Men-An-Tol | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

Sanctuary Feb 24, 2012 15:39:45

I know by previous posts that many of you guys have spent many happy hours tramping around Penwith in West Cornwall. Although I live in the east of the county I've never visited the west yet on a stones mission but that will be changing this year. I wanted to ask a question about the holed stone at Men-An-Tol. Does the outer ring of the holed stone continue as a ring like a doughnut, or does the outer section where earth-fast have a spur on it that sockets into the ground to hold it secure? Cheers, Roy

jonnyj Feb 25, 2012 05:48:35

Replying to Sanctuary

I'm not sure what you're asking to be honest Sanctuary.
Are you asking if the outer circle was akin to a kerbed cairn, having a bank, with inner and outer retaining stones. ?

I might just be having a grey moment.

Megalithics Feb 25, 2012 17:29:47

Replying to Sanctuary

Sanctuary wrote:

Does the outer ring of the holed stone continue as a ring like a doughnut, or does the outer section where earth-fast have a spur on it that sockets into the ground to hold it secure? Cheers, Roy

Just checking our pics and it looks like about a third of the circumference is buried with a maximum of about half the "doughnut" ring thickness below ground. This would be enough to keep it upright if it was a ring, but when you consider the human traffic that hole must get in a year (we've both been through umpteen times)and the pulling and pushing involved we'd have thought it would fallen ages ago if this was the only support.

It may well have been moved "recently" as the four most obvious stones at the site (it was a stone circle) are shown in a different arrangement in our copy of Borlase's 1745 book "Antiquities Historical and Monumental".

Of course there may be some "Stonehenge" style concrete hidden away below the earth.