Wormy Hillock Henge


Wormy hillock henge is a small henge in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument located in the Clashindarroch Forest. It is a low, circular bank in diameter which almost surrounds a wide platform in the centre. There is one gap in the bank at the southeast end of the henge.

History

In 1891, James Macdonald, thinking that this mound was a "round for sheep", excavated the mound. However, this did not bring any archaeological finds.

Legend

According to legend, Wormy hillock henge was the location of a buried dragon or monster. In the legend, the dragon had been attacking villages in the neighbourhood, and the villagers eventually succeeded in killing the dragon. They then half-buried its corpse and mounded dirt over it, making a mound. This legend is the source of the name of the mound: Wormy hillock henge.

The site

The henge is located to the south of the mound known as Wormy Hillock, on a haugh in a steep valley in the Clashindarroch Forest. The henge comprises a circular bank, in diameter, enclosing an oval area long by wide. The bank itself ranges from broad and high up to thick and high. Wormy Hillock falls into the sub-category 'mini-henge' or 'hengiform' as it is less than 20m in diameter. The area enclosed by the bank is around, and the average for a stone circle is around.
Inside the bank is a small platform in diameter surrounded by a deep ditch crossed by several causeways. The southeastern one is apparently related to the wide hole in the bank at the same angular position. This site is similar to several others in Dorchester, Oxon, England. There are two small pits on the bank, and they may be much more recent than the rest of the mound. A large boulder is lying in the ditch right below one of the pits.
Currently, the site is completely overgrown by grass and heather.