Cumbria forum 41 room
Image by Chance
Cumbria

Seen something similar near Avebury?

close
more_vert
fitzcoraldo F
fitzcoraldo Jun 16, 2008 09:25:15
Replying to The Eternal

Howdo Mr E.
It's an intriguing looking stone, my first impression was of a field clearance with the stone bearing plough scars, however the basin looks interesting although it could be that this area was below the reach of the plough. Hard to tell but it's worth dropping your local archaeologist a line.

I have a copy of Derbishires 1872 excavation report of the axe preparation site at Ehenside Tarn that I could send you, it includes an illustration of a grinding stone. Unfortunately I have lost your address, if you drop me a line to my name at hotmail dot com I fire it off to you along with another nice paper on shap.
cheers
fitz

F fitzcoraldo
fitzcoraldo Jun 16, 2008 10:38:30
Replying to fitzcoraldo

I've had a quick look through the books for references to any markings on the stones.
John Waterhouse in The Stone Circles of Cumbria.
Stone 7...has five smaller stones around it. These have the appearance of having been dumped there, presumably from the surrounding field, and it is possible that one of them is the vanished outlier.
Tom Clare in Prehistoric Monuments of the Lake District
Around a number of the stones in the circle are others, apparently the product of ploughing.
Burl in A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain Ireland and Brittany
The site was known as Elfhow in 1488. This may be a corruption of elfshot, an old term for a prehistoric axe. As the circle does lie near a trackway along which such axes may have been transported westwards from the Langdales, this is a possibility. Equally 'elfhow' may be from 'elfhaugr', the hill of the elves, an old norse or viking name for Elva Hill.

cheers
fitz

T The Eternal
The Eternal Jun 25, 2008 21:38:42
Replying to fitzcoraldo

fitzcoraldo wrote:
Howdo Mr E.
It's an intriguing looking stone, my first impression was of a field clearance with the stone bearing plough scars, however the basin looks interesting although it could be that this area was below the reach of the plough. Hard to tell but it's worth dropping your local archaeologist a line.

I have a copy of Derbishires 1872 excavation report of the axe preparation site at Ehenside Tarn that I could send you, it includes an illustration of a grinding stone. Unfortunately I have lost your address, if you drop me a line to my name at hotmail dot com I fire it off to you along with another nice paper on shap.
cheers
fitz

Fitz,

Thanks, I'll drop you a line in the near future. Bear with me, as my mind's elsewhere - we've got the house on the market at the moment, and are looking for a house. Somewhere around Kendal to Staveley is favourite at the moment.

Cheers,
TE.