Whinny Hill
Whinny Hill in the north of the English county of Northumberland belongs to a group of monuments that was only recently recognized as independent and called the "Enclosed Cremation Cemetery" ( German "walled cremation place" ). Since the classification is new, the defining features and typological differences are still being developed.
The monuments are roughly henge-shaped and consist of an oval or round area, which is enclosed by a wall and moat. The difference to the henge is the position of the wall outside the trench. As with the Henges, the moat can be interrupted by entrances. Characteristic of the interior are pits with corpse fire, the distribution of which, as well as their size and number, can vary. Grave goods were found in some pits . The cremations can also exist as pourings. The dating of the monuments is uncertain, but it is believed that they are the forerunners of the Late Bronze Age Ring Cairns , which dates them to the end of the Neolithic .
Enclosed Cremation Cemetery on Whinny Hill is northeast of the top of the hill. There is no trace of a ditch, but a wall about 11.6 m in diameter and an arch of stones that formed the wall has been exposed to the northwest. Even where no stones were found, the wall was visible as an elevation. Apart from the wall, there are few features. The interior seems a little uneven, but the heather on which the monument stands has a natural bump. The whole area around Whinny Hill is littered with the low Cairns and about 200 m away to the southwest lies the stone circle of Whinny Hill.
The best known example of an Enclosed Cremation Cemetery is Stonehenge Phase 1. However, it was much larger with a diameter of about 90.0 m and possibly connected with standing stone or wooden posts. Another walled cremation site is near the Loanhead of Daviot in Scotland . Its diameter is very similar to that of Whinny Hill.
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Coordinates: 55 ° 32 '35.7 " N , 1 ° 51' 6.4" W.