Report on January 2010 Quarterly Meeting
Hidden Heritage
From time to time most of us have stood and pondered over the real history and sequence of events surrounding aspects of our heritage – everything from that standing stone in a country lane with a local story or two behind it to chalk figures carved into hillsides – and exactly what is Silbury Hill hiding?
With an excellent video/slide presentation David Shepherd, one of our members, came up with some truly fascinating findings of our hidden heritage. It began with Turner’s picture of Stonehenge, showing that during his time it was even more ruined, and that what we see to-day is a partial restoration.
The Ancient Britons had set beliefs and rituals and had spiritual sites in places like Glastonbury (with its Tor) and Knowlton (with its rings) near Cranborne - ancient Henges later occupied by churches and now ruins themselves. Viewed from the air it is possible to see Knowlton as a whole complex of circles.
David went on to explain that although the Cerne Abbas giant is thought to be modelled on Hercules, it looks most like a Woodwose but is probably Cernunnos – Lord of Nature and “May King”. He looks different when viewed from the hill opposite compared with how it looks when seen from the car park. On May Day (Beltane) the Sun rises directly over the giant’s head when viewed from “The Belling Stone” on the opposite hillside.
At the heart of this is Mother Earth, the Mother of Everything. The Ancient Britons believed that the earth itself is alive, and which was no doubt supported by their belief that in burying their dead in female shaped long barrows, such as Belas Kanpp on top of Cleeve Hill near Cheltenham, the bones were then reborn, when the midwinter sunrise shone directly onto the barrow.
If you have ever wondered why there are 52 cards in a pack of playing cards it is believed that they formed an early type of calendar essential to the first farmers, with each card representing a week of the year and the 4 suits representing the seasons. They may even have been clever enough for the Jokers to represent the odd day and a Quarter.
In a closing section of our Anglo Saxon Heritage David reminded us of the nine Noble Virtues – Boldness, Steadfastness, Trooth (faith/loyalty), Sooth (truth), Equality, Freedom, Wisdom, Hard working and Giving – hard to better as an ideal of Englishness!
Sadly at the present time we could be forgiven for feeling that many of these are now almost a hidden heritage…
These are only a few of the interesting aspects which were touched on during the afternoon and it will certainly make me more aware of our hidden heritage. As the presentation came to a close, the theme was picked up by the strains of a solo violin being played by David’s wife, Augusta. The music was that of the Horn Dance which is more than 1000 years old and celebrates Cernunnos who may well be our Cerne Abbas Giant.
A vote of thanks was given by Christine Iredale for a very entertaining and thought provoking afternoon. Ann Robinson and David Shepherd
