Often referred to as the fresh ‘earliest roadway in Britain’, the latest Harrow Method (‘Harroway’, ‘Old Way’, ‘hard’ otherwise ‘old’ highway) is an effective trackway of great antiquity powering eastern-west across southern The united kingdomt. My personal interest in their passage eg over the Stonehenge land and environments was initially slutty on the training an article of the Alex Down ‘For the Trackways and set-names’, authored to the Dennis Price’s blogs Eternal Idol into .
Grinsell’s New Archaeology of Wessex, had written in 1958, observes ‘The origin of the name’s not sure: derivations of one’s label have been suggested of har (hoary with age), herewag (army path), and hearg weg (the trail on the shrine or holy lay, doubtfully Stonehenge)
Inside Aubrey Burl’s ‘Stonehenge‘, authored inside 2006, he writes: ‘The fresh new Harroway contributed to own miles westwards from Dover, Canterbury and you may Rochester, early in the day Farmham and Basingstoke in order to Amesbury, then next to Bulford, across a ford whose marshy financial institutions was in fact pink which have ragged robin plants. Marvelling bishops and you will passers-from the stared at the impossibly high, weathered pillars facts nothing about the subject.’ Aubrey Burl and shows that this new Cuckoo Brick (an excellent sarsen brick to the west of Woodhenge) marked brand new route of the Harroway toward west side of new Lake Avon. He writes the Cuckoo Brick ‘might have immediately following started utilized since the builders of one’s Cursus in order to become an effective venerated pointer towards the river’, the west terminal of one’s step one.seven kilometer Stonehenge Cursus, which had been developed ranging from 3630 and you will 3375 BC is always to the newest west of the newest Cuckoo Brick. Burl adds, ‘Also, new Back Stone, once certainly one of a few antique signposts with the Harroway, is actually included in the latest Stonehenge cutting-edge.’
John Chandler and Peter Goodhugh within the ‘Amesbury, Background and you may Dysfunction off a south Wiltshire Area‘, originally composed when you look at the 1979, produce ‘With the first nomadic society off Wessex a river meant water having sustenance however, a hurdle as forded. Relaxed discovers recommend craft for the Mesolithic and you can Neolithic minutes towards the north away from Amesbury, near Totterdown and you can Woodhenge, which could mirror a young fording place while the Harrow Method, a trackway from venerable antiquity powering eastern western all over south The united kingdomt, forded this new river in the Ratfyn, including north off Amesbury’.
Yet not, I do find it fascinating you to definitely William Stukeley website links the latest Ratfyn fording area of the Lake Avon for the Stonehenge land right here, and maybe their bewilderment tips in reality to an even more old path along the Stonehenge land pre-relationship even the Method
New intriguingly named hamlet of Ratfyn are instantaneously northern of Amesbury, and on their west side is bordered because of the Lake Avon (powering northern-south), ranging from Durrington into northern and Amesbury to the south.
When you look at the Stonehenge, A forehead Restor’d towards the Uk Druids , authored by William Stukeley and you can wrote in the 1740, the newest antiquarian authored of your Stonehenge Avenue (which he as well as discovered), ‘brand new eastern part goes a long way and therefore, really eastern pointing in order to a historical ford of your own river Avon, entitled Radfin and you may beyond your conocido of it carries truly to help you Harradon Slope beyond the lake.‘ He had been clueless at that time you to, following the Path eastwards regarding the most useful of Queen Barrow Ridge, they easily contains dramatically southern to help you West Amesbury and you may West Amesbury Henge towards the banking companies of your own River Avon, new southern area-east critical part of one’s Stonehenge Path, and won’t take a trip eastern on the Ratfyn fording point 
. You certainly will it ghost pathway be the station of the Harroway?
Below was an enthusiastic engraving of your own view of Queen Barrow Ridge just like the originally sketched because of the William Stukeley towards the sixth August 1723, lookin east on Lake Avon and you may Ratfyn. Simon Banton noticed your dated Devizes in order to Amesbury street can be be seen from the all the way down central foreground right here, as well as on the newest skyline is designated towards engraving ‘Haradon Hill’.