The Devil's Den or Devil's Den is a dolmen burial chamber on Fyfield Hill near Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. The chamber is part of a neolithic passage grave on Fyfield Down. Two standing stones, a capstone and two fallen stones are all that remain of what was the entrance to a long mound, described in the 1920s as being around 230 ft long (70 metres).[1] The capstone is believed to weigh 17 tons.[2] The burial chamber was reconstructed in 1921.[1][3]
The dolmen was named after the devil, along with many other prehistoric remains, after the coming of Christianity.[4] A local tradition said that if water was poured into hollows on the capstone, a demon would come in the night and drink it.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Devils Den - Burial Chamber (Dolmen) in England". Retrieved 11 November 2012.
- ^ a b Westwood & Simpson (2006). The Lore of the Land: A Guide To England's Legends. Penguin Books Ltd. p. 928. ISBN 0141021039.
- ^ The Antiquaries Journal, January 1922, Volume 2, Issue 1. Cambridge University Press. 1922. p. 60.
- ^ Ayto & Crofton (2005). Brewer's Britain and Ireland. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 318. ISBN 030435385X.