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Coate Stone Circle

Coate Stone Circle

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Re: Goff's news post here - http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/73424/news/coate_stone_circle.html See also http://jefferiesland.blogspot.com/ and this in particular from The Wiltshire Herald circa 1867-1868 by Richard Jefferies -

"The road from Coate makes a wide semi-circle round to Chisledon. Day-house Lane cuts off the angle, and was formerly much used, until the road was widened and macadamised. There may be seen on the left side of Day-house Lane, exactly opposite the entrance to a pen on Day-house Farm, five Sarsden stones, much sunk in the ground, but forming a semi-circle of which the lane is the base­line or tangent. There was a sixth upon the edge of the lane, but it was blown up and removed, in order to make the road more serviceable, a few years ago. Whether this was or was not one of those circles known as Druidical, cannot now be determined, but it wears that appearance. It would seem that the modern lane had cut right through the circle, destroying all vestige of one half of it. In the next field, known as the Plain, lies, near the footpath across the fields to Chisledon, another Sarsden of enormous size, with two smaller satellites of the same stone close by. If the semi-circle, just spoken of was a work of the Druids, or of the description known as Druidical, which some think a very different thing, it may be just possible that these detached stones in the Plain had some connection with it."

Richard Jefferies (1849-1887)

Cheers for flagging this up, LS - that's some nifty detective work going on with that article!

Great find!

I just can't get over how easily the developers get away with killing off our heritage... Those greedy fuckers really get my goat! :(

G x

Littlestone wrote:
Re: Goff's news post here - http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/73424/news/coate_stone_circle.html See also http://jefferiesland.blogspot.com/ and this in particular from The Wiltshire Herald circa 1867-1868 by Richard Jefferies -

"The road from Coate makes a wide semi-circle round to Chisledon. Day-house Lane cuts off the angle, and was formerly much used, until the road was widened and macadamised. There may be seen on the left side of Day-house Lane, exactly opposite the entrance to a pen on Day-house Farm, five Sarsden stones, much sunk in the ground, but forming a semi-circle of which the lane is the base­line or tangent. There was a sixth upon the edge of the lane, but it was blown up and removed, in order to make the road more serviceable, a few years ago. Whether this was or was not one of those circles known as Druidical, cannot now be determined, but it wears that appearance. It would seem that the modern lane had cut right through the circle, destroying all vestige of one half of it. In the next field, known as the Plain, lies, near the footpath across the fields to Chisledon, another Sarsden of enormous size, with two smaller satellites of the same stone close by. If the semi-circle, just spoken of was a work of the Druids, or of the description known as Druidical, which some think a very different thing, it may be just possible that these detached stones in the Plain had some connection with it."

Richard Jefferies (1849-1887)

This may well prove to be a particularly valuable piece of research. I went there a couple of days ago with two interested friends. A local resident came over to speak to us and mentioned that the present owner of the land is very keen to sell - he is apparently claiming that his grandfather put the stones in the field where they now lie (only just visible). The above article was written in 1867 so the land-owner's claim cannot be true.

Dayhouse Lane, where the circle is sited, still has a rural feel and stunning views towards Liddington Hill (site of hillfort and barrow) so it will be very sad to see it go the same way as much of the rural land around Swindon - always the poor relation to other Wiltshire towns. However, the field where the circle lies will not be built on - there is already a commitment by the developers to preserve it - though in no way do I endorse them.