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Wide coverage for Beltane Thornborough gathering

Submitted by PaulM on Monday, 02 May 2005  Page Views: 3632

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Thornborough Central
Thornborough Central submitted by DavidRaven : Thornborough central, by the southern gap in the henge banks. November 2003. (Vote or comment on this photo)
The local and national press have rushed to cover this weekend's Beltane gathering at the threatened Thornborough henges to give the protection campaign some much deserved pubicity.

Not only was the festival covered by the local Yorkshire Today, it also features prominently on BBCi and in The Daily Telegraph. The Yorkshire Today article can be found below...

Part of a sacred landscape cherished by Neolithic man 5,500 years ago was the setting yesterday for a modern version of a pagan ceremony to mark the ancient festival of Beltane. The focus for the May Day ritual was the centre of the three Thornborough Henges close to the River Ure, north of Ripon.

The ancient pagan rite of Beltane celebrated summer's arrival, and the fertility-giving properties of flames and smoke.

The Thornborough Henges, created in Neolithic times, may have formed part of a sacred landscape, which also included the Devil's Arrows at Boroughbridge.

Four horse burials were recently found by archaeologists in the area around the scheduled ancient monuments.

Some 150 people, many in costume, yesterday recreated a pagan sacrificial ritual – but using a pantomime horse, "sacrificed" to bring good luck in the forthcoming year.

Event organiser Oliver Robinson, who played the May Day Fool, said: "This is obviously intended to be light-hearted and to show we don't have to take ourselves too seriously, especially on May Day."

Eco-campaigner Mr Robinson, who demonstrated against the building of the Bingley bypass in 1996, also recited a poem commemorating "The Battle of the Beanfield", when police stopped hundreds of peace campaigners from setting up the 14th Stonehenge free festival in Wiltshire, in June, 1985.
Permission for the Beltane ceremony to take place was given by site owner, the quarry company Tarmac, and its tenant, farmer Robert Staveley.

Tarmac is in dispute with local campaigners, who say its extraction of sand and gravel from land around the henges is destroying their setting.

Source: Yorkshire Today 2 May 2005
Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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"Wide coverage for Beltane Thornborough gathering" | Login/Create an Account | 4 News and Comments
  
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Re: Wide coverage for Beltane Thornborough gathering by Anonymous on Wednesday, 04 May 2005
YEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAH

Big love to Oliver for organising this wonderful days event. He has endured weeks of stress and panic to get this together and it all worked perfectly.
Awareness heightened.
Henges blessed.
Handfastings performed.
Faces smiling.
Truly magical.
Looking forward to the free festival (http://www.thornborough.org) on June 4th. Let's keep the momentum going as it was a hugely positive event at the weekend and one of my favourite Beltane celebrations ever.

The Green Man has spoken . . . and his voice gets louder and louder . . .
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Re: Wide coverage for Beltane Thornborough gathering by PaulM on Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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From the Darlington and Stockton Times:

Pagans' May Day sacrifice - with help from panto horse

by Hannah Chapman

FOR many people, May Day is about enjoying a long bank holiday weekend, or going to the local fair.

But for pagans, the day marks an important ancient festival.

On Sunday, about 150 people met at Thornborough Henges, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, to celebrate Beltane.

The festival marks the coming of summer and celebrates the fertility-giving properties of flames and smoke.

Thornborough Henges is one of the country's most important ancient monuments. It has the greatest concentration of late Neolithic and early Bronze Age sites in the UK.

It is the central site in a complex of ancient monuments that create a 5,000-year- old landscape covering 20 miles of North Yorkshire, known as the Sacred Vale.

The henges - or prehistoric circles - are Britain's greatest Neolithic complex. They have been attracting druids throughout the ages.

Sunday's ceremony also attracted archaeologists, who are campaigning against a planning application by Tarmac to extend its sand and gravel extraction at the nearby Nosterfield Quarry.

The quarry produces more than 500,000 tonnes of sand and gravel each year.

Tarmac says the extension will not harm the henges, as the site is further away than the present quarry and more than half a mile from the nearest henge.

But campaigners say it is vital to preserve not just the henges themselves, but their setting.

Four horse burials were recently found by archaeologists in the area around the henges, which are a scheduled ancient monument.

On Sunday, the pagans, including many in costume, recreated a pagan sacrifice ritual, but using a pantomime horse.

It was "sacrificed" to bring good luck over the next year.

Event organiser Oliver Robinson said: "This is obviously intended to be light- hearted and to show we don't have to take ourselves too seriously, especially on May Day."

He also recited a poem commemorating "The Battle of the Beanfield", when police officers stopped hundreds of peace campaigners from setting up the 14th Stonehenge free festival in Wiltshire, in 1985.

Permission for Sunday's Beltane ceremony to be held was given by Tarmac and the land's tenant farmer, Robert Staveley.
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Re: Wide coverage for Beltane Thornborough gathering by PaulM on Monday, 02 May 2005
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From BBCi 2 May 2005

Pagan ritual used by campaigners

Opponents say the plans threaten the 'Stonehenge of the North'

More than 100 pagans joined a fight against proposals to extend quarrying at a historic site in North Yorkshire.

Tarmac Northern wants to extend its present operations close to the Thornborough Henges ancient earthworks near Ripon.

The druids met at the site to mark the May Day ritual of Beltane, a pagan celebration of the height of spring.

Local archaeologists also joined the protest. The group claims the Henges are under threat from the quarrying.

The area has the greatest concentration of late Neolithic and early Bronze Age sites in the UK.

It also boasts the country's largest quarrying operation on prehistoric land, Nosterfield Quarry, which produces more than 500,000 tonnes of sand and gravel each year.

The firm says it is not seeking to quarry on the earthworks which form the three 5,000-year-old circles which may have been a ceremonial meeting place.
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Re: Wide coverage for Beltane Thornborough gathering by PaulM on Monday, 02 May 2005
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Re: Wide coverage for Beltane Thornborough gathering (Score: 1)
by PaulM on Monday, 02 May 2005
The Daily Telegraph article:

Druids join campaign to stop quarrying
By Paul Stokes
(Filed: 02/05/2005)

Druids yesterday joined a campaign to stop quarrying near one of Britain's largest prehistoric sites.

Around 100 pagans gathered at Thornborough Henges, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, to mark the May Day ritual of Beltane.

They were supported by local archaeologists and others opposed to a plan by Tarmac Northern to extend its operations at Nosterfield Quarry to within half a mile of the nearest henge.

Thornborough comprises three identical, undulating earthwork rings measuring 800ft in diameter, and is several times the size of Stonehenge. The rings are believed to be 5,000 years old.

Tarmac's application to extract sand and gravel from a site known as Ladybridge is expected to be considered by North Yorkshire county council next month.

The company, which already produces more than 500,000 tons of sand and gravel a year, recognises the sensitivity of the issue.

It said it was committed to the protection of the monument and provided financial assistance to English Heritage for a conservation study.

The largest collection of neolithic features found in the north of England is just yards away from where quarrying would take place.

Although it is accepted that many of the archaeological finds so far might not have been made without Tarmac's patronage, objectors fear that items will be lost forever if quarrying is permitted.

George Chaplin, chairman of Timewatch, which campaigns for the preservation of ancient monuments, lives six miles from the site. He said: "The henges themselves are scheduled ancient monuments. There are plenty of other places to quarry."

Finds so far have ranged from prehistoric to 2,000 years old, including a ritual burial site containing four horses dating from 50 AD.
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