STONE CIRCLES 



its small diameter and small number of stones. It stands on Nine 

 Stones Down, half in the parish of Altarnun and half in that of North 

 Hill, about a miles from Altarnun church-town ; like most of the 

 circles in East Cornwall it lies high, 900 ft. above the sea, with a 

 wide panorama of hills and open country. The diameter is 49 ft. ; 

 there are eight stones in the ring and one near the centre, and a flat 

 triangular stone lies at the base of No. 5 ; the stones are of granite, 

 none are large, the tallest (8) being 4 ft. 2 in. above ground. The 

 spacing is rather irregular and there is a large gap of over 40 ft. 

 on the north which may have held, and probably did hold, another 

 stone ; if, as seems likely, the central stone is a late addition, the extra 

 stone would merely complete the ring and still justify the name of Nine 

 Stones, now more truly applicable to this circle than to most of the 

 numerous families of Nine Maidens. If the gap was intentional we still 

 have warrant for that in several British circles, possibly at Boscawen-un 

 and Dawns Men, and very probably at Whitemoorstone, Dartmoor. The 

 number ' nine ' is not uncommon in stone circles, and Mr. W. C. Borlase 

 has mentioned several instances. 1 He says : ' Near Schonermark and at 

 Standelchen [Germany] were several of nine stones. In most cases the 

 number of stones was seven.' The 'Steintanz' already referred to con- 

 sisted of three circles with nine stones each, and at St. Pau, south of the 

 Garonne, ' there was a circle of nine stones called Las Naou Peyros, . . . 

 nine enormous unhewn blocks, near which stands a menhir.' 



The boundary of the two parishes of Altarnun and North Hill is 

 marked by a line of stones running east-north-east (N. 63E.) from the 

 circle in one direction and south-west in the other. The centre stone 

 very probably belongs to this boundary line and not to the circle. Some 

 of the stones, but not all, have the appearance of great age, lending colour 

 to the theory that we may have here a genuine stone row in connexion 

 with the circle, such as is found on Dartmoor, but which has been added 

 to and utilized as a parish boundary. 



The flat stone at the base of No. 5 appears to be purposely so 

 placed and yet to have no part in propping or supporting the standing 

 stone. Stannon has several such prostrate stones, and it is a nice point 

 whether or not they may have had some significance in the original 

 scheme. 



On the Ridge close at hand are various barrows, and on the east 

 side of the circle and on Fox Tor are a number of hut-circles, but 

 complying with the general rule they have been kept at a distance. 



THE HURLERS 



Leaving the circles on the Bodmin moors we go south as far as 

 the Cheesewring Hill, on the south-west of which is a group of 

 three circles known as the Hurlers. They are situated in the two 

 parishes of Linkinhorne and St. Cleer, on the open down 5 miles north 



'- * Tht Dolmens of Ireland (1897), ii. 502, 534, 584. 

 397 



