Sark Henge

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Sark Henge Sark Henge.jpg
Sark Henge

Sark Henge is a modern henge monument on the island of Sark, in the Channel Islands. It was constructed in 2015.

Contents

History

Sark Henge was built in 2015, to commemorate the 450 year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth granting the fief of Sark to Hellier de Carteret in 1565. [1] It is located near Point Derrible. [2]

Design

Nine one-eyed giant stones of Jersey granite form a ring around a stone disc. [1] The stone disc symbolises the Seigneur of Sark greeting and thanking their settler ancestors; nine is the number of territories in which de Carteret's 40 tenements were sited, and the circle divides by 40, giving 9 degrees to each of the 40 men gathered about their lord. [1] The solstice line SE / NW marks winter sunrise / summer sunset. [1] The henge stones were previously gateposts around the island. [3] The henge monument was designed by historian Richard Axton. [4]

Related Research Articles

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Sark is an island, part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It was a royal fief until 2008. It has a population of about 500. Sark has an area of 2.10 square miles (5.44 km2). Little Sark is a peninsula joined by a natural but high and very narrow isthmus to the rest of Sark Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seigneur of Sark</span> Hereditary title in Sark, Channel Islands

The Seigneur of Sark is the lord of the manor of Sark in the Channel Islands. A female seigneur of Sark is called Dame of Sark, of which there have been three. The husband of a female ruler of Sark is not a consort but is jure uxoris a seigneur himself.

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Sir Philip Carteret, 2nd Baronet, also known as Philippe de Carteret IV, was the 5th Seigneur of Sark from 1663 to 1693.

Sir Philip Carteret, 1st Baronet, also known as Philippe de Carteret III, was the 4th Seigneur of Sark. He supported the Royalist (Cavalier) cause during the War of the Three Kingdoms.

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Helier de Carteret was the first Seigneur of Sark, reigning from 1563 to 1578. He was the son of Édouard de Carteret, Seigneur of Saint Ouen, and grandson of Philip de Carteret, 8th Seigneur of St Ouen.

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  2. Hengiform monument. Like an ordinary henge, except the central flat area is between 5 and 20 m (16–66 ft) in diameter, they comprise a modest earthwork with a fairly wide outer bank. The terms mini-henge or Dorchester henge are sometimes used as synonyms for hengiform monument. An example is the Neolithic site at Wormy Hillock Henge.
  3. Henge enclosure. A Neolithic ring earthwork with the ditch inside the bank, with the central flat area having abundant evidence of occupation and usually being more than 300 m (980 ft) in diameter. Some true henges are as large as this, but lack evidence of domestic occupation. Super-henge or superhenge is sometimes used as a synonym for a henge enclosure. However, sometimes the term is used to indicate size alone rather than use, e.g. "Marden henge ... is the least understood of the four British 'superhenges' ".
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Bryn Celli Ddu is a prehistoric site on the Welsh island of Anglesey located near Llanddaniel Fab. Its name means 'the mound in the dark grove'. It was archaeologically excavated between 1928 and 1929. Visitors can get inside the mound through a stone passage to the burial chamber, and it is the centrepiece of a major Neolithic Scheduled Monument in the care of Cadw. The presence of a mysterious pillar within the burial chamber, the reproduction of the 'Pattern Stone', carved with sinuous serpentine designs, and the fact that the site was once a henge with a stone circle, and may have been used to plot the date of the summer solstice have all attracted much interest.

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Archaeology is promoted in Jersey by the Société Jersiaise and by Jersey Heritage. Promotion in the Bailiwick of Guernsey being undertaken by La Société Guernesiaise, Guernsey Museums, the Alderney Society with World War II work also undertaken by Festung Guernsey.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sark: Sark Henge" . Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  2. "Lonely Planet: Sark Henge" . Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  3. "BBC News: Sark marks 450 years of Royal Charter, 6 August 2015" . Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  4. "Bailiwick Express: Sark heritage 'champion' received MBE, 8 July 2021" . Retrieved 10 July 2022.