One of Britain’s more familiar heritage assets, the chalk outline of the Giant of Cerne Abbas hardly requires further introduction. The date of his creation has been a subject of much speculation and – as discussed in the article preceding this one – recent archaeological investigations have shed some preliminary light on this matter, suggesting that the Giant is no ancient artwork and is, in fact, no earlier than medieval in origin. Historical sources have much to add to this picture, suggesting that the figure may be more recent still.
In 1996, Bournemouth University took the innovative step of putting the chalk hill figure on trial in the village hall at Cerne Abbas. This investigation was subsequently broadcast in part on the BBC’s Inside Out West, during which Professor Ronald Hutton made the important point that there are numerous medieval and early modern sources that describe the local landscape but make no mention of the Giant. He said:
Most stunning of all is the survey of Cerne by the two John Nordens, father and son, 1617. It’s remarkably detailed, describing everything around where the Giant now is, but not the Giant himself. And the Nordens go out of their way to mention prehistoric monuments in their other surveys. It seems inconceivable they should mention the well, mention the Trendle earthwork on the top, but not mention the figure right in front of their eyes which later gives its name to the entire hill.
