Decidedly anti-pagan folklore claims that druids made human sacrifices at these pools, the pools filling up with blood. Sounds like a bid by the church to stop people sneaking off down the steps after the service?! Was the church built to surplant the natural site? or did the church at some point embrace it? It’s been suggested that the church was built where a stone circle once stood, incorporating the stones into its walls, or that they were taken from a circle the other side of the Den.
The carving on the cross marked stone supporting the church’s sundial is said to be from 800AD.
The large Celtic cross in the den is thought to be relatively recent. There is also the shape of a hollowed out footprint in the rock.