Product Code Database
Example Keywords: world of -indie $88
barcode-scavenger
   » » Wiki: Hill Figure
Tag Wiki 'Hill Figure'.
Tag

A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and rubble made from material brighter than the natural is placed into them. The new material is often , a soft and white form of , leading to the alternative name of chalk figure for this form of art.

Hill figures cut in grass are a phenomenon especially seen in , where examples include the Cerne Abbas Giant, the Uffington White Horse, and the Long Man of Wilmington, as well as the "lost" carvings at , and . From the 18th century onwards, many further ones were added. Many figures long thought to be ancient have been found to be relatively recent when subjected to modern archaeological scrutiny, at least in their current form. Only the Uffington White Horse appears to retain a prehistoric shape, while the Cerne Abbas Giant may be prehistoric, Romano-British, or Early Modern. Nevertheless, these figures, and their possible lost companions, have been iconic in the English people's conception of their past.

In England there are at least fifty landscape figures, the majority of which are in the south.Nigel Clarke, The Rude Man of Cerne Abbas and Other Wessex Oddities, Lyme Regis, Nigel J. Clarke Publications,


History
The creation of hill figures has been practised since and can include human and animal forms. Cutting of horses is common, as well as more abstract symbols and, in the modern era, advertising brands.

The reasons for the creation for the figures are varied and obscure. The Uffington Horse probably held political significance, since the figure dominates the valley below. It probably dates to the British Iron Age since coins have been found exhibiting the symbol. The Cerne Abbas Giant might have been a work of likely of the Early Modern period. is a county with a large number of White Horses; 14 have been recorded. The figures are usually created by the cutting away of the top layer of relatively poor soil on suitable hillsides. This exposes the white chalk beneath, which contrasts well with the short green hill grass, and the image is clearly visible for a considerable distance. Although most of the figures are of great age, many are relatively new. in Wiltshire created a large white horse for the 2000 Millennium celebrations and in October 2009 celebrated this with an aerial photo of volunteers making the figure 10 for an aerial photo.

Figures must be maintained to remain visible, and local people often work regularly to restore or maintain a local landmark, though two cuttings of military badges at Sutton Mandeville, Wiltshire, are becoming lost. A lost map of at Compton Chamberlayne, Wiltshire, was restored in 2018.

Similar pictures exist elsewhere in the world, notably the far larger in , which are on flat land but visible from hills in the area. However, these were made in desert terrain rather than on grassy hillsides, so have not become overgrown and thus have survived much longer without maintenance. The Nazca Lines were formed by removing loose stones from the lines to expose the whiteish underlying soil, which is not itself dug.


Terminology
is the usual term for structures carved into or otherwise made from rock formations.

In 1949, Morris Marples "half-humorously" coined the words "leucippotomy for the cutting of white horses and gigantotomy for the cutting of giants on rare occasions".Morris Marples, "White horses and other hill figures", Publisher: A. Sutton, 1949 (reprint), , 9780904387599, 223 pages, page 16John Timpson, "Timpson's Other England: A Look at the Unusual and the Definitely Odd", Publisher: Jarrold, 1994, , 9780711706453, 224 pages, page 68 Harold William Timperley, "The Vale of Pewsey", Publisher Hale, 1954, 230 pages, page 181 Though neither word appears in the Oxford English Dictionary, the terms occasionally appear in print."Top 10: Britain's largest hill figures", The Telegraph, undated, attributed to Top 10 of Britain: 250 Quintessentially British Lists by Russell Ash, published by Hamlyn


Construction and maintenance
Until recently, three methods were used to construct white hill figures.

  • The stripping method: where the soil is thin, the turf or soil is stripped away to expose the chalk underneath. This produces quick results but the figure needs regular maintenance, as it would soon become overgrown. This was a practice for hill figures but not as much for horses. The Laverstock Panda at near Salisbury, Wiltshire was constructed this way in 1968 and is now lost. Traces of figures of this type are not usually found after the figure is overgrown.
  • The covering method: rocks are placed on top of the turf. This method is normally used when there is no underlying chalk, the chalk is deep or tools are not available. The maintenance for these figures is very high. There are several examples, such as the Woolbury White Horse in Hampshire. This method leaves no trace of the figure's existence when overgrown, as is the case of the lost in Wiltshire.
  • The trenching method, which is by far the most common method of hill figure construction. The underlying chalk where some white horses are constructed is not near the surface, so a trench is dug and chalk from another site is used to fill it. The Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire is the prime example of this method. This method is invasive in the hillside and allows traces of the figure to be seen even when the figure has been overgrown for many years, an example being the original Devizes White Horse, cut in 1845 and lost sometime in the mid 20th century, but rediscovered when traces reappeared.

The biggest threat to white horses and other hill figures is natural vegetation covering the figures. In the case of chalk figures, natural vegetation encroaches from the edges and can grow on soil washed onto the figure by rain. Water erosion can also be a problem on steep or gentle slopes, because rain can wash the chalk off the horse, or soil onto the horse. Larger horses are more susceptible to this. If chalk is washed off the horse, the horse gradually creeps down the slope; or if soil is washed onto the horse, it collects onto the lower edges and the horse gradually climbs up the slope. A solution is to provide drainage, either using run-off drains, as at Uffington White Horse, or a .

Since hill figures must be maintained by the removal of regrown turf, only those that motivate the local populace to look after them survive. Surviving ancient figures all have an associated fair or ceremony that involves maintaining them.

Unmaintained figures gradually fade away. at , could be a lost figure. Its existence is suggested by infrared photography. If it is a lost figure, its age is uncertain, and unlikely in origin, as only one figure in the UK has been shown to be of this age, the Uffington White Horse.


Human figures

UK
While presumed to be of origin, surviving examples may have been created only within the last four hundred years.Bergamar, Kate (1997). Discovering Hill Figures. Pub. Shire. . Of these giants only two survive: one near the village of , to the north of Dorchester, in and one at Wilmington, in the District of . Examples located at , , Litlington and on can no longer be seen with the naked eye.

The Osmington White Horse carries a rider (King George III) but is not considered an example of gigantotomy due to the name of the figure referring to the horse.


Cerne Abbas Giant
The Cerne Abbas Giant, also referred to as the "Rude Man" or the "Rude Giant", is a hill figure of a giant naked man high, wide. The figure is carved into the side of a steep hill, and is best viewed from the opposite side of the valley or from the air. The carving is formed by a wide, and about the same depth, which has been cut through grass and earth into the underlying . In his right hand the giant holds a knobbled club in length.

Its history cannot be traced back further than the late 17th century, making an origin during the Celtic, or even periods difficult to prove. Above and to the right of the Giant's head is an earthwork known as the "Trendle", or "Frying Pan". writings refer to this location as "Trendle Hill", but make no mention of the giant, leading to the conclusion that it was probably only carved about 400 years ago. In contrast, the Uffington White Horse an unquestionably hill figure on the Berkshire Downs was noticed and recorded by medieval authors.

(1973). 9780874713367, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
In 2021, a sediment analysis by the National Trust indicated an origin in the date range of 700 CE to 1100 CE, surprising historians who did not expect it to be medieval.

In 2008, overgrowth forced a re-chalking of the giant, with 17 tonnes of new chalk being poured in and tamped down by hand.


Long Man of Wilmington
The Long Man of Wilmington is located on one of the steep slopes of Windover Hill, northwest of . The figure is tall and designed to look in proportion when viewed from below, and is shown holding two staves. The earliest record was made by the surveyor John Rowley in the year 1710. This drawing suggests that the original figure was a shadow or indentation in the grass, rather than the solid outline of a human figure. The staves were not depicted as a rake and scythe as was once thought, and the head was a helmet shape. Sir William Borrow's drawing of 1766 shows the figure holding a rake and a scythe, both shorter than the staves. The Modern Antiquarian, Julian Cope, Thorsons 1998

Before 1874, the Long Man's outline was only visible in certain light conditions as a different shade in the hillside grass, or after a light fall of snow. In that year an antiquarian marked out the outline with yellow bricks, later cemented together. It has been claimed that the 'restoration' process distorted the position of the feet, an assertion backed up by several who had been familiar with the figure before 1874, and also by later resistivity surveys. It has also been suggested that it removed the Long Man's genitalia, though there is no historical or archaeological evidence which supports that claim. The Unknown, Issue Jan 1986 A wide range of dates of origin have been proposed for the Long Man, but more recent archaeological work done by the University of Reading suggests that the figure dates from the 16th or 17th century AD.


Plymouth Hoe Giants
Until the early 17th century large outline images of the two giants, perhaps Gog and Magog (or Goemagot and Corineus) had for a long time been cut into the turf of Plymouth Hoe exposing the white limestone beneath.
(2025). 9781903356326, The Mint Press.
An early and explicit reference was made to them by Richard Carew in 1602. The Survey of Cornwall, text here:[4] . Note that Carew refers to Plymouth Hoe as "the Hawe at Plymmouth". At one time these figures were periodically re-cut and cleaned but no trace of them remains today.


Giant of Hindover Hill
The Giant of Hindover Hill is a lost chalk hill figure believed to have once accompanied the original Litlington White Horse on Hindover Hill in Litlington, . References to the figure appear in the 19th century, with some historians suggesting it resembled the nearby Long Man of Wilmington. It was reportedly known alongside the Wilmington figure as "Adam and Eve," and some accounts describe it as a female giant or goddess. By the early 20th century, mentions of the giant had largely disappeared, and by the 1920s, reports confirmed that both the horse and the figure had faded from view, with no clear evidence of their existence remaining.


Firle Corn
in , is a nearly-lost hill figure which can be seen with the aid of infrared photography. Now looking more like a small or a strange weapon than a human figure, there is a legend suggesting that a giant called Gill was once cut on this same hill and that he was considered an adversary of the Long Man of Wilmington not far away. According to one story, the giant on Firle Beacon threw his hammer at the Wilmington giant and killed him, and that the figure on the hillside marks the place where his body fell.


Homer Simpson
As a publicity stunt for the opening of The Simpsons Movie on 16 July 2007, a giant brandishing a was outlined in water-based paint to the left of the Cerne Abbas Giant. This act angered local , who pledged to perform "rain magic" to wash the figure away.
(2025). 9781434996053, Dorrance Publishing. .


Other countries


Horse figures
There are 16 known white horse hill figures in the UK, or 17 including the painted one at Cleadon Hills, with eight of them being in Wiltshire.


List of UK figures

Current figures
1Uffington White Horse1000 BC
2Westbury White Horse1600s
3Cherhill White HorseWiltshire1780
4Mormond White Horse1790s
5Marlborough White HorseWiltshire1804
6Osmington White Horse1808
7Alton Barnes White HorseWiltshire1812
8Hackpen White HorseWiltshire1838
9Woolbury White HorseBefore 1846
10Kilburn White Horse1857
11Broad Town White HorseWiltshire1864
12Cleadon White HorseBefore 1887
13Litlington White Horse1924
14Pewsey White HorseWiltshire1937
15Devizes White HorseWiltshire1999
16 White Horse2000
17Folkestone White Horse2003
18 white horses2012
19Beverley Racecourse white horsesEast Riding2010s
20Black Horse of Bush Howe? (may be a natural figure)


Lost figures
Old Westbury White Horse878?Before 1778New Westbury White Horse
The Giant GhystBefore 1480
GogmagogBefore 1486Late 1660s
GogmagogBefore 1605Around 1730
Old White HorseWiltshire17851940New Pewsey White Horse
Pitstone Hill White Horse1809?Before 1990
Old Litlington White Horse18381924New Litlington White Horse
The Giant of Hindover HillBefore 18501924-
Old White HorseWiltshire1845Before 1999New White Horse
Hackpen White HorseWiltshire1868?Before 1990
White HorseBefore 19131939
Red Horse of TysoeBefore 1607Remains lost in 1964-
Red Horse of "IV"18001910
Rockley White HorseWiltshireDiscovered 1948After 1950, before 1990
Tan Hill White Horse/DonkeyWiltshireBefore 1975After 1975, before 1990
Mossley White Horse (aka Luzley White Horse)Greater Manchester1981After 1994, before 1999
White Horse mock-up19991999Folkestone White Horse
Laverstock Panda19691984
Pont Abraham Tea Pot and Cup19922009


Possible figures
Whittlesford White Horse2004A crop mark resembling a horse discovered 2004, possibly hinting a previous horse was cut here.
Liddington White Horse2000sPlans for this white horse (including designs) occurred in the 2000s, but the project never happened.
Red Horse of Tysoe "VI"2010sA forthcoming recutting of the Red Horse of Tysoe at the Vale of the Red Horse.


List of international figures
Bloemfontein White Horse, Before 1932N/A
Cockington Green white horseCockington Green, , 20th or 21st centuryN/A
Georgia white horseGeorgia, United States20th or 21st centuryN/A
Juárez White HorseCiudad Juárez, UnknownN/A
Riff Country horse, UnknownUnknown
Celtic HorseŽehra, 2000sN/A
Tunis Horses, UnknownN/A
White , 1968N/A
The horses in Cockington Green, Georgia and Juárez are all based on the style of or direct copies of the Uffington White Horse.


Other figures

UK

  • Mormond White Stag, on the other side of the hill from the Mormond Horse.Bergamar, Kate (1997). Discovering Hill Figures. Pub. Shire. . P. 10 - 12.


Influence on other art forms
The white horses of Wiltshire, of which there are currently nine, have inspired other sculptures in the county. Julive Livsey's sculpture White Horse Pacified (1987) in Shaw, was inspired by the white horses.

In 2010, Charlotte Moreton created the steel sculpture White Horse for Solstice Park, , taking influence from white horses.

The Westbury White Horse is depicted on a roundabout and mosaic in the town.

An 1872 sketch of the Cherhill White Horse was incorporated into an unofficial flag of Wiltshire.

The Town Flag of , registered in September 2014, features the Pewsey White Horse at its centre.


Gallery
File:Cherhillwhitehorse.jpg|The Cherhill White Horse near File:Kilburnwhitehorse2.jpg|The Kilburn White Horse near Kilburn, North Yorkshire File:Lenham Cross.jpg| on the in Kent File:UK Dunstable Whipsnade Zoo hill figure.jpg|Figure of a lion cut into the hillside: the lion near File:Wye Crown.jpg|Outline of a crown cut into the hillside. Wye Crown, at Wye, Kent File:Watlington whitemark.jpg|An offwhite triangle cut into the hillside. Watlington White Mark File:Fovant Badges - geograph.org.uk - 1306244.jpg|Three military badges from the badges File:Bulford Kiwi.JPG|A kiwi cut into the hillside. The near File:Whiteleaf Cross Aug 2005.JPG|A white cross cut into the hillside. Whiteleaf Cross File:Osmington White Horse 2013-09-05.jpg|White horse with riding; Osmington White Horse near Weymouth, Dorset File:Folkestone White Horse cropped.jpg|A stylised figure of a galloping white horse. Folkestone White Horse on , File:Alton Barnes White Horse - geograph.org.uk - 1744619.jpg|Alton Barnes White Horse File:View to Mormond Hill White Horse figure - geograph.org.uk - 235788.jpg|The White Horse, near , File:Buchan Line, view to Mormond Hill - geograph.org.uk - 235815.jpg|The White Stag, near Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire File:Hill Figure over looking Foxholes Bottom and the A36 - geograph.org.uk - 327177.jpg|The Lamb Down Badge, near , File:Broad Hinton White Horse, Hackpen Hill - geograph.org.uk - 415006.jpg|Hackpen White Horse File:Pendle Hill 1612 painting.tif| marked with the date 1612 on the 400th anniversary of the


In popular culture

Poetry and prose
  • The Ballad of the White Horse by G. K. Chesterton
  • The Scouring of the White Horse by
  • Sun Horse, Moon Horse by Rosemary Sutcliff
  • Witch Hill by
  • Find the White Horse by
  • A Hat Full of Sky by
  • The Dark Is Rising Sequence by
  • The Sandman by
  • The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
  • The Westbury White Horse is mentioned in the novel The English Patient by , but was not featured in the film of the novel.


Music videos
  • Alton Barnes White Horse appears, very briefly, in the music video for Staying Out for the Summer by .
  • Cherhill White Horse features in the music video for Doctorin' the Tardis by .
  • Uffington White Horse (in animated form) features in the music video for Sonnet by .
  • Westbury White Horse features in the music video for Breathe by , alongside a temporary figure of the sun.


See also
  • Anglo-Saxon paganism
  • Gog Magog Hills, an unverified claim of geoglyphs
  • , a similar type of geoglyph common in the Western U.S., but using letters instead of figures
  • , geoglyphs etched into the Nazca Plain
  • White horse (mythology)


Bibliography


External links

Page 1 of 1
1
Page 1 of 1
1

Account

Social:
Pages:  ..   .. 
Items:  .. 

Navigation

General: Atom Feed Atom Feed  .. 
Help:  ..   .. 
Category:  ..   .. 
Media:  ..   .. 
Posts:  ..   ..   .. 

Statistics

Page:  .. 
Summary:  .. 
1 Tags
10/10 Page Rank
5 Page Refs
2s Time