For the second time longhorn cattle introduced as part of a Higher Level Stewardship conservation grazing scheme onto Carnyorth Common near St Just have destabilised a stone of the ancient Tregeseal Circle.
A recent episode of BBC Radio 4's Open Country reveals that a controversial grazing scheme is blighting the sacred and spiritual landscape of West Penwith and that cattle have destabilised the Tregeseal Stones:
BBC Radio 4 Open Country - Conservation grazing in Cornwall
[Could be making a mountain out of a molehill if the stones are just sooty? There's no mention of them being cracked. It's surely likely the heather has been managed with fire for centuries.... continues...
This wonderful circle remains an absolute favourite, no matter how many other places I get to between our visits here. Its location offers a feeling of space and solitude, with views stretching away to the unmistakable Carn Kenidjack outcrop to the north. We rarely see anyone else here, although it's easy enough to get to. Tregeseal has somehow escaped the tourist trail that takes in Men-an-Tol, Lanyon Quoit and Merry Maidens.
The summer bracken is much lower than usual and the stones are surrounded by large numbers of (thankfully dry) cow pats. The cows themselves are not in evidence. I can't really say whether any of the stones are leaning more than in previous years. Although it's nice to see the stones without the depth of bracken, it still seems that other ways of achieving this are available. I desperately hope that sense is seen and that a solution can be found to the issues presented by the longhorn grazing. This place is far too special to be mired in controversy or surrounded by barbed wire.
Tregeseal stone circle, or more properly the eastern circle, is the first stop-off today. Almost always deserted on our visits, today is no exception and we can sit undisturbed in the sunshine, breathing in sea air and generally chilling. I mess about in the bracken looking for the remnants of the western circle and g/f lets me get on with it – she has more sense. It's only just gone 11 o'clock and it's already shaping up to be scorcher, so sun-cream is liberally applied. I love this circle. If it wasn't for one other (more of which later) it would be my favourite of all.
Visited 14.4.10.
Following the lanes through Tregeseal the circle is signposted near a farm. I parked at the sign and followed the path pretty much straight to the stone circle. You could drive further up the lane but the track becomes very bumpy and is possibly only suitable for 4X4s. The last section of the path, just as you approach the circle, is very muddy. It took me 15 minutes to walk from the sign to the circle. Despite the pressence of a couple of farm buildings in the distance this site feels very desolate and remote. I lioked this circle a lot. There is a certain 'satifcation' when you have to put in a bit of 'leg work' to get to a site. There is a handy horizontal stone on a bank next to the circle from which you can get a good 'birds eye' view. This stone circle is well worth the effort.
16.6.09: Our first visit since the decision to fence and graze the common (see West Penwith news item and forum discussion). Approaching from Tregeseal village, the first signs of the new policy was an ugly looking barbed wire fence crossing the landscape. However, once past that, there was no other sign until we reached the circle itself.
At the circle there were a few cow pats around the stones, but no cows. It was ironic to note that the cows had obviously cropped the grass around the circle, but had left the bracken in the centre - the whole reason for the grazing policy!
Oh well, at least we weren't knee deep in dung or trampled.
I love this circle, along with Nine Maidens of Boskednan this is my favourite of all the ones I have visited.
For the first time I sought out the remains of the detroyed western circle - the high bracken growing all over the hedge made it difficult to see anything, but I did find one of the remaining stones of this circle (see photo). Obviously something to look for in the autumn.
All the photos of the circle after the fire made me quite worried about the possible state of these stones. Thankfully all seems to be well, indeed any signs of there having been a fire are gone. There don't seem to be any cracks in the stones nor does there seem to be any shifting of them.
Yet another fabulous Cornish setting, fairly easy to get to, but remote enough not to be a casual place to visit.
Carn Kenidjack stands on the hill to the north of the site and the Scilly islands can be seen to the south west on a clear day, which it was when I was there.
22.10.05
Drove up through village to the end of the tarmac. parked and followed sign up track rather than cross fields on footpath. Passed the farm and hit the mud! Once out onto the open moor it is a short walk to the right to find the stones. There is now no sign of the burning from a year or so ago, infact the stones are now surrounded by a good covering of bracken. The sky over Keninjack was ever changing from gray to blue as the sun threatened to come out...I waited patiently and finally got my rewards. Behind me from atop of the wall the Scilly Isles stood out proud whilst St Just church tower gleamed in the sunlight...I would have loved to have walked up to the carn but time was against me...perhaps next time.
It's a stiff old walk up from the bottom of the village, but just over a year on from the unintentional scorching the stones received (see News), they appear to be healing well. Most of the burnt lichen has been removed, and the stones look in good condition. I didn't notice any obvious cracking on the stones I inspected closely.
I parked in the lane below Hailglower farm,it was a lovely day and the walk was most enjoyable.I was wondering how to find the circle but just past the farm on the right is a plaque with an arrow pointing the way.It is a beautiful place,the air was humming with insects and swallows and martins were swooping ,I found it very difficult to leave.
Lots of different fairy and devil tales for this one. One story tells of a local miner finding a Fairy Feast at the circle and was bound in gossamer thread and left there all night.There is another involving pixies enticing passers by and hosting "Little Folk" parties with dancing! There are stories of actual encounters with the Devil on nearby Carn Kenidjack, which dominates the horizon.
"I should not choose to walk the moor at night; but a neurotic modern would have had nothing to fear on that sunny September morning. Nevertheless, it was with a sensation, not entirely pleasant, of passing from the land of humans to the land of shades that I left the last farm behind and crossed the moor, near the barrow where the famous Tregeseal urn was found, now in the British Museum, in search of the Tregeseal stone circles - two circles seventy-five feet apart. In one, sixty-nine feet in diameter, eight stones are erect and five prostrate; in the other only two are standing, but three more may be found upright in the hedge.
The outlying landmarks or sighting-lines from the eastern Tregeseal circle, probably used by the astronomer priests, are, Sir Norman Lockyer suggests, the Longstone, a monolith ten feet high, on a hillside one and a half miles to the north-east, the apex of Carn Kenidzhek, barrows and holed stones.
He gives the following table as "the meanings of the various alignments":-
Decl. N. Star
Apex of Carn...42d.33'0" Arcturus 2330B.C.
Barrow 800' dist..40d.29'0" Arcturus 1970B.C.
Two Barrows 900' dist. 25d. 20'21" Solstitial?
Holed Stones..23d. 2'20" Solstitial?
Longstone......16d.2'0" May Sun
Stone.............9d. 15'0" Pleiades 1270B.C."
After going to see Discover Odin on 4th/ 5th Oct 2001, British Museum there's another state of affairs. The king stone is the World Tree and the nine stones either side represent the nine moons that Odin hangs on the World Tree looking for answers/ powers.
A note on the 19 stone type scenario that is so common in Penwith. I've heard tell that each one of these circles has a 'sun' stone or 'king' stone (quartz and set in the West it seems to me). Two crecents of nine stones representing waxing and waning moon and triple goddess type scenarios (virgin, mother, crone) advance on the sun/king stone. Some kind of ceremony. Hmmmm.
It is interesting to note that in Cornish the circles are known as Dauns Mein or stone dance, or as in the case of Trgaseal ,Daunsiow Mein -dancing stones.
Following our recent story about the damage being caused to Tregeseal Circle by the cattle being allowed to roam on the heathland, video evidence of the instability of the stones has been posted on YouTube. We think the video speaks for itself:
This is an excellent circle to visit, nineteen of the evenly spaced stones stand upright, one has fallen. All the stones are about 1m high, the tallest of which stands 1.3m. There is a vantage point on a large stone which makes up part of a wall about 15m to the south west. From here the white stones of the circle can be seen more clearly, even in the dense bracken. Also known as ‘The Dancing Stones’, Tregeseal is part of a double circle, it’s partner, Tregeseal (West) was set on an east-west alignment but the later has now been destroyed and no longer visible.
TREGESEAL STONE CIRCLE, ST. JUST
(6 photos, & 1 diag.)
This is the Eastern of two circles, much restored. A Western circle recorded by 19th century writers has been lost, although a stone by the hedge leading to the site is thought to be a lone survivor of it. The circle lies at the edge of moorland, and is marked on the Ordnance Survey "Explorer" Map 102 between Hailglower Farm and Truthwall Common. It is best approached from Tregeseal, and on foot.
Visited 14.4.10.
One of the many strange natural rock formations found all over this part of Cornwall. Overlooking Tregeseal stone circle proved too much - I had to climb it! Walking directly from the stone circle, a wide path had been cut in the gorse/heather. However, shortly afterwards the path goes to the left. I noticed that on the O/S map this path then goes around the back of Carn Kenidjack and approaches from the rear. I was pushed for time so I decided to wade directly through the gorse. BIG mistake!!! There then follwed 15 minutes of pain as I was cut to pieces by the gorse which by now was waist high. By the time I reached Carn Kenidjack and returned to the stone circle my legs were cut to pieces. My advice would be to follow the 'path' around the back and approach from there. It may take a bit longer but it is a lot less painful. At least I can say I have stood on top. In hindsight I should have just viewed from the stone circle!!!