The Six Hills of Stevenage Traditional Geocache
Hanoosh: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache I am archiving it.
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Brenda
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The Six Hills of Stevenage
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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I sited this cache after finding out what the six mysterious mounts
were at the back of Asda (see below). From the site you should be
able to see all six
The cache is a tube the size of a pritt stick and is easily
accessable by foot, bike or wheelchair
Six Hills History:
The Six Hills are a collection of Roman barrows situated alongside
the old Great North Road in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. They
are classed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are protected by
law. They form the most complete Roman barrow group in the country.
Beside their historical significance, they lend their name to an
important thoroughfare in the town (Six Hills Way) and are a local
landmark.
For almost two thousand years travellers along the Roman road that
eventually became the Great North Road, have passed these six large
mounds. Their origin and purpose has been the subject of much
speculation.
Local legend holds that they were the work of the Devil, who,
sitting one day looking down on the Great North Road, began to
amuse himself by heaving clods of earth at the passers-by. He
missed six times and in a temper threw a seventh clod over his
shoulder, hitting the spire of Graveley church and knocking it
askew. The spire is crooked to this day. The holes in Whomerley
Wood show where the Devil dug out his missiles, and the six failed
shots lie in a line alongside the road and form the six
hills.
The Six Hills are almost certainly Roman burial mounds, dating
from about 100 A.D., and probably mark the cremated remains of a
wealthy local family. The ashes would have been placed in a
container along with objects for use in the next world.
No recent scientific archaeological excavation has been carried
out on the Hills but they have all been dug into in the past. These
early investigations found only "...a few pieces of wood and a
piece of iron...", which were dismissed at the times, but probably
were the remains of the original burials. Other reports of damage
include the farmer who was carting soil away from the Hills in
1750, and an attempted widening of the Great North Road in about
1820. Over the years, the Hills have all lost over four feet in
height.
The grass around the burial mounds is of considerable age. It
includes species such as bird's-foot trefoil, mouse-ear hawkweed,
harebells, whitlow grass, and slender clover, which are not found
in the more modern grasslands nearby.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
zntargvp