These are very old (early to mid-neolithic) and very large linear features stretching across the landscape, irrespective of natural obstacles, running (sometimes) dead straight for anything between a few hundred yards to several miles. ‘Alignments’ appear to be one of the primary features of this type of monument, which also relate to early long-barrows or tombs, making their relationship with water and death very likely. Modern archaeo-speculation links them with stellar, solar and lunar alignments. They may have been ceremonial causeways with multifunctional use; but increasingly it seems these monuments were of greater importance to the ‘gods’ than to humans. As yet however, their exact functions remain unknown!
The word ‘cursus’ (pl. ‘cursuses’) was first used to describe these enigmatic monuments by Will Stukeley in the 17th century – after his idea that they might have been old horse-racing tracks. But from Stukeley onwards, very little was written about them until the late 20th century. Independent archaeologist and psychoanthropology writer, Paul Devereux, wrote one of the first good surveys of cursus monuments in a book co-authored with Nigel Pennick, called Lines on the Landscape (Hale 1989). The best overview of cursus monuments to date (though in need of a good editor) is Roy Loveday’s 2006 work, showing their specific relationship with death and certain topographical features; although a number of Loveday’s ideas were propounded by Devereux many years earlier.
CURSUS MONUMENTS: Bibliography & References
Site Name |
Species |
Grid-Reference / What3Words |
| All Saints Cursus, Bury St. Edmunds – a.k.a Fornham All Saints | ||
| Aston Cursus, Derbyshire | ||
| Bannockburn West Cursus, Stirlingshire | ||
| Barnack Cursus, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire | ||
| Barford Cursus, Warwickshire | ||
| Beacon Cursus – a.k.a Rudston ‘A’ Cursus | ||
| Bennybeg Cursus, Muthill, Perthshire | ||
| Benson Cursus, Oxfordshire | Cursus Monument | SU 624 910 to SU 629 919 |
| Bodicote, Banbury – a.k.a East Adderbury Cursus, Oxfordshire | ||
| Broich Cursus, Crieff, Perthshire | ||
| Buscot Wick Cursus, Oxfordshire | ||
| Charlecote Cursus, Warwickshire | ||
| Cleaven Dyke, Caputh, Perthshire | ||
| Corlarach Cursus, Kilmartin, Argyll | ||
| Curriestanes Cursus, Dumfries, Dumfriesshire | ||
| Dorchester Cursus, Oxfordshire | SU 569 958 – SU 581 948 | |
| Drayton Cursus, Abingdon, Oxfordshire | SU 490 941 – SU 492 950 | |
| Drayton St. Leonard Cursus, Oxfordshire | ||
| Drayton South Cursus, Oxfordshire | ||
| Drylawhill Cursus, East Linton, East Lothian | ||
| East Adderbury Cursus, Banbury, Oxfordshire | SP 473 372 | |
| Eynesbury (1), St. Neots, Cambridgeshire | ||
| Eynesbury (2), St. Neots, Cambridgeshire | ||
| Eynesbury (3), St. Neots, Cambridgeshire | ||
| Feering Cursus, Essex | ||
| Fimber Cursus – East Yorkshire | SE 893 610 | |
| Findern-Willington Cursus – a.k.a Potlock, Derbyshire | ||
| Fornham All Saints, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk | TL 8406 6732 to TL 8291 6876 | |
| Hasting Hill Cursus, Sunderland | NZ 3555 5381 | |
| Godmanchester Cursus, Cambridgeshire | ||
| Holywood (north) Cursus, Newbridge, Dumfries | ||
| Holywood (south) Cursus, Newbridge, Dumfries | ||
| Hutton Moor Cursus, North Yorkshire | ||
| Lechlade Cursus, Gloucestershire | SP 2125 0046 | |
| Lesser Cursus, Larkhill, Wiltshire | SU 1056 4350 | |
| Long Bredy Cursus, Dorset | SY 5718 9115 | |
| Longbridge Farm Cursus, Warwickshire | ||
| Martin’s Down Cursus, Dorset – a.k.a Long Bredy Cursus | ||
| Maxey Cursus, Cambridgeshire | TF 125 078 | |
| North Stoke Cursus, Oxfordshire | ||
| Nunwick Cursus, Ripon, North Yorkshire | ||
| Old Montrose Cursus, Barnhead, Angus | ||
| Potlock Cursus, Findern, Derbyshire | Cursus (destroyed) | SK 314 287 to SK 321 289 |
| Rudston ‘A’ Cursus, East Yorkshire | TA 0998 6577 to TA 1016 6802 | |
| Rudston ‘B’ Cursus, East Yorkshire | TA 0805 6697 to TA 0944 6755 | |
| Rudston ‘C’ Cursus, East Yorkshire | TA 0914 6809 – TA 1014 6803 | |
| Rudston ‘D’ Cursus, East Yorkshire | TA 099 717 to TA 096 679 | |
| Sarn-y-Bryn-Caled, Belan, Montgomeryshire | SJ 217 048 | |
| Scorton Cursus, North Yorkshire | NZ 234 010 to SE 249 996 | |
| Small Cursus, Larkhill – a.k.a Lesser Cursus, Larkhill, Wiltshire | ||
| Sonning Cursus, Reading, Berkshire | SU 7669 7599 | |
| South Stoke Cursus, Oxfordshire | ||
| Spread Eagle Cursus, Aberllynfi, Breconshire | SO 162 376 | |
| Springfield Cursus, Chelmsford, Essex | Cursus Monument (destroyed) | TL 735 084 |
| Stadhampton Cursus, Oxfordshire | ||
| Stanwell Cursus, Heathrow, Surrey | Cursus Monument (destroyed) | TQ 0545 7431 to TQ 0448 7782 |
| Stonehenge Cursus, Wiltshire | SU 1095 4292 to SU 1370 4319 | |
| Stratford St. Mary Cursus (1), Suffolk | TM 0486 3433 | |
| Stratford St. Mary Cursus (2), Suffolk | ||
| Thornborough Cursus, North Yorkshire | SE 286 794 | |
| Thornborough North Cursus, North Yorkshire | ||
| Upper Largie Cursus, Kilmartin, Argyll | ||
| Walton Green Cursus, Lower Harpton, Herefordshire | ||
| Welshpool Cursus – a.k.a Sarn-y-Bryn-Caled, Belan | ||
| Westfield Cursus, Whitecraig, East Lothian | ||
| Woldgate Cursus – a.k.a Rudston ‘A’ Cursus | ||