Stroud Horestone rediscovered by amateur historian
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1670000/1670707.stm
An amateur historian has found a lost standing stone in his own "back garden" - 18 months after beginning a search for it.
Stephen Davis and historian friend Clare Forbes used ancient documents to help track down The Horestone near Stroud, Gloucestershire, some
350 years after it was lost.
Mr Davis learned of the stone when he began researching the history of his own house in 1987.
He then started to swap notes with local historian Ms Forbes and this led to the pair agreeing to look for the stone together.
The first known reference to the stone was in legal documents dated 1170.
But it is believed to mark a Bronze Age burial site dating back to around 2,500 BC.
The area was declared common land after a law suit was fought over it in the 14th Century.
Its last official recording was in 1636 in a tax record.
The land on which it stands, which is behind Mr Davis' house, was sold off 300 years ago and is now part of a housing estate.
'Astonishing moment'
The two stone-hunters feared the ancient rock on Rodborough Common might have been smashed up or buried to destroy its magical powers.
Mr Davis said: "We had no reason to believe that we'd actually find it. These things are buried, ploughed over or they just fall over."
They almost missed finding it because it was so overgrown with ivy it looked like a tree stump.
But both said they were glad to find it and "unpick the lock of ancient history around Rodborough".
On uncovering the stone, Mr Davis said: "It's curious to excavate a piece of history. It wasn't just stumbling across it, but just stumbling across
it while we were looking for it.
"It was the most astonishing of moments. It spoke immediately of lost time and still had all the atmosphere of a pagan shrine.
"I was certainly not expecting to have such a stunning moment in my own back garden."
English Heritage is now expected to declare the six-feet-high stone a scheduled ancient monument.
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from "A Rough Guide to Occult London"
http://www.newworldwoman.net/occultlondon1.html
THE LONDON STONE
The London Stone is the Omphalos of London and the Navel of Albion. The sacred centre of the capital city. Its origins are shrouded in mystery, one legend tells us that it was set there by Brutus to magically protect the city, another legend claims it was the Ancient Stone from which King Arthur pulled Excalibur.
The Stone was originally a tall monolith that lay at the centre of the city. Some authorities claim it pre-dates the Roman conquest, whilst others claim it was a Roman Milestone used for measuring the distances of journeys. But most sources agree that for centuries The London Stone was the site where proclamations would be made, laws would be passed and lords would be inaugurated.
And where does this mythical stone reside today? Its remaining fragment can be found unobtrusively tucked into a glass case, behind a metal grill, and set in the wall of the Overseas Chinese Banking Company opposite Cannon Street tube station. Forgotten and neglected by the millions who hurriedly pass it everyday without ever even noticing it's there.
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http://www.bartleby.com/81/10475.html
E. Cobham Brewer 1810Ð1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
London Stone.
The central milliarium (milestone) of Roman London, similar to that in the Forum of Rome. The British high roads radiated from this stone, and it was from this point they were measured. Near London Stone lived Fitz Alwyne, who was the first mayor of London.
London Stone was removed for security into the wall of St. SwithinÕs church, facing Cannon Street station, and secured from damage by an iron railing.
There are two inscriptions, one in Latin and one in English. The latter runs thus:Ñ
ÒLondon stone. Commonly belleved to be a Roman work, long placed about xxxv feet hence towards the south-west, and afterwards built into the wall of this church, was, for more careful protection and transmission to future ages, better secured by the churchwardens in the year of OVR LORD MDCCCLXIX.Ó
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visit: 5/11/2001, 1:15pm
The saddest sight ... a captive stone. The London Stone sits near it's original site across the road from Cannon Street tube station, in the front of the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation.
Once a considerable landmark megalith, all that remains is a tastefully lit micro-wave oven sized lump. It is "preserved" behind bars and toughened glass, tamed, humiliated, ignored. Just the act of stopping to look caused passers-by to look at me curiously ... getting out my camera led to outright derision, pitying looks from the sophisticated city-set to the easily-impressed out-of-towner ...
An uninspiring, depressing experience ...
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Events that have some kind of prehistoric theme, that you might be interested in. If you like that kind of thing. Which, since you're here, you probably do. Go on, have a look...
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Talking to Holy McGrail about the new TMA site not long ago, he said that he was glad that no-one had yet abused the site submission facility ... "at least", he said, "no one's put in Windsor Castle" ...
err ...
I believe that the site that Windsor Castle now stands on, on the edge of the Great Park, home of Herne the Huntsman, and on the banks of the River Thames, does belong in the TMA. Very much so. At the centre of the Castle is a massive chalk mound (familiar?), that rises to over 100ft above the Thames. You don't really get a sense of that aspect of the site from the ground, but what we have is a Citadel that stamps it's presence over the surrounding area. Imagine it in it's "natural" state ... stripped of vegetation, gleaming in the reflected sunlight.
Accounts differ as to whether the chalk mound was already there when William the Conqueror built his Western base, one days march from the Tower of London (another White Mound).
We mustn't let the current occupants distort our vision of what *may* have been an vital centre of ancient existence. I might be totally wrong about the whole thing, but what can you do?
Here goes ...
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Until the 15th century, a custom persisted where a stag was brought into the Cathedral, and ritually slaughtered.
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The Temple was allegedly built by Brutus. Diana (the Hunter) appeared to him in Malta about 1000BC, speaking of the "Great White Island". Landing in Totnes, Devon, he came to London and built a temple to Diana/Herne. This lasted until about 700CE, when the first St Pauls was built.
shamesless grabbed from:
http://www.flamemag.dircon.co.uk/herne_the_hunter.htm
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Something to get us started *inside* the M25
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Fascinating site, tracing the life-histories of various monuments throughout Germany.
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lots more info, pics and details of forthcoming gatherings at the 'Henge ...
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Spicey little Bronze Age site, set in the northern bend between Marlow and Cookham. To get up here:
from the South, walk down the path alongside Winter Hill Golf Course, down the insanely steep chalk hill, across the bridge across the marsh, and dodge the wild horses
From the North: walk down the side of Bourne End train station, past the auction house. Right at the end of the car park, you'll see a slight gap in the fence. Sashay down the shady path, and up onto the railway bridge. All the way across, and turn left (upstream). Go up past "The Bounty", through all the gardens backing onto the river, through the gate and towards Winter Hill
and behold! Cock Marsh!
It's formed by sediment piling up from the river over the years in front of Winter Hill, forming a completely sealed off island - steep hill on one side, natural semi-circle of river on the other.
There are 3 barrows still visible, one just as a crop mark. The biggest is about 3m high, with a bit of a ditch left on the north side. The others are in pretty poor repair, but this is a delightful, resting, calm place. Stop by, if you're in the area (there's a pub handy as well)
RG
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Bulstrode Tree Chimneys
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These are the strangest things - not neolithic, just 100 years old, but if you're visiting Bulstrode Camp, you really should go and see the Tree Chimneys.
They're in the trees at the North-West corner of the camp - walk around, look up in the trees, and stop when you see a brick wall half-way up one.
I really have no idea about how or why they got their ... since one of them has "1900" inscribed into the top, then all I can assume is that is a Victorian turn-of-the-century celebration.
Rather odd.
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from the Trent & Peak Archaeological Unit
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