

Dry Burn enclosure - OS Series 1 - National Museum of Scotland

Geology and Geography

The henge’s builders chose a natural plateau on the limestone–shale interface, where shallow soils overlie weathered bedrock. Springs at this lithological junction provided water, while nearby copper-bearing veins in the limestone likely attracted Neolithic travellers. The moor’s upland environment suggests primarily seasonal use, with the henge serving as a focal point in a largely transhumant landscape .

Monument Structure

Inner bank: Made of turf-faced earth and cobble, standing up to 1 m high.

Internal ditch: Stands 4–5 m wide and 0.5–1 m deep, set just inside the bank.

Single entrance gap: Located on the southeast side, aligned with a likely trackway across the moor.

Subdued external counterscarp bank: Seen in places, marking what is assumed to be the original outer boundary .

No internal stone or timber settings have survived, and there is no visible central platform—suggesting Dryburn was a purely earthen henge (Class I type).

Dating and Archaeological Investigations

Altogether Archaeology (ASDU) undertook small-scale excavation and post-excavation analysis in 2016. Charcoal from the primary ditch fill produced radiocarbon dates in the late third millennium cal BC, placing Dryburn firmly in the terminal Neolithic (Chalcolithic) period . No associated occupation debris or structural remains were found, leaving its exact function open to interpretation.

Interpretation and Significance

Dryburn Henge’s location at a convergence of cross-Pennine routes implies it functioned as a ritual waypoint or meeting place for communities moving between the Eden and Tyne corridors. Its construction in a remote upland setting underscores the Neolithic emphasis on landscape marking far from settled lowlands. Because it provides one of the few radiocarbon-anchored examples of a small, earthen henge in the North Pennines, Dryburn expands our understanding of how ritual monuments punctuated travel and exchange networks across Britain’s high moors .

Reference

Paul Frodsham, Altogether Archaeology Fieldwork Module 1a.  Dry Burn Enclosure. Project Design. Website version.

Site Gallery

Dry Burn enclosure – OS Series 1 – National Museum of Scotland 2

Dry Burn enclosure – 1m Lidar – National Museum of Scotland

Dry Burn enclosure – 1m Lidar – National Museum of Scotland 2

Dry Burn enclosure – 1m Lidar – LiDAR Finder