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Long Meg & Her Daughters

Stone Circle

Miscellaneous

Info on Long Megs' Enclosure and Cursus.

Extracts from the SMR.....

Immediately to the north of the stone circle, and partly overlain by Longmeg Farm, aerial photographs have identified the infilled ditch of a roughly circular enclosure measuring some 210m north-south by 200m east-west. At the point where the stone circle and the enclosure virtually touch, the stone circle has been flattened slightly in shape suggesting that the enclosure was already in existence and the stones arranged so as not to disturb this earlier
feature.

To the west of the stone circle aerial photographs have identified two infilled ditches of a cursus running for approximately 600m from the cliff above the River Eden to the entrance on the south western side of the stone circle. The ditches are virtually parallel and c.40m-50m apart. The western end of the cursus is terminated by an oblique ditch also visible on aerial photographs. The eastern end is less clear; the northern ditch appears to run to the edge of the stone circle, the southern ditch, however, cannot be traced quite this far on existing aerial photographs but it is reasonable to assume that it also continues at least to the stone circle.

In Stan Beckensall's book 'Prehistoric Rock Art In Cumbria" there's a fancy infra-red aerial photo of Long Meg...the enclosure is easy to see......at the top of the photo is a dark stripe...is this the Cursus perhaps?
stubob Posted by stubob
17th March 2004ce
Edited 17th March 2004ce

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