Between 3,500BC and 1,500 BC A complex of henges, post/pit alignments and ritual locations were created area close to Thornborough. A widespread area was set aside for ritual activities related to initially a cursus, then later a vast triple henge complex that stretched for over a mile. Over the years these monuments were added to and redefined and it would appear they even after the henges themselves ceased to be a potent gathering point for a widespread population, the area still retained it's ritual role - being the location for numerous burials extending into the Iron Age.

But it is the time when the henges were in use that is of most interest, each of these henges is amongst the largest in the country, yet here there are three together - creating the largest ritual location in Neolithic Britain. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests Thornborough may have been one of the top four or five ritual locations in Neolithic Britain - The focus for perhaps the largest single gathering of people - a location for the largest public gathering Britain had ever seen!

Thanks to the research performed by Dr Jan Harding of Newcastle University we now has a much clearer picture of the may the henges interacted with the landscape to create what is known as the "ritual landscape". The henges were a focus for short term pilgrimage by large numbers of people who set up camps at a distance of about 600m from the henges - it is thought that the henges themselves were in the center of a larger "ritual space" where activities related to everyday life were not allowed. Beyond the areas of camps it would appear that a number of individuals used this space to perform "ritual deposition" of stone axes and perhaps other objects of high value.

It is this ritual landscape, including the settlements and ritual deposition areas that is currently being duarried by Tarmac Northern Ltd.

Quarrying destroys not only the archaeology, but the entire landscape - meaning that massive areas of this most important site are being removed leaving deep water filled pits. It is these activities that we are trying to put a stop to.

Tarmac were originally granted planning permission based on North Yorkshire County Council's assumption that there was very little archaeology "even of Local interest" on the proposed site. However, the opposite has proven to be the case - there is lots of archaeology - the largest Neolithic assemblage in Britain - clearly related to the people using the henges. So, after Tarmac realised that so much archaeology of international importance stood to be lost within the quarry, what did they do? Tarmac have often said "your heritage is safe with us", they could have called in North Yorkshire County Council and English Heritage to advise on the best way to preserve this newly discovered archaeological resource. After all the government guidelines (PPG16) and North Yorkshire County Councils own planning rules clearly state that archaeological remains of national importance should be preserved in situ. Tarmac's response to the discovery of this remarkable archaeological resource was one of action - they destroyed the lot.

Of course, once a quarry company has been given the right to quarry a particular area, it is faced with difficult decisions if important archaeology is found in that location. Clearly in this case profits has come before considerations such as this serious erosion of North Yorkshires most important archaeological asset. At least now Tarmac knows that it's Nosterfield quarry sits within what was once a nationally important pilgrimage site and are able to make future plans based on that knowledge.

In 2002 Tarmac announced plans to massively extend it's quarrying activities in the area - firstly to engulf a further section of the henge settlement area, then finally to surround the henges themselves - removing not only one of the last areas of potentially untouched neolithic settlement, but also to remove all ritual areas not specifically protected by the government as scheduled monuments.



The above map based on a discussion document by the quarry company, it shows the detail of the possible Thornborough.

Battleground Thornborough 2004

Tarmac intend to press ahead with both the current quarry and their plans for expansion in 2004. This will be the deciding time for the future of the Thornborough Henges. At stake is multi-millions of profit versus the preservation of North Yorkshires most important ancient site. How will Tarmac approach this?

Tarmac can no longer behave as if ignorant of the importance of this site or the areas they plan to quarry, so we can expect a campaign that is intended to confuse when they apply for permission in 2004. Expect Tarmac to say that the archaeology has been seriously damaged by ploughing and that they offer the opportunity to record this before it is finally lost. Expect Tarmac to say that they will leave behind lakes that will enrich the natural environment and create jobs for local people. Expect Tarmac to throw in a carrot of a henge visitor center, as well as quite a few other inducements, no doubt Friends of Thornborough will be painted as a bunch of locals who don't like wetlands. Tarmac sponsor the British Archaeological Awards and will try to continue to paint themselves as "safe hands for heritage", they will point to lots of other areas that have been graveled and have had positive archaeological and local economic impacts.

Tarmac will explain how out of the goodness of their heart they have paid archaeologists to record any archaeology found, they will call this "preservation by record" and will attempt to convince you that this shows just how kind hearted they are. Tarmac were forced to record the archaeology on the current site due to North Yorkshire County Council planning rules based on government guidelines.

Remember, this is destruction of our most important heritage for profit. Quarrying will completely transform the original setting of these monuments - dropping the land by up to 5 meters, lowering the water table and introducing lakes where there were none. Before this situation was highlighted by Friends of Thornborough the majority of the Neolithic pits were "roughly dug" - not subject to detailed archaeological investigation that Tarmac are now applying. Tarmac will try to show that "preservation by record" is better than physical preservation, this will place a lot of pressure on the archaeologists working for Tarmac since we know that large amounts off archaeology was destroyed without the archaeologists actually coming to a conclusion as to what it was.

The real issue here is that any extension to the current quarry is specifically AGAINST current council policy - it is not anywhere near any of the areas identified by North Yorkshire County Council as being suitable for gravel extraction. Tarmac will therefore have to show a significant mitigating circumstance that makes further quarrying at Thornborough particularly beneficial. We believe this case, given the valuable archaeology contained in the area is a very difficult one to make, particularly given the re-use record of past quarries in the area.

Friends of Thornborough's approach is simple - quarrying TOTALLY destroys entire archaeological landscapes. Thornborough is one of Britain's most important archaeological landscapes and must be protected AGAINST quarrying

On Saturday May 1st 2004 there will be a celebration of the ancient festival of Beltane at Thornborough Henge in North Yorkshire. The ceremony will begin at 2pm in the afternoon and will take place at the central Henge. Thornborough Henge is under imminent threat from quarrying and we hope that as many people as possible will attend this event. All are welcome.

 http://www.friendsofthornborough.org/