Latest Fieldnotes

Stands dwarfed by modern traffic signs beside a crossroads on the old Bodmin/ St Neot road. Is it a menhir or just a large upright stone that was once itself a road sign?
There is a lump of metal imbeded in the top of it that may have sometime had a sign in.

I’ve searched for this row a number of times, it’s not too far from my home so whenever I’ve had a spare hour or two and the right motivation I’ve driven up to Old Castle Hill and mooched around the area.
The moor up there is a managed grouse moor and is bisected by the road from the A171 to Commondale, comdle in local dialect.
This morning I was browsing through the EH Pastscape website and came across a reference to the row. This is the only reference I’ve come across for the row apart from Elgee’s, it gave no further details but it made me determined to get out and find this site. Before leaving I read up on Elgee’s description, studied and sketched Elgee’s photograph of the site noting the shape of the stones and the lay of the ground.
I parked up on the Commondale road with views across to Freebrough Hill, the coast, the Black Howes and the barrows of Hob on the Hill beyond.
Elgee had positioned the site of the row on the west side of the valley, what I hadn’t noticed before was a second reference that gave an extra clue – the mention of a mound.
I parked my car half way up the road and strode into the knee-high heather. After about half an hour I had found my mound and a careful search of the heather turned up two fallen stones. I carefully checked the profile of the stones against my sketch..they matched, I checked the profile of the horizon...it matched, I paced the distance..it almost matched ( Elgee gave an approximate distance.
I scoured around the hill for the other stones but found nothing. The mound on which the stones are set is made of sand and gravel and is eroded at the eastern end, it is also covered in thick heather and deep peat. I suppose the other stones could still be there or have been carted off by the farmers and game keepers, as is the case on so many other sites.
So it looks like I’ve found my row minus three stones....Deep Joy.
This is my second North York Moors true stone row, my first was at Simon Howe I just hope I can turn up a few more.

Ahhhhh, what a beauty! Our first encounter during a week in Cornwall last summer couldn’t have been bettered. Although sign-posted (and following the directions in the book), we still managed to get lost but after asking a friendly local (who took the time to correct my pronunciation!) we finally got here. small amount of parking is provided and then it’s over the fence and there it is!

This really is a beautiful site but I was shocked to see it so close to a solitary house...like Mayburgh Henge the site is within spitting distance of a dwelling and I wondered whether it would be a curse or a delight living so close by! Depends on whether you want people hanging around outside your house each and every solstice!

I wanted to stay longer, the site had such a feel to it and the fact that one of the stones has fallen inward seems to add to the whole place. Fab!

I had just visited Boscowan and Carn Euny in 2002 with my daughter and decided to take a scenic route back via the byeway from the iron-age village to Grumbia. On the way to Sancreed my daughter spotted the “Holy Well” sign on the road and we stopped to have a look.

The path was relatively clear and made a pleasant walk, getting overgrown and muddy for a bit nearer to the well. Its well worth a visit (no pun intended!) and I would say the whole immediate area is a good place for some quiet contemplation.

The inside of the well is very green with a large number of offerings. The photo I have added here does not do justice to the fairy-grotto feel inside.

Apparently the background radiation in the well is much higher than the local average, so I would suggest that one does not stay over-long inside or drink the water!

Outside the well is a cross and a tree covered in clouties. When we were in Cyprus the previous year we looked at a cloutie tree and found, amongst other items, a pair of satin black knickers which made me wonder what was being wished for!

There are numerous bits of stone outside, remnants from the chapel that once stood there.

In all, a small, magical place. More pictures of this and other places are on my own site, ancientstones.org.uk if you are interested.

Lightsmith

Dun Toiseach is on a small hill near a bend in the road at Torran, overlooking the bottom end of Lock Awe. Below, on the bands of the loch seems to be an area that was once settled. Possibly the land connected to the hillfort. However, before we could investigate properly, we were chased off by some quite angry looking, territorial cows! I made pretty short work of the drystone wall near the road!

Dun Dubh is one in a line of Hillforts that top the hills above Ford and on towards Loch Awe (which itself has a number of cranogs).

There’s not much left to see up there by the way of remains. Just a possible entrance and plataux. But the views us Lock Awe and over towards Jura are truely stunning.

Apparantly, Samhain fires were light on top of Dun Dubh until quite recently.

A well-preserved wedge tomb with all its main features still intact. It opens to the W where the effect of two slabs against the double side walling creates a short facade.

Another Cork circle with portal stones, centre stone and a recumbent.

The circle is 7.6m diameter.

Grid reference down to a few metres now, RCAHMS will update sometime now I have passed on further details.

It feels like it’s on the edge; crouching, clinging like an animal to the very crest of the hill, on a threshold between the known world of the Marlborough Downs and beyond, between land and sky, between the earth here and now and the heavens. And what a view! Leaning heavily into the wind, I watched the low winter sunlight fade fast producing weak yet dramatic shadows on the very sexy figure of Knap Hill just opposite.

I never expected this long barrow to be so dramatic and frankly so bloody big. I never expected to see a bank and ditch running round it, today providing welcome relief from the howlin’ wind. I never expected to like a place so much in such foul conditions.

For those unable to get up to the Mother’s Jam, here’s a great way to see how the landscape up there is littered with massive stones. Why this little valley escaped field clearance is not apparent, but it did and very impressive it is, too. And we’re not just talking about a handful of big stones here, there are hundreds of them lying exactly where the long-forgotten glacier dumped them as it melted into history. Fantastic.

...but climb it and it seems even larger still. Phew -whee! As you climb, its spiralling terraced design and construction become more apparent and from the top its bulk is quite overwhelming and makes the ugly school buildings seem tiny. Lurking in a dip at the top of the mound is a huge ugly water tank and a kilny/chimney thing. I wondered if it was a rudimentary crematorium for disposing the bodies of schoolboys who’d been thrashed to death by an over-zealous master. Maybe not. But perhaps it should be.

An 8.1m long alignment of five stones, one of which has fallen. The tallest is 3m high.

This (the SW circle) is the better of two circles in the area.

It has two portal stones, a central stone and a recumbent.

Another of the many wedge tombs in the townland of Parknabinnia – number 69 in the Co Clare inventory of megalithic tombs.

This one lies 0.4km SSW of the better known site near the road. It sits on a field wall but is still well preserved.

07.01.04 11.30am
These are great polar monsters. As you approach they seem to change in size dependent upon the angle of approach, but nothing prepares you for the scale of these beasts. The tallest must be near 9 foot of quartz granite, and the beautiful lustre of the stone contrasts sharply with the bleak relief of the surrounding trees and fields.

The circle gathers the visitor in and when stood in the middle you feel a claustrophobic breathlessness like the tight embrace of a mother. Stepping back and walking around the outside you feel drawn to touch and stroke the stone, which welcomes you with warmth and friendly reciprocation.

I felt there was an affinity between the circle and the nearby church, but time was not on our side and we had to press on, so d*wsing rods had to remain packed, but this is certainly worth a visit and more research, if only from the folklore that must surround this charming place.

Below are the descriptions found in the Cornwall Historic Environment Record
PRN No 17789 (Site Number)

Helsbury Castle is marked on current OS maps (b4). It is visible in air photos (p2) and was plotted as part of the National Mapping Programme. It is described in an Royal Institution of Cornwall report of 1850 as a near circular camp of a single bank and ditch with outworks to the north-east.
The diameter of the interior circle is about 460 ft (140m) and the length of the arched outwork 400 ft (122m) by 200 ft (61m) broad, this being the
entrance to the camp. (B1). A field visit by the Ordnance Survey revealed that the main work is generally well preserved although part of the southern rampart and eastern entrance have been damaged by quarrying. The outerwork is ploughed down and its entrance is no longer discernable. To the north-east of the outerwork are numerous irregularities, possibly surface
quarrying (h2) (17789.01). A sherd of decorated (probably) Iron Age pottery was handed in to Cornwall Archaeological Unit by Jennie Stopford
which was found in a disturbance from a large badger barrow. In the centre of the hillfort is a large rectangular enclosure, the site of St Syths
chapel (17790). During 1988 the ramparts of Helsbury Castle were cleared of dense vegetation by the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (b8). The name Helsbury is first recorded in 1284 when the name was spelt ‘Hellesbury’ (b6). It is a combination of Cornish and English elements; hen-lys ‘ancient court’, ‘ruins’ and bury ‘fortification (b7). 3-year management agreement to 9/1/98.

PRN No 17790 (Site Number)

The ‘remains of St Syth’s chapel’ are marked on current OS editions (b5). A small rectangular enclosure in the centre of Helsbury Castle (prn 17789) is known as ‘the chapel’ (b2). This enclosure is visible on air photos (p1) and
was plotted as part of the NMP. According to Henderson, the name St Syth’s seems to rest only on the authority of Lysons (b1). And it was more probably dedicated to St Michael (b4). Fletcher, however, disputes this but says
that no authority can be found to resolve the dedication. As the parish name is derived from the parish church of St Michael it would seem to be unusaul to have a second St Michael in the vicinity. The Michaelstow Beacon would relate to the parish rather than the chapel (h2). Maclean says that ‘on top of the hill are ruins of a small quadrangular enclosure measuring 85ft by 65ft within which are the remains of a small building. A few years ago, excavations were made within the building by Rev E.T. Gibbins but nothing distinctive of a chapel was discovered’. However Maclean goes on to say ‘there on the site circular headed arch cut in a solid piece of granite of an octagonal form externally, having a span of 2ft 6 inches and a height of 10 inches. The edges being chamfered and also part of the head of another
arch, of a wider span with mouldings of the third pointed period (b3). A field visit by the OS revealed that the remains of the chapel comprise 8.0m, by 6. 0m stone footings up to 0.8m high internally with large granite quoins. At 2 corners there are foundations of a possible tower at the w end. The two s egmental doorheads are as described by Maclean and also a 1.0m long carved granite stone which may have been a door jamb. There are no recorded rights of burial and the enclosure bank around the chapel is
probably protective rather than indicative of the extent of a burial ground (h2). Recent visits by field monument wardens indicate that architectural
fragments are still present

My first visit to Dunino Den... 7th Jan. 04. Impressive. The basin and footprint... yes that is like Dunadd. Perhaps it really was an inaugral device for local tribal kings or such.

The carved Celtic knotwork?

I had a strong and immediate feeling that they (circle and the triad) were fairly recent fakery. Nicely greened over with a few years ageing but just a bit too crisp and convenient I felt. I suspect late 20th century tampering here, wishful thinking and vandalism. a little to the right of the circular knot device I could vaguely see a rough and very old bit of incising... shaped a little like a crude representation of a pine tree. It reminded me of Ogham script... and is more stylistically in line with the incising on the churchyard stone with the coins on top.

The large cross?

I failed to spot it as I was unprepared as to what to expect at Dunino... (vague word of mouth descriptions only)

Since my visit I have read of the large rock with the basin being called the ‘pulpit’. I think that’s incorrect. Unaware at time of visit that any rock here was called such... I did notice that the largest rock (the one with the tiny cave underneath) was remarkably like a pulpit and that is exactly how I’d describe this stone (not the basin one). It even has dual ascending passages... almost symetrical, narrowly leading up behind it to it’s flat top.
How very like the stairways on an actual church pulpit.

On the flat top surface I noticed (next to a pretty basket of withered flowers there placed) a little circular post hole. I don’t know it’s depth but i cleared out old leaves down to about ten inches before stopping.
I call it a post hole as this seems it’s obvious purpose, though it would require secondary opinion here.
I ask myself what would sit in such a post hole? The first thing that comes to mind is a cross.
I can imagine the church would’ve (at some point) used this almost certainly previously pagan site for worship. Another more fanciful idea as to what occupied this ‘post hole’ would be some kind of lectern so that a priest could use this rock as the natural pulpit it appears to be.

Whatever it’s purpose... it is plainly there and begs question.

I agree this is a beautiful, serene and mysterious place to visit. On doing a websearch, I discovered this page and found out that Dunino Den’s not such a big secret after all.

Having cycled from Edale to Hollins Cross and on to Mam Tor I was deeply appreciative of reaching Mam Tor; on a squally day I was aware of just what a sanctuary the settlement must have been.

The great shame is that the path from Hollins Cross to Mam’s Tor, whilst making the going easier, takes away a certain something from the place as part of the landscape. Mam Tor is definitely a place with a distinct power to it as a dominant point within the landscape. This, coupled with the unpredictability of conditions underlines what a centre of natural forces it is. The path, then, seems little more than a vain attempt to manage the unmanageable.

Having said that I think that it is a better approach than from the picnic area to the SW side. The climb from the valley floor (whether the Edale or Castleton side) up to Hollins Cross and then on to Mam Tor gives you more time to appreciate the location and the nature of the ground beneath you. Having ‘earned’ her I always find Mam Tor more welcoming.

I’ve posted some images of kerbstones from the NW quadrant not previously posted. The references are (1) to the K numbering system used by the excavator George Eogan to number the kerbstones consecutively clockwise starting from the break in the NE (11 is at the E entrance and 74 at the W entrance) and (2) the quadrant (NW, NE, etc) numbering system used by Martin Brennan.

I’ve also posted some images of inside the smaller tombs taken in 1993 shortly after Knowth opened to the public and they had a more relaxed attitude to what you could see. These smaller tombs are not now open to the public.

Impressive circular stone fort – a bit less so when you realise it was largely destroyed in 1101 and then significantly restored in 1870. Worth it for the view.

Interior space – about 23m diameter.

‘The Roman Camp’: Iron Age hillfort to the west of St Neot. It has been ploughed over but is still visible as a large square? shaped mound in the centre of a field.

Like King Arthur’s Hall this earthwork is a bit of a mystery. It stands on high ground to the west of the village of St Neot on the road to Bodmin. Allthough much of the centre of it has been disturbed by shallow mining it’s outer walls remain. The whole thing measures 160ft by 120ft in a rough rectangle.

Carburrow is one of those areas on Bodmin Moor that contain so much history in such a small area. Extensive Bronze Age huts litter the southern slopes with the remains of a long house up against the wall at the bottom (very near Tor farmhouse). There are two cairns atop of the tor, the one on the eastern side was hollowed out in the 2nd World War so the home guard could use it as a lookout post.

Posted: 07/01/04
We visited 9 stones last night, to find someone had done a ritual recently for the good of the circle which is always nice to see... last time I visited (about a month ago) it wasnt so positive to see that someone had scrawled pentacles on the stones (leave only footprints..? comes to mind.)
I agree that when you first enter the circle its a very unique experience.. very heady and dizzy with energy it takes some getting used to and grounding yourself before you are ready to meditate or work in the circle!
A white lady stands under the tree. x