The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

The Bullstones

Stone Circle

Miscellaneous

This is taken from 'Notes on the Antiquities of Macclesfield' by I Finney (1871). The complete text is at
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~finney/isaac/antiquities-of-macclesfield.htm

"In a field behind Clulow Cross there is to be seen a stone circle, about five yards in diameter, with a broad upright slab of gritstone placed in the centre of it. For some time past this has been an object of interest to the archæologist, and on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 1871, an excavation was made in the presence of our respected townsman, Mr. Sainter, a gentleman who takes great interest in exploring remains of this description,and who has collected a great many curiosities of antiquity, and, as he informs me, both he and his friends were highly gratified by the discovery, about three feet below the surface, of several pieces of charcoal, along with stones blackened by fire, and also a sepulchral urn, which contained the burnt bones of a young child, also a piece of curved flint that had been calcined. The urn, made of baked clay, proved to be in a crumbling condition, but several of the larger pieces were preserved, and as there was no ornamentation to be seen on the outer surfaces, the burial may be assigned to a very old date- probably prehistoric, or anterior to the period of the occupation of this country by the Romans."

Then he mentions another stone:

" We may here notice also a very singular stone by the roadside in this neighbourhood, which is called by archæologists " a Maen hir" - merestone, or longstone, which is also of ancient British origin, and tradition has it that this stone was made use of at the time of the plague in 1666 as a barrier or boundary stone to the country people bringing provisions to Macclesfield, where it seems all exchanges were to be made upon this stone by persons appointed to receive and pay the same - hence, since that time, it has been called " The Plague Stone."
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
23rd May 2002ce
Edited 8th June 2009ce

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