The Kingston Russell stone circle 750m north east of Gorwell Farm

Reasons for Designation

Stone circles are prehistoric monuments comprising one or more circles of upright or recumbent stones. The circle of stones may be surrounded by earthwork features such as enclosing banks and ditches. Single upright stones may be found within the circle or outside it and avenues of stones radiating out from the circle occur at some sites. Burial cairns may also be found close to and on occasion within the circle. Stone circles are found throughout England although they are concentrated in western areas, with particular clusters in upland areas such as Bodmin and Dartmoor in the south-west and the Lake District and the rest of Cumbria in the north-west. This distribution may be more a reflection of present survival rather than an original pattern. Where excavated they have been found to date from the Late Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age (c.2400-1000 BC). It is clear that they were designed and laid out carefully, frequently exhibiting very regularly spaced stones, the heights of which also appear to have been of some importance. We do not fully understand the uses for which these monuments were originally constructed but it is clear that they had considerable ritual importance for the societies that used them. In many instances excavation has indicated that they provided a focus for burials and the rituals that accompanied interment of the dead. Some circles appear to have had a calendrical function, helping mark the passage of time and seasons, this being indicated by the careful alignment of stones to mark important solar or lunar events such as sunrise or sunset at midsummer or midwinter. At other sites the spacing of individual circles throughout the landscape has led to a suggestion that each one provided some form of tribal gathering point for a specific social group. Large irregular stone circles comprise a ring of at least 20 stone uprights. The diameters of surviving examples range between 20 and 40 metres, although it is known that larger examples, now destroyed, formerly existed. The stone uprights of this type of circle tend to be more closely spaced than in other types of circle and the height and positioning of uprights also appears not to have been as important. They are widely distributed throughout England although in the south they are confined largely to the west. Of the 250 or so stone circles identified in England only 45 examples of large irregular circles are known. As a rare monument type which provides an important insight into prehistoric ritual activity all surviving examples are worthy of preservation.

The Kingston Russell stone circle survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. The stone circle is one of only four known to survive within the area.

Details

The monument includes a large irregular stone circle situated on a chalk ridge overlooking the surrounding downland. The monument, which is often referred to as the Kingston Russell stone circle, has a maximum diameter of 30m and now contains 18 visible stones. The site is almost circular in plan and the interior of the monument is set on level ground. The stones, which are of sarsen or conglomerate, are now all recumbent and vary in size from 2m by 0.5m to 1m by 0.3m. Partial burial may mean that some stones are significantly larger than the current exposure would suggest. There are records of two additional stones lying outside of the stone circle, but it is uncertain whether this location is original. Excluded from the scheduling is the information notice board situated on the south eastern side of the monument, although the underlying ground is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

22924

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Mention location of additional stones,
Mention name of site,

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