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

Dunkery Beacon

Cairn(s)

Folklore

Mr J Ll W Page, in his 'Exploration of Exmoor' (pub 1895), wrote :- "One of the most beautiful of Easter customs still survives. Young men have not yet ceased, on the Resurrection morning, to climb over the nearest hill top to see the sun flash over the dark ridge of Quantock, or the more distant line of Mendip.

"The sight of the newly risen luminary on this particular morning is to them an augury of good luck, as it was to the white robed Druid in the ages that are past. Early in the [19th] century, Dunkery, probably because it is the highest land in Somerset, was favoured above all surrounding hills, and its sides, says Miss King, were covered with young men, who seemed to come from every quarter of the compass and to be pressing up towards the Beacon."
From 'Calender of Customs, Superstitions, Weather Lore, Popular Sayings and Important Events Connected with the County of Somerset', by W G Willis Watson, 1920.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
10th August 2006ce

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