Stonehenge may feature in 8th Century poem

A University of Buckingham academic has uncovered an Eighth Century poem, thought to have been written about Bath, which could be the oldest surviving text to describe Stonehenge.

Research Fellow Dr Graeme Davis, a mediaeval language expert, said the poem could pre-date previous text by several hundred years.

The poem, called The Ruin, mentions stones called “the old ones” or the “elders” and describes a warm spring similar to the one at Blick Mead, a mile from the stone circle.

Mr Davis, who spent ten hours completing the translation of the poem, said: “Reading it through, it’s describing a ruin and Stonehenge. There are so many references to curved beams, and a ditch around it, so it doesn’t appear to be Bath.”

The poem, which is part of a book called The Exeter Book, also describes how “fate shattered the wondrous, mighty stones” and how the stones have “fallen.”

The manuscript is currently in Exeter Cathedral Library and Mr Davis said it was possibly transcribed in Winchester. Previously Mr Davis said, the name Stonehenge had originated from a 12^th Century text from Henry of Huntington. But, if Mr Davis is correct, the reference to “the elders” would pre-date this by several centuries.