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Places to Visit in Guernsey
Le Dehus - passage grave.
Situated on the west side of Rue de Dehus, 140 metres from its junction with Route des Bordeaux. This is a fine and complex megalithic structure with a basic plan of narrow entrance and broad chamber.
At either side of the passage are two small side - cells, while the roofing is of massive capstones. At the entrance of the main chamber is the rare feature of a stone pillar, which originally helped to support the second capstone from the rear. This capstone has on its underside a remarkable stylised carving featuring a bearded face, arms and hands, what appears to be a strung bow with arrows and a series of symbolic designs. The chamber is surrounded by a circular mound with kerb walling.
Excavations were first carried out by the Lukis family between 1837 and 1847. Very large quantities of material were recovered which suggest a chronological range from c 3500 - 2000BC. Human bones were well preserved since the chambers had been filled with limpet shells.Burial deposits were recovered from most parts of the interior, the records suggesting
Inside Dehus looking at one of the side chambers, © Cedavey, 2002
deposition in all states, from complete bodies to bundles of selected bones. A remarkable discovery, and one unmatched elsewhere, was made in the north-east side-cell where the bodies of two adults, perhaps male, had been placed upright in a kneeling position and packed round with limpet shells.