A low bank and central platform lie overgrown in Clashindarroch Forest, wrapped in a local tale of the Dragon’s Grave. Wormy Hillock Henge is a small henge, a prehistoric circular earthwork with a bank and internal space, in Aberdeenshire.
The monument is physically modest but memorable: a gap in the south-east bank, a platform inside, a surrounding ditch, causeways, an unproductive nineteenth-century excavation, and folklore explaining the mound as the burial place of a monster.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
Wormy Hillock Henge is also known as The Dragon’s Grave. It is a scheduled monument in Clashindarroch Forest. The monument consists of a low circular bank with a central platform.
There is a gap in the bank at the south-east end. James Macdonald excavated the mound in 1891, thinking it was a round for sheep. The 1891 excavation did not produce archaeological finds.
Legend says the mound covered the half-buried body of a monster killed by local villagers. The henge lies on a haugh, or flat alluvial land beside a river, in a steep valley. The site is classed as a mini-henge or hengiform because of its small size.
It is currently completely overgrown by grass and heather.
People
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Portrait: Unknown authorUnknown author / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain James Macdonald
excavated the mound in 1891.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 57.3634°N · 2.9176°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Rough ground — reasonable boots advised
Opening & admission
The source pack does not provide reliable current admission details; verify before travelling.
- The henge is in Clashindarroch Forest and is described as overgrown by grass and heather.
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Questions people ask
- What is Wormy Hillock Henge?
- It is a small scheduled henge in Clashindarroch Forest, also known as The Dragon’s Grave.
- What is a henge?
- A henge is a prehistoric earthwork, usually with a circular or oval bank and ditch arrangement around an interior space.
- What did the 1891 excavation find?
- James Macdonald’s excavation did not produce archaeological finds.
- Why is it called The Dragon’s Grave?
- Local legend says villagers killed a monster and mounded earth over its half-buried body.
Sources
Explore more: Tomb or burial places · Prehistoric · Aberdeenshire
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