Ahill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type ofgeoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and rubble made from material brighter than the naturalbedrock is placed into them. The new material is oftenchalk, a soft and white form oflimestone, leading to the alternative name ofchalk figure for this form of art.^{[citation needed]}

Hill figures cut in grass are a phenomenon especially seen inEngland, where examples include theCerne Abbas Giant, theUffington White Horse, and theLong Man of Wilmington, as well as the "lost" carvings atCambridge,Oxford andPlymouth Hoe. 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.^{[citation needed]}

In England there are at least fifty landscape figures, the majority of which are in the south.^[1]

The creation of hill figures has been practised sinceprehistory 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.^{[citation needed]}

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 theBritish Iron Age since coins have been found exhibiting the symbol. The Cerne Abbas Giant might have been a work ofpolitical satire likely of the Early Modern period.^[2]Wiltshire is acounty with a large number of White Horses; 14 have been recorded.^[3] 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.Devizes 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.^[4]

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 atSutton Mandeville, Wiltshire, are becoming lost. A lost map ofAustralia atCompton Chamberlayne, Wiltshire, was restored in 2018.^[5]

Similar pictures exist elsewhere in the world, notably the far largerNazca Lines inPeru, 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.^{[citation needed]}

Geoglyph 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".^[6][7][8] Though neither word appears in theOxford English Dictionary, the terms occasionally appear in print.^[9]

Until recently, three methods were used to construct white hill figures.^{[citation needed]}

• 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 atLaverstock 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.^{[citation needed]}
• 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 theWoolbury White Horse in Hampshire. This method leaves no trace of the figure's existence when overgrown, as is the case of the lostFovant Badges in Wiltshire.^{[citation needed]}
• 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. TheUffington 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 originalDevizes White Horse, cut in 1845 and lost sometime in the mid 20th century, but rediscovered when traces reappeared.^{[citation needed]}

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 afrench ditch.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

Unmaintained figures gradually fade away.^[10]Firle Corn atFirle Beacon,Sussex could be a lost figure. Its existence is suggested byinfrared photography. If it is a lost figure, its age is uncertain, and unlikelyprehistoric in origin, as only one figure in the UK has been shown to be of this age, theUffington White Horse.^{[citation needed]}

While presumed to be ofprehistoric origin, surviving examples may have been created only within the last four hundred years.^[11] Of these giants only two survive: one near the village ofCerne Abbas, to the north ofDorchester, inDorset and one at Wilmington,Long Mancivil parish in theWealden District ofEast Sussex. Examples located atOxford,Cambridge,Litlington and onPlymouth Hoe can no longer be seen with the naked eye.^{[11][12][13][14]}

TheOsmington 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.^{[citation needed]}

TheCerne Abbas Giant, also referred to as the "Rude Man" or the "Rude Giant", is a hill figure of a giant naked man 180 ft (55 m) high, 167 ft (51 m) wide.^[2] 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 atrench 12 in (30 cm) wide,^[2] and about the same depth, which has been cut through grass and earth into the underlyingchalk. In his right hand the giant holds a knobbledclub 120 ft (37 m) in length.^[2]

Its history cannot be traced back further than the late 17th century, making an origin during theCeltic,Roman or evenEarly Medieval periods difficult to prove. Above and to the right of the Giant's head is anearthwork known as the "Trendle", or "Frying Pan".Medieval 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, theUffington White Horse – an unquestionablyprehistoric hill figure on theBerkshire Downs – was noticed and recorded by medieval authors.^[2][15] 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.^[16]

In 2008, overgrowth forced a re-chalking of the giant,^[17] with 17 tonnes of new chalk being poured in and tamped down by hand.^[18]

TheLong Man of Wilmington is located on one of the steep slopes of Windover Hill, six miles (9.7 km) northwest ofEastbourne. The figure is 227 feet (69 m) 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.^[19]

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.^[20]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.^[19][21] A wide range of dates of origin have been proposed for the Long Man, but more recent archaeological work done by theUniversity of Reading suggests that the figure dates from the 16th or 17th century AD.^[22]

Until the early 17th century large outline images of the two giants, perhapsGog and Magog (orGoemagot and Corineus) had for a long time been cut into the turf of Plymouth Hoe exposing the white limestone beneath.^[23] An early and explicit reference was made to them byRichard Carew in 1602.^[24] At one time these figures were periodically re-cut and cleaned but no trace of them remains today.^[23][25]

The Giant of Hindover Hill is a lost chalk hill figure believed to have once accompanied the originalLitlington White Horse on Hindover Hill inLitlington,East Sussex.^[26] References to the figure appear in the 19th century, with some historians suggesting it resembled the nearbyLong Man of Wilmington.^[27] It was reportedly known alongside the Wilmington figure as "Adam and Eve," and some accounts describe it as a female giant or goddess.^[28] 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.^[29]

Firle Corn inFirle,Sussex is a nearly-lost hill figure which can be seen with the aid ofinfrared photography. Now looking more like a smallear of corn 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.^[30] 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.^[31]

As a publicity stunt for the opening ofThe Simpsons Movie on 16 July 2007, a giantHomer Simpson brandishing adoughnut was outlined in water-basedbiodegradable paint to the left of the Cerne Abbas Giant. This act angered localneopagans, who pledged to perform "rain magic" to wash the figure away.^[32][33]

• Atacama Giant

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There are 16 known white horse hill figures in the UK, or 17 including the painted one atCleadon Hills.^[34]

The horses in Cockington Green, Georgia and Juárez are all based on the style of or direct copies of the Uffington White Horse.^{[citation needed]}

• NearBattle of Britain Memorial,Capel-le-Ferne,Kent (1993)^{[citation needed]}
• Bulford Kiwi,Sling Camp (1919)
• Compton Chamberlayne Australia map, Wiltshire (1916)^[10]
• Fovant badges, Wiltshire (1916-)
• Lenham Cross, Kent (1922)
• Shoreham, Kent memorial cross, Kent (1920)^{[citation needed]}
• Sutton Mandeville military badges, Wiltshire (1916, photographed, to be lost soon when?)^{[citation needed]}
• Whipsnade white lion,Bedfordshire (1931)
• Whitehawk hawk, Sussex (2001)^{[citation needed]}
• Whiteleaf Cross,Monks Risborough,Buckinghamshire (earliest ref. 1742)
• Wye Crown, Kent (1902)

• Mormond White Stag, on the other side of the hill from the Mormond Horse.^[39]

The white horses of Wiltshire, of which there are currently nine, have inspired other sculptures in the county. Julive Livsey's sculptureWhite Horse Pacified (1987) in Shaw,Swindon was inspired by the white horses.^[40]

In 2010, Charlotte Moreton created the steel sculptureWhite Horse for Solstice Park,Amesbury, taking influence from white horses.^[41]

The Westbury White Horse is depicted on a roundabout and mosaic in the town.^{[citation needed]}

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

The Town Flag ofPewsey, registered in September 2014, features the Pewsey White Horse at its centre.^{[citation needed]}

• 
  TheCherhill White Horse nearCherhill
• 
  TheKilburn White Horse nearKilburn, North Yorkshire
• 
  Lenham Cross on theNorth Downs in Kent
• 
  Figure of a lion cut into the hillside: theWhipsnade Zoo lion nearWhipsnade
• 
  Outline of a crown cut into the hillside. Wye Crown, atWye, Kent
• 
  An offwhite triangle cut into the hillside.Watlington White Mark
• 
  Three military badges from theFovant badges
• 
  A kiwi cut into the hillside. TheBulford Kiwi nearBulford
• 
  A white cross cut into the hillside.Whiteleaf Cross
• 
  White horse withGeorge III riding;Osmington White Horse nearWeymouth, Dorset
• 
  A stylised figure of a galloping white horse.Folkestone White Horse onCheriton Hill,Folkestone
• 
  Alton Barnes White Horse
• 
  TheMormond Hill White Horse, nearFraserburgh,Aberdeenshire
• 
  TheMormond Hill White Stag, near Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire
• 
  The Lamb Down Badge, nearCodford,Wiltshire^[42]
• 
  Hackpen White Horse
• 
  Pendle Hill marked with the date 1612 on the 400th anniversary of theWitch Trials

• The Ballad of the White Horse byG. K. Chesterton
• The Scouring of the White Horse byTom Hughes
• Sun Horse, Moon Horse byRosemary Sutcliff
• Witch Hill byMarcus Sedgwick
• Find the White Horse byDick King-Smith
• A Hat Full of Sky byTerry Pratchett
• The Dark Is Rising Sequence bySusan Cooper
• The Sandman byNeil Gaiman
• The Language of Bees byLaurie R. King
• The Westbury White Horse is mentioned in the novelThe English Patient byMichael Ondaatje, but was not featured in thefilm of the novel.

• Alton Barnes White Horse appears, very briefly, in the music video forStaying Out for the Summer byDodgy.^[43]
• Cherhill White Horse features in the music video forDoctorin' the Tardis byThe Timelords.
• Uffington White Horse (in animated form) features in the music video forSonnet byThe Verve.
• Westbury White Horse features in the music video forBreathe byMidge Ure, alongside a temporary figure of the sun.

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

• Newman, Paul (1997).Lost Gods of Albion: The Chalk Hill-Figures of Britain (2nd ed.). Stroud: Sutton.ISBN 0-7509-1563-3.
• Plenderleath, W C (1892).The White Horses of the West of England (2nd ed.). London: Allen & Storr.

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