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Thornborough Henges, Yorkshire, Northern England. On the fertile ground near the confluence of the Swale and Ure rivers in Yorkshire, Northern England lie a remarkable group of prehistoric monuments. More than six stadium sized earthen henges, a large tumulus and one of the largest stone rows in Britain appear to have been erected in straight alignments across several kilometres of this valley. Several investigators over the years have remarked on the rigorous positioning of these monuments. Overview with Devil's Arrows alignments plotted by John Smout. This schematic prepared by John Smout a professional designer and draughtsman based in South London. Colin Swinton. Independently, another investigator based near Thornborough has examined the henge alignments for their astronomical potentials. Colin Swinton is a teacher of water-colour art and a photographer. He has done much photographic field research in the Cleveland Hills investigating the astronomical positioning of tumuli and cairns. Here is Colin Swinton's astronomical overview of the Thornborough-Devil's Arrows alignment as it crosses the three closely related henges. Here we see the theoretical azimuths for the Northern Major Lunar Standstill moon rise and set to the north and the mirror, southern standstill moonrise, to the Devil's Arrows. Also plotted are the summer solstice rise and set azimuths struck from a place at the southern entrance of the central henge, on the lunar alignment, and occupied by a very large tumulus. Good photographs of the rising sun near the 2005 summer solstice were secured by Colin Swinton. Digital extrapolations on these photographs show that, observing from this tumulus, the upper limb of the summer solstice sun rolled up a prominent hill slope around 2650 BCE. There are also two smaller tumuli situated due north on the meridian of the large tumulus. Building correspondences at this spot. The great tumulus sits on the bank of a much earlier monument- a neolithic cursus, and prominent on the side of the southern entrance to the later central henge, perhaps a deliberate linking and indemnifying of respect across time between the structures. From this expanded view of John Smout's mapped alignment we can see how closely the structures follow the astronomical alignment. Looking over the mound to the north-west with Carleton Bank prominent at 33 km (20 mls) distant. On the 30th June 2005 Colin Swinton took a series of pictures of the rising sun from a position behind the large tumulus in line with the northern slope of Carleton Bank in the Cleveland Hills. Though cloud obscured much of the path of the sun enough images of the solar disc were secured to allow good extrapolation and dating procedures. The extrapolated date for when the upper flash of the rising sun would be just visible sliding up Carleton Bank is about 2655 BC. This figure needs to be vetted with more photography in order to standardise for mean refraction encountered here but it should be accurate to + or - 150 years. This survey matches well with archaeological dating for this group of monuments which estimates a date of 2700 BCE for the commencement of the erection of the henges and Devil's Arrows. We can see how this hill slope which closely parallels the path of the ecliptic for this latitude would be a prized landscape feature for many miles to the south west but also from the north west giving southerly declinations. The Great Tumulus. On this spot three important monuments share features over a time span of at least 1200 years. Perhaps the alignment of the early cursus was rudely towards the solstice suns. Much later the establishment of this point on the southern bank of the cursus- under the large tumulus- would need to be the initial anchor for the rest of this henges alignment and, perhaps, maintaining the lunar standstill line, the positioning of the Devil's Arrows stone rows.

The Devil's Arrows. Now only three great monoliths - the tallest of which is 23 feet high. They stand in a crooked line of around 580 feet. The fourth stone was destroyed in the 16th century. Camden notes that it had been pulled down by treasure seekers. In legend they were thrown by the Devil from Howe Hill to destroy Aldborough, hence their common name.

Winter solstice sunset on Carleton Bank from the north. Colin Swinton's interest in Carleton Bank was originally from the north. Here he has located a spot, in the Cleveland Hills, where the upper limb of the setting midwinter sun would first glance over the cairn on the hill crest then slide down the hill flank at about 1600 BCE. Again the stance is near a marked henge entrance with a tumulus.

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