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Details of stone circle on Pastscape

SX 63878314. The Grey Wethers (NAT) Stone Circles (NR) (Restored (NAT) (1)
Two restored stone circles. In 1879, prior to restoration, the north circle had nine standing stones and six fallen stones;
while the south circle had seven standing stones and twenty fallen stones. Plan by W C Lukis in 1879 (2). When Spence Bate saw the circles in 1870 some stones had been recently removed apparently to repair the sides of the nearby leat. (2-5)
Authority 3 claims that several barrows have been found near to or in sight of the circles, but this is probably a reference to two barrows (SX 68 SW 18 & SX 68 SW 29) which were inspected in 1898. (6) Stone circles. (7)
Centred SX 63878314. The Grey Wethers are two well preserved, restored stone circles which are c.6m apart. They are situated in a shallow valley at 479m OD between Sittaford Tor (538m OD) to the W and rising ground (485m OD) to the NE. The area, under moorland pasture, has been disturbed by desultory amorphous diggings and shallow, natural erosion gullies.
The N circle, located on a level stance, has an internal diameter of approximately 31.7m with 20 upright stones and at least 4 ?socket holes (visible as irregular pits) which are on average 1m across and 0.3m deep. The White Horse leat (SX 68 SW 89) skirts the N-NE side.
The S circle, located on a slight E-facing slope, has an internal diameter of approximately 33m with 29 upright stones. The majority of these stones have been re-erected and some are now misaligned; almost all have groups of small packing stones around their bases. Tabulated list of stones in Archive. (8)

Details of stone circle on Pastscape

Some of the stones of the circle are used as a gatepost in the wall. Baring-Gould told me that he found the late Mr Coaker’s father (of Sherberton Farm) removing stones from the circle. This ceased when Baring-Gould explained the value of the circle to him. (1)
Remains of a 97 ft diameter stone circle with a stone wall passing through its western side (Plan). Known as Sherberton
Circle. There is no trace of any barrow or cairn. (2)
R H Worth’s description is correct. Nine of the original stones are still standing, plus one larger stone which is incorporated in the remains of the old wall which bisects the western extremity of the circle. This stone appears to have been removed from the original circumference, and its height is 1.4m. The remaining nine stones range in height from 0.3m to 0.75m. Two of the stones found by Breveton are incorporated in the intake wall to the south as gateposts, and a third as a junction stone. The original circle appears to have been c. 30m across, although no stones appear to the west of the old wall. The length of the 2 fallen stones at the southern end is 2.6m and 2.4m (3) (SX 63937317) Sonte Circle (NR). (4)
On a slight south slope at 331m. OD are the remains of Sherberton Circle (name confirmed). It measures 29.8m. in diameter,
with stones set upright and averaging 0.7m. in height. The supposed fallen stones have the appearance of natural in situ
boulders fortuitously placed and unearthed. (see ground photograph) Otherwise the stone circle is as described and
planned by Worth. (5) Sherberton stone circle. (6) Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD and at 1:2500 for AO Records.
(SX 63937317) Stone Circle (NR). (7) Nine stones remain standing at Sherberton Circle; two large stones are fallen. The west segment of the circle is bisected by a reave. (8) SX 640732. Sherberton stone circle north of Swincombe, scheduled. (9)
SX 63937317. The Sherberton Stone Circle occupies a slight south slope at 329m OD and is situated just off the crest of a broad ridge. It overlooks, to the south the wide Swincombe valley and the moors beyond but to the north the view is restricted to the distant high tors by the rising ground of the ridge-top. The vistas to the east and west are also limited by rising ground.
The c. 29.4m diameter circle lies on the angle of two field walls; one, which cuts across its western side, is now a rather ragged line of boulders and stones with a vague shallow ditch on its east side. The ground surface, composed of a thick peat layer and close-cropped moorland pasture, is relatively stone-free and the area is pockmarked by shallow undulations and amorphous erosion gullies.
The nine surviving erect stones which could have been preserved because they were too small for reuse (see auth 1) range in height from 0.3m to 0.74m and in width from 0.3m to 0.6m. Four are small slabs and the remainder are squarish rounded blocks; six appear to be grouped in pairs and one set almost at right angles to the line of the circle.
The impressive ‘kite-shaped’ upright slab incorporated in the boulder wall to the NW of the circle is a maximum 1.45m in height and 1.65m in width. Its origin and purpose are unclear however although it is not on the line of the circle it is probably an integral part of the monument and may not have been displaced as suggested by Worth.
The two recumbent slabs in the southern segment of the circle measure 2.7m by 1.0m by 0.2m thick and 2.35m by 1.0m by 0.55m thick respectively. They are composed of a courser granite than their neighbours and they lie in a shallow depression which was probably caused by water erosion or livestock movement. They appear, on first sight, to be unrelated to the other stones because of their size and general form however if as suggested some uprights were robbed for reuse as gateposts then it is not unreasonable to deduce that these large stones would not have been out of place in the circle.
An almost completely buried boulder located on the west side of the boulder wall and more or less on the line of the circle might simply be a natural sub-surface feature. No socket holes or other buried boulders were detected by probing between the stones. (10)

Details of stone circle on Pastscape

(SX 65488412) Fernworthy Circle (NAT) Stone Circle (NR). (1)
Fernworthy stone circle is 64 1/2 feet in internal diameter and is very nearly complete, with 26 stones standing and only four missing. The circle was examined in 1898 but no finds were made except charcoal on the surface of the ‘growan’. No trace of any burials. (2) Diameter 19.5., the circle now comprises 27 stones, the largest being 1.1m high. (3)
SX 64108320. This cairn is situated in a shallow natural depresion on a gentle S-facing slope at 475m OD. The area has been extensively disturbed by peat cutting activity. It is a turf-covered stony mound 5m in diameter and a maximum 0.5m high. There is no evidence of a kerb or excavation pit. (5)
Centred SX 65488412 in a clearing in Fernworthy Forest is a stone circle currently containing 29 stones (excluding trigger stones). It has an internal diameter of 19.3m (N to S) by 18.6m and is circular for all but an inward-turning kink in the N edge. The stones average between 0.6m and 0.5m tall, although they are generally larger in the S side, being up to 1.1m tall. Two stones not depicted by Butler (7) or Worth (2) visible in the S edge nearly flush with the ground.
Around the stones in the SE, SW and NW areas of the circle are substantial erosion hollows with channels leading away under the adjacent trees. Inside the circle are a number of amorphous hollows, mounds and scarps which are probably associated with the excavation work of 1897 which found little except for charcoal over the surface of the bedrock. (6)

Details of stone circle on Pastscape

(SX 65507207) Stone Circle (NR) (Remains of) (NAT) (1)
Remains of a stone circle known as ‘Down Ridge Circle’. It consists of a quadrant of an 81ft 2 ins diameter circle described by four slablike upright stones and three fallen stones (Plan). (2)
On a north slope at 378m. OD is the remains of ‘Down Ridge Circle’, (name confirmed), as described and planned by Worth.
The largest remaining stone of the circle, which would have been about 25.0m. in diameter, is 2.6m long and 1.7m. high (See GP). Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. (3) This feature is as described by authorities. Surveyed at 1:200. (4)
The remains of a stone circle comprising five upright granite slabs, with a further six lying where they have fallen. A separate standing stone is located 85 metres south east of the circle at SX 6557 7199. Scheduled. (5)

Details of stone circle on Pastscape

(SX 65968601) Triple Circle (Stone Circle) (NR) (Remains of). (1)
A barrow with a four-fold retaining circle marks the southern end of a Stone Row (’B’ SX 68 NE 16). The outer circle, consisting of nine standing stones and one fallen stone, is approx 29 feet in diameter to the internal faces of the
stones. Possibly seven stones are missing. The inner circle, approx 19 feet in diameter, has six standing stones and possibly
once had four more. The third circle, approx 15 feet in diameter, consists of eight standing stones and possibly once had two more. The innermost circle has four stones,two standing, and possibly once had two more. The diameter is approx 8 feet.
With the exception of Lukis every observer has described this as a triple circle. (2)
A small barrow with peristalith 25ft in diameter, two interior circles of othostats and a wrecked cist. (3)
A cairn at the southern end of a stone row with four circles of stone, the outermost with a diameter of 30 feet. Immediately
adjoining the circle are two large fallen stones. One is a pillar 11 1/2 feet long and the other a slab over 7 feet with
one end broadly triangular in shape. They probably stood facing each other at the ed of the stone row. (4) Fourfold Circle (NAT) Stone Circle (NR). (5) None of the authorities consulted gives this cairn a proper name. Triple Circle and Fourfold Circle are always used descriptively.
A turf covered cairn, 10.0m in diameter and 0.4m in height with a ruined central cist of small slabs.
Two concentric circles of orthostats and a perimeter circle protrude from the turf. See photograph. Surveyed at 1:2500. (6)
SX 65968601 Fourfold Circle a sub-circular configeration of four apparently consentric stone rings. The outer ring has a diameter of 9m, the others have diameters of 6.4m, 4.7m and 2.4m respectively. The monument comprises 29 visible stones. Most are approximately 0.3m in height although they vary from 0.1-0.55m. The middle two rings define the bottom and top of the scarp of a small earthern cairn apparently an integral part of the monument. It is most pronounced on the E (downslope side). In the centre is a roughly sub-circular pit measuring 1.3m by 0.7m and 0.45m deep; it is probably the remains of a badly robbed cist. On the N side are two fallen stones. When upright they may have served as a focal point for the end of the stone row (SX 68 NE 16 B). They measure 3.4m and 1.2m in length, the former being inscribed `GP’ (for Gidleigh parish) and confirming its reuse as a boundary stone. Both stones lie within a pronounced erosion hollow 0.3m deep. If the stones did function as a pair at the end of a stone row, then their relationship with the fourfold circle is unclear.
(See RCHME archive survey `The Stone Rows on Shovel Down’ at 1:200 scale). (7)

Details of stone circle on Pastscape

A 38.0m diameter stone circle, on Mardon Down at SX 76768719, comprised of 23 stones; two are standing, three are leaning and the remainder are recumbent. Twenty yards to the south is a kerb circle. Plan. This stone circle was first recognised by Dr J Milles in 1752 and he referred to it as a 42 pace diameter stone circle with an 8 pace diameter circle 20 yards to the south. (1)
SX 76768719. A stone circle is on the plateau of Mardon Down at about 1100 ft OD. It consists of 20 stones making a constant diameter of 38.0m. Only 5 stones are upright or leaning, the rest being recumbent or stumps. A further 3 stones lie outside the circle, probably displaced. The upright stones are up to 1.0m high. Surveyed on OS 6”. (2) SX 76758716. A cairn 8.6m by 6.2m diameter and 0.6m high. Part of the substantial perimeter kerbing is visible. Surveyed on OS 6”.
SX 76738723. An amorphous and unsurveyable mound of stone and earth which may represent the site of a cairn. Maximum height
0.4m, approximately 8.0m diameter. Sited on OS 6”. (3)
(A) The stone circle is as described above. It is cut on its S.W. by an old enclosure bank which probably utilized stone
from the circle in its construction. The narrow rig and furrow within the embanked area (a) infers a late Medieval or post Medieval origin (See ground photograph).
(B). SX 76748715. A cairn with a maximum diameter of 9.8m., and 0.6m. high, the top evidently disturbed, but grass and furze covered. Kerb stones, within the perimeter, are large boulders which protrude through the cairn to a height of 1.3m. (These stones are similar to the kerb on Crownhill Down SX 5760) See ground photograph.
(C) SX 76778722. A much despoiled cairn, now grass and furze covered, in an area of loose boulders and outcrop. It is 15.0m. in diameter, generally 0.5m. high but up to 0.8m. high on the north where there is a residual rim. Group surveyed at 1:2500.
The ‘mound’ noted by Authority 3 is not a cairn but possibly a patch of soil. (4)

Details of stone on Pastscape

(ST 5776 9723) Broad Stone (NR) (1) A standing stone, 8 1/2ft high, 1 1/4’ thick, and 5 1/2’ wide at the base tapering to a point at the apex (see M XI (a)). Its position, on the severn alluvium and facing the river, is unusual, and it may well have marked a crossing at this point. Bradeston (1269 Minn Acct): le Brodestone 1320 Ass.). (2-3)
The standing stone at ST 5776 9724 measures 2.7m high by 3.5m wide at the base, tapering to a point and 0.16m thick. A few packing stones are visible around the base. See GP. Published survey (25”) correct. (4)

Details of stone on Pastscape

(SP 17242581) Whittlestone or Whistlestone (NR) (Site of) (1) The Whistlestone was probably the last remnant of a burial-chamber as human bones were found beneath it in the mid-19th century. (2) (SP 17322529) Removed to the vicarage paddock.
A much weathered irregular-shaped stone 1.4m by 1.0m and 0.4m thick stands at SP 17302534 in the NW corner of the vicarage paddock. The vicar confirms that this is the stone known as the Whittlestone. Surveyed at 1:2500. Stone moved c.1978 to outside the village hall. (3-6)

Details of stone on Pastscape

(ST877999) Approximate site of Cobstone (1). Said by Playne to have been a remarkably fine standing stone which formerly lay on the edge of Minchinhampton Common due west of the Longstone (ST 89 NE 34) and due north of the Picked Stone (ST 89 NE 30). It was removed about 1835 for building purposes. (1-2)

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The Long Stone (NAT) (SH 88409990 sited to name only.) (1) ST 88369992. A standing stone 7ft 9in high on the remains of a mound. To the west is a smaller stone which has been incorporated in a modern wall, but is still in situ. The site is probably the last vestige of a long barrow. (2) Rudder likens the barrow on which the Long Stone stands to that of the Tingle Stone (ST 89 NE 12). (3) The Long Stone, ST 88349991, is 2.1m high, 1.7m wide and 0.4 thick. The smaller stone, ST 88339991, is 1.2m long, 0.7m high and 0.3m thick. It is incorporated in a modern wall but at right angles to it. There are no remains of a mound. The field is under the plough. Published survey 25’ revised. (4)

Details of stones on Pastscape

(A: SU 1296 6946 and B: SU 1297 6949) Standing Stones (NR). (1)
Two stones situated in the hedgerow immediately south of Down Barn. Possibly part of a circle or the peristalith of a long barrow.
(A) is 7 ft in height, (B) is 5 ft (Not listed in VCH 1,pt 1 nor mentioned by Bowen and Fowler (WAM 58, 1961-3, 98-109). (2)
(A) SU 12956946; A stone 1.9 m high and 0.9 m by 0.9 m at the base.
(B) SU 12966949; A stone 1.4 m high and 1.0 m by 0.8 m at the base.
Both stones appear to have been artificially erected, but there is no evidence of any associated earthwork, and any allusion to a long barrow or stone circle must be purely speculative. See G.Ps. Published survey 25” correct. (3)
The location given for the stones lies within the area mapped at 1:10,000 from APs by the Fyfield Down and Overton Down Mapping Project. The stones were not recorded by the AP survey, nor was there any evidence of a barrow at this location. (4)

‘Drive by’ 4.4.16

Another grass covered mound surmounted by several trees right next to the road.
Easy to see when passing along the A44 (south side of)

COFLEIN state:
A round barrow, 23m in diameter and 1.6m high.