Wet Withens is a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

henge There are three related types of Neolithic earthwork that are all sometimes loosely called henges. The essential characteristic of all three is that they feature a ring-shaped bank and ditch, with the ditch inside the bank. Because the internal ...

Eyam Moor Eyam Moor is a plateau-topped hill between the villages of Eyam and Hathersage in Derbyshire, in the Peak District of England. The summit of Sir William Hill is above sea level. It is unclear whom Sir William Hill is named after. Candidates i ...

in the

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Peak District The Peak District is an Highland, upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It includes the Dark Peak, whe ...

, England. The prehistoric circle of 10 upright stones ( orthostats) is a protected

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and ...

. It is sometimes known as Wet Withers (Old English for 'the wet land where willows grew'). On gritstone moorland over 300 metres above sea level, the site has clear views of the valley of the River Derwent and

Higger Tor Higger Tor or Higgar Tor is a gritstone tor in the Dark Peak, in the north of the Peak District National Park in England. It overlooks the Burbage Valley and the Iron Age hill fort of Carl Wark to the southeast. The tor stands to the south w ...

. The site is well away from public footpaths but is on "Open Access" land following the

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37), known informally as the CRoW Act or "Right to Roam" Act is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament affecting England and Wales which came into force on 30 November 2000. Right to roam The Act imp ...

. The earthen bank of Wet Withens is over 30m in diameter, making it the largest embanked stone circle in Derbyshire. Most of the stones of the ring are quite hidden amongst the heather and reeds. 7 stones are still upright but some of those are leaning inwards. The 'Chair Stone' (70cm high) is the tallest and most prominent stone with a ledge cut out of its face, appearing as a seat. There could have been up to 18 stones originally if the stones had been spaced out evenly. About 10m north of the henge is a large stone cairn (known as Eyam Moor Barrow) about 27m long and 1m high. The cairn has been damaged from quarrying and/or excavation activity over the centuries. Near the middle of the cairn is an unusual cup-marked stone. The cairn's shape indicates that it was likely to have been a prehistoric burial barrow. Wet Withens is also known as Eyam Moor 1 because there are 2 smaller stone circles about 650m to the east, which are also Scheduled Monuments: Eyam Moor 2 and Eyam Moor 3. There are a number of other ancient henges in Derbyshire including

Arbor Low Arbor Low is a well-preserved Neolithic henge in the Derbyshire Peak District, England. It lies on a Carboniferous Limestone plateau known as the White Peak area. The monument consists of a stone circle surrounded by earthworks and a ditch ...

, The Bull Ring,

Doll Tor Doll Tor is a stone circle located just to the west of Stanton Moor, near the village of Birchover, Derbyshire in the English East Midlands. Doll Tor is part of a tradition of stone circle construction that spread throughout much of Britain, I ...

, Hordron Edge, Nine Stone Close and Twyford Henge.

References

{{Reflist Archaeological sites in Derbyshire Scheduled monuments in Derbyshire Stone circles in Derbyshire Henges Peak District