y& The D^amal Hi/lory 



was called in by King /Ethelftan toaflift him (as Thomas of Walfin- 

 gham witneffes ) againft fome potent rebels that had taken 

 arms againft him n ; whom having vanquifhed, and reduced into 

 obedience to their Prince, and perhaps too (lain the defigned 

 King of them (who poflibly might be perfwaded to this rebellion, 

 upon a conditional Prophefie of coming to that honor when he 

 fhould fee Long-Compton) might erect this Monument in memory 

 of the Fafl ; the great fingle ftone for the intended Ring, the five 

 flones by themfelves for his principal Captains, and the round for 

 the mixt multitude (lain in the Battle, which is fomwhat agreeable 

 to the tradition concerning them. 



86. But if I may give my opinion what I really think of them, 

 (though I do not doubt much but they muft be a Danijh or Norwe- 

 gian monument") I can by no means allow the round or other flones 

 to be Sepulchral monuments : For had the Cirque of flones been any 

 fuch memorial, it would certainly have had either a tumulus in the 

 middle, like the monument near the way to25trcfein Seland, and 

 of TUttgtJeen Mitt not far from it , and another near &oef$il& * ; 

 or a ftone Altar, as in the notable monument of HaraldHyldetand 

 near JLtitZ in Seland p , placed there, fays Wormiws (in another 

 part of his Book) eo fine ut ibidem inmemoriam defuntti quotannis 

 facra paragantur, that they might yearly offer Sacrifices in memo- 

 ry of the defunct, at the place of his inhumation. But neither 

 of thefe are within Rollright Cirque, nor could that curious and 

 learned Antiquary the Worfliipful Ralph Sheldon of Beoly Efq; 

 (one of the nobleft Promoters of this defign) who induftrioufly 

 dug in the middle of it (to fee whether he could meet any ]ym- 

 bols or marks-, either who might erect it, or for what end or pur- 

 pofe) find any fuch matter. 



87. For the very fame reafon, it is alfo as certain that it can- 

 not have been any place of judicature, fuch as was ufed in old 

 time in the Northern Nations, whereof there is one fo great in 

 Seland, as defcribed by Wormim, that it takes up no lefs than fix 

 and forty great flones of ftupendious magnitude within its cir- 

 cumference q , and fo does Rollright and more too ; but then it 

 has no ftone (nor I fuppofe ever had) erected in the middle for 

 the Judge to fit on, as thofe always had. Befide thefe Fora, or 



Tho.dtWal[inghamTpodigmaNtuflri* t f*kinititm. QlaiWormiiMon.Danic. lib.i.caf.^. * Idem 

 hb. i.cap.6- * Idemlib. l-cap. 5. * Qlai Warmii Mon. Danic.lit. leap. 10. 



places 



