STONE CIRCLES 



size is above that of any other circle in the county. Only one other 

 circle in Cornwall has a central stone of undoubted antiquity, viz. 

 Boscawen-un, and the possession of such a central monolith marks them 

 out as of exceptional importance, which appears to have been the case, 

 since one is mentioned in a Welsh triad and the other has this elaborate 

 and unique circumvallation. The earthwork seems of too slight a 

 character for defensive purposes and it is likely that here, as at Stone- 

 henge, the bank was intended as an enclosure it may be a sacred enclosure 

 giving a finish to the monument. The entrance (S. 79 W.) is clearly 

 marked, and was perhaps designed to admit processions of some sort ; its 

 choice of direction, towards Trippet Stones, may have been more than 

 accidental. The ditch and bank, or the ditch alone, is a not uncommon 

 adjunct to some of the larger and more important stone circles. Stone- 

 henge, as already mentioned, has a ditch and bank, with an entrance on 

 the north-east ; Avebury circle has a deep ditch and high bank ; Arbor 

 Low has a considerable entrenchment round it and entrances on the 

 south-east and north-west ; the Ring of Brogar, Orkney, has a ditch 

 crossed by two causeways. 



There are no menhirs to be seen near, but in the ploughed field 

 on the east is a kist-vaen, 5 ft. long by 3 ft. wide, which was once 

 enclosed in a barrow 24 ft. in diameter. The position of this circle is 

 remarkable ; it is situated, as has been said, on the south-east slope of 

 Hawk's Tor, and over the shoulder of that hill, due north, appears the 

 top of Garrow Hill, i, 086 ft. high, while beyond and above that again, 

 in the same line, shows the top of Row Tor, 1,311 ft. Between Garrow 

 and Row Tor, in the northern line, but out of sight, is another circle 

 called Fernacre. The accompanying photograph shows the position of 

 these two hills, and in the foreground are a stone of the circle (No. 2) 

 and the offending hedge. 



Seeing that traditions cluster round Dawns Men and that Bos- 

 cawen-un is credited with being the site of some Celtic festival, it is 

 disappointing that no legend is attached to this more striking monu- 

 ment. An early reference indeed there is, but it throws no light on 

 the history of Stripple Stones. In 1599 Nicholas Boscawen brought 

 an action against Manner Hill and Nicholas Burnard for trespass on 

 Her Majesty's manor of Bliston, alias Blisland, and one of the witnesses, 

 John Burnard, being interrogated at Bodmin as to certain boundaries, 

 deposed that the boundary line ran ' to tynne pytt, and from thence to 

 Strypple Stones, and from thence a thwarte into the Torre called 

 Hauxtorre.' 1 All we learn from this is that three hundred years ago 

 it was known by the same name, spelt differently. It is probably owing 

 to the isolation and desolation of these moors that Stripple Stones has 

 been passed over by nearly all the writers who have described the 

 beauties and antiquities of Cornwall. Sir John Maclean mentions it as 

 having five stones erect, 3 and Lukis and Borlase include in their 



1 Exchequer Depositions, 41 Eliz. Mich. 3. 

 * Hist, of Trigg Minor, i. 24. 



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