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 carefully
designed and laid out, 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. A small stone
circle comprises a regular or irregular ring of between 7 and 16 stones with a
diameter of between 4 and 20 metres. They are widespread throughout England
although clusters are found on Dartmoor, the North Yorkshire Moors, in the
Peak District and in the uplands of Cumbria and Northumberland. Of the 250 or
so stone circles identified in England, over 100 are examples of small stone
circles. As a rare monument type which provides an important insight into
prehistoric ritual activity, all surviving examples are worthy of
preservation.
Details
The monument includes the remains of a stone circle and a stone alignment of
Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date, situated on a gently sloping promontory
formed by the confluence of the Threestone Burn and one of its minor
tributaries. Before modern afforestation, the situation afforded extensive
views in all directions. The stone circle, which is sub-circular in plan, is
visible as a setting of 16 stones measuring 36m north west to south east by
30m. The stones are of local pink granite and are set on average 5.5m apart.
Four of the sixteen stones on the northern side of the circle remain
upstanding and measure between 0.7m and 1.3m high and are on average 0.6m
wide. Two of the upstanding stones have the remains of packing stones visible
around their bases. The remaining twelve stones are recumbent and two of these
are partially obscured by peat. A larger gap between two of the stones in the
eastern quadrant of the stone circle is thought to be the site of an original
entrance. The stone circle was partially excavated in 1856 when charcoal and a
flint tool were recovered. The excavations also established that the ground
surface upon which the stone circle was constructed was overlain by a thick
layer of peat. Situated some 28m to the north of the stone circle and included
in the scheduling are a further two stones of local granite; the western stone
stands 0.56m high and the eastern one is recumbent. Immediately to the east of
the two outlying stones there is a stone alignment visible as a line of at
least three stones, two of which are almost entirely submerged in the peat,
and set 9m apart measuring 19m in total.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
34222
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
