A. D. PASSMORE AND THE STONE CIRCLES OF NORTH WILTSHIRE 205 
Ladder Hill (SU 161 804) but of the size and 
number of stones I cannot gain any information as 
they were broken up about 30 years ago. There are a 
lot of small pieces of sarsen on the spot where it is 
said to have been. 
(Passmore failed to find the actual location of 
the ring where there was to be a megalithic tragedy. 
In 1965, a mile south of Broome, Richard Reiss 
noticed a much disturbed concentric ring of coarse 
sarsens, the inner, flattened at the north, 86.5 x 
73.7m, the fragmentary but enormous outer about 
107m across. About 125m to the west was a single 
line of stones, 102m long, lying NNW-SSE. In 1969 
the stones were casually removed during the 
construction of the M4 motorway.!!). 
Hodson 
c.SU 17. 80. [p.21b] This circle must wait till the 
next number of the / Magazine [when I hope to 
have] [p.38] This circle is situated in the village of 
Hodson about 3 miles from Swindon and 1 mile 
from Chiseldon station. 
It is like the Coate circles encroached upon by 
barns and other buildings, the road also passes 
through it. the stones are about the same size as 
those at Coate none are now standing. 8 stones are 
in position and inside these there are traces of a 
second circle of which I can only find 3 stones and 
these being out of position I think they [are the 
remains of] came there by accident or probably for 
some agricultural purpose leading up to this circle 
there are 4 distinct lines of stones which [go in] 
leave the circles in the [p.39] direction of Coate and 
I think that this line if stones was continued on to 
Coate and joined the line of stones there [the three 
by second circle]. 
This circle is about the same size as the one at 
Coate being 250 ft (76m) in diameter but is 
unfortunately right in the midst of sheds hedges 
road and lanes which make it very difficult to find. 
Swindon Old Church 
SU 15. 84.[p.14b] behind Swindon Church [new] I 
have discovered the remains of another circle of two 
of stones of which I give a plan (Fig. 7) [p.54]. 
(The Old Church, Holy Rood, Swindon, was a 
ruin by 1852, the chancel being refurbished as a 
chapel in 1964. The new church, Christ Church, 
Cricklade Street, was designed by Sir George 
Gilbert Scott in 1851).” 
[p.55] Notes on Swindon Circle. In the big field 
behind the Church there are a lot of sarsen stones 
which form a half circle [I am going over the 
Big field 
° ° 
e ° 
52 paces 
° 
e 
< - 
° ° aan fi 
62 paces yr 
af Eo] 
re é 
° pond _ 
6 paces 
° 
i Se Ry a ole ee, Es ol A oon ee Sn Mi i 
wire fence 
@ 
So i ll inal See: in ie Ee is Se 
Fi wire fence 
wire fence 
i i A i in SO IR I Sa SOR ac OO SOO TT 
Road 
large stone out in this field 
Fig. 7 Plan. Swindon stone circle and row. Passmore, 
Notebook 1, 54. 
ground with a bar] on Jan 18 mr Leslie went out in 
the field below the big field and discovered several 
more stones extending in all about % a mile [nearly] 
they are sarsen stones, some big about 5 to 6 feet 
(1.5m, 1.8m) average size, some nearly buried [this 
stone lin] this stone line may have been a sacred 
road leading to some worship place. 
(In the Notebook all the following six lines have 
been crossed out). probably the circle in big field 
the northern end of this [circle] line points in the 
direction of Stratton where near [Hodn] Notts 
boundary in a field on right hand side of road there 
are [p.56] large stones. Keeping the same N+S 
direction, this line also points straight for Avebury. 
Mr Haliday says that these stones were broken up to 
form part of the wall and that they were in the form 
of a circle 18 years ago. (Pages 57 — 70 blank). 
The Purpose of Stone Circles 
{p.36] The question will probably be asked what 
where these stone circles & their uses? An answer to 
this question is very difficult to give as the 
archaeologists are divided in their opinions 
respecting them but the most widely accept theory 
is that they were connected with the worship of the 
Sun & Moon [is] this is almost certain as most 
circles have an [reference?] outlying stone or some 
other distinguishing object on the Eastern side the 
