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PenbedwStone Circle
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I am a believer in Penbedw stone circle. Whilst en route to another Clwydian hill fort I decided to take another look at this place, there is a lay-by on the road almost opposite the stones. Sciatic leg strangely not giving me any jip so I carefully leapt the fence and made my way over to perhaps the oddest of Clwyd's ancient sites. Coflein says it has five stones and eight trees, and isn't mentioned before the 18th century. But today I could only see four stones and four trees and a stump, perhaps the other trees were carted off for road or wall building. The trees are big and old, one more so than the others, perhaps a botanist could estimate it's age, which could give us a clue about the circle as the trees are supposed to occupy the place of missing stones. Despite Coflein and Aubrey's doubts, it felt real to me. The whole site is on a slightly raised platform, the bigger of the four stones looks like it was chosen for it's odd shape, as so many circle builders did, there is an outlier about 250 meters west, in the next field is a kosher barrow, and an ancient track way runs by very closely, but where I do not know. All positive points in my opinion. I leave the circle and creep over to the outlier, playing hide and seek with a tractor, keep a tree between you, handy things trees. Burl is suspicious of this stone too, but if I were lord of the manor and asked for a standing stone, and got this, I'd want me money back, that's a stone lump not standing stone., and I wouldn't really want it right next to the track up to the big house where any unobservant toff could crash into it. It is maybe five feet tall, grey, and made of a rocky substance. Most helpful i'm sure. The red leafed trees either side of the track are particularly fetching. Now it's time to go, but before I do I try to get a closer look at the barrow, but tractor man and some big brown cows dissuade me. Johnako presumes a brownish patch to be an old entrance or possibly the excavation scar from 1860, it is almost certainly neither, grass would have covered the scar by now, it's been 150 years and grass grows well in Wales and barrows don't have entrances. Most likely it is rabbits. I wasnt sure about this site last time I came, but now i'm a little bit more sure , but still not certainly sure though. For goodness sake get it dug. |
Posted by postman19th May 2014ce Edited 19th May 2014ce |
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Passed by 15.1.12 Had no real intention to photograph this barrow today as I have passed Penbedw countless times as it is local, but today I passed it and had to turned around at Nannerch and come back. With the brilliant light and shade of a cold but bright day I could see a feature not noticed before. From my vantage point at the roadside you can clearly see what must be the distubance evidence from the 1860 excavation (Aubrey Burl "A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain.."). In the picture (also posted today) you can see a 'trench' dug into the barrow, unless of course this is an original entrance feature? The round barrow lies in the same pasture as Penbedw Stone Circle which has doubted history in some people's view. However, the barrow was excavated in 1860 when "..large stones and urn sherds" were found. |
Posted by JohnAko 15th January 2012ce |
| Another hero of mine Aubrey Burl said this circle might be spurious (had to look that one up) but the presence of a prehistoric trackway and the barrow argue for its authenticity. The first time I came here I chickened out of a visit because the landowners were about. I don't like asking for permission to see our own heritage. The second time I was luckier. No-one was about so I drove between the gatehouses and parked by the gate near the stones. Another quick Ninja scurry and there we have it. Further up the drive towards the mansion is a large loaf like menhir. |
Posted by postman 17th July 2006ce Edited 20th July 2006ce |
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