Rhiannon

From ‘Dartmoor Illustrated’ by TA Falcon (1900).

From ‘Relics of Antiquity’ (1811).

From ‘Relics of Antiquity’ (1811).

From ‘An Historical Tour in Monmouthshire’ by William Coxe and Richard Colt Hoare (1801).

As rendered in gold on the front cover of Donald A. Mackenzie’s ‘Ancient Man in Britain’ (1922).

From ‘The Pictorial History of England, vol. 1’ by Craik and MacFarlane (1846).

From ‘The Pictorial History of England, vol. 1’ by Craik and MacFarlane (1846).

From ‘The Pictorial History of England, vol. 1’ by Craik and MacFarlane (1846).

From ‘The Pictorial History of England’ by Craik and MacFarlane (1846).

In the ‘Pictorial History of England’ by Craik and MacFarlane (1846).

‘Barrows on Botrea Hill’ by William Cotton, from “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall : from drawings made on the spot, in 1826.”

‘Zennor or Sennor Cromleh’ by William Cotton, from “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall : from drawings made on the spot, in 1826.”

‘Chun Cromleh’ by William Cotton, from “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall : from drawings made on the spot, in 1826.”

‘Lanyon Cromleh’ by William Cotton, from “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall : from drawings made on the spot, in 1826.”

‘Molfra Cromleh in Maddern Parish‘

From “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs and and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall : from drawings made on the spot, in 1826” by William Cotton.

From William Cotton’s “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs and and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall: from drawings made on the spot, in 1826.”

From William Cotton’s “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs and and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall: from drawings made on the spot, in 1826.”

Hoping this is the right spot. He says it commands a sea view and is between two ridges of hills.

From “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs, and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall: from drawings made on the spot, in 1826.” by William Cotton. (It does say cromlehs on the title page.. either deliberate or a pretty bad typo).

Mr Cotton says there were seven stones standing, and nine lying on the ground half buried.

From “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs, and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall: from drawings made on the spot, in 1826.” by William Cotton.

From “Illustrations of stone circles, cromlehs, and other remains of the aboriginal Britons, in the West of Cornwall: from drawings made on the spot, in 1826.” by William Cotton.

It’s quite weird that this is so upright? If I wanted to bury a big stone I’d push it into a hole sideways, then you don’t have to dig such a deep hole. So maybe that’s interesting?

This may not be an accurate representation of the miscreants (it looks very ill advised to go at it from underneath). But this is the illustration from the sensational Illustrated Police News from 4th July 1885.

Sadly the metal gate is locked. We cannot be trusted (some people can’t, that may be true). But as you approach, the solar panel on the roof turns on some lights inside the chamber – and if you crouch down you can see the carvings on one of the stones highlighted in relief. Which made me feel not quite so sad about the bars. The coast here is beautiful and full of interesting flowers. We watched an oystercatcher preening its feathers, much as someone 5000 years ago could have done.

From Joseph Anderson’s ‘Scotland in Pagan Times’ (1886). archive.org/details/scotlandinpagant02andeuoft/page/8

From Joseph Anderson’s ‘Scotland in Pagan Times’ (1886). archive.org/details/scotlandinpagant02andeuoft/page/6

From Joseph Anderson’s ‘Scotland in Pagan Times’ (1886), p7. archive.org/details/scotlandinpagant02andeuoft/page/7

From ‘Scotland in Pagan Times’ by Joseph Anderson (v2, 1886). archive.org/details/scotlandinpagant02andeuoft/page/240/ Seventy small lignite beads were found with an urn in the first compartment of the cairn.

From the Gentleman’s Magazine, v94, pt1 (1824).
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435054261235&view=1up&seq=142

A very cleaned-up view of the chamber at the east end of the barrow, looking south. From OGS Crawford’s 1925 ‘Long Barrows of the Cotswolds’. archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283470/page/n172

From ‘Long barrows of the Cotswolds’, 1925.
archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283470/page/n113

From an engraving on the title-page of Theophilus Jones’s History of the County of Brecknock, volume 2, 1809.
But I found it in ‘Long barrows of the Cotswolds’ by OGS Crawford (1925)
archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283470/page/n79

From ‘The testimony of tradition’ by David MacRitchie (1890).
archive.org/details/testimonyoftradi00macriala/page/140/mode/2up

From ‘The Testimony of Tradition’ by David MacRitchie (1890).
archive.org/details/testimonyoftradi00macriala/page/136/mode/2up

Reprinted in ‘The testimony of tradition’ by David MacRitchie (1890).
archive.org/details/testimonyoftradi00macriala/page/126/mode/2up

In ‘The testimony of tradition’ by David MacRitchie (1890).
archive.org/details/testimonyoftradi00macriala/page/n143/mode/2up

From ‘The Testimony of Tradition’ by David MacRitchie, 1890.
archive.org/details/testimonyoftradi00macriala/page/n129

From ‘The Testimony of a Tradition’ by David MacRitchie, 1890.

In ‘The Testimony of Tradition’ by David MacRitchie, 1890.
archive.org/details/testimonyoftradi00macriala/page/108

In ‘The Testimony of Tradition’ by David MacRitchie, 1890.
archive.org/details/testimonyoftradi00macriala/page/n7

From Archaeologia Cambrensis, October 1895.
archive.org/details/archaeologiacamb1895camb/page/324
R W Llewllyn (as you can read) “has not the slightest doubt” they’re gate posts not menhirs. There’s no pleasing some people. He mentions another similar stone 38ft away in a hedge, close to where another stone inscribed with a cross used to stand.

From ‘Barrows in Cornwall’ in the Gentleman’s Magazine, July 1865.

From ‘Barrows in Cornwall’ in the Gentleman’s Magazine, July 1865.

From ‘Barrows in Cornwall’ in the Gentleman’s Magazine, July 1865.

“Dun Dornadilla is twenty-four feet high, and the segment of it still standing is built in a beautifully regular manner. The outer circumference measures 150 feet; the diameter of the inner court is 29 feet, and that of the wall 8 feet 6 inches. Above the doorway there is a triangular stone lintel, 4 feet 10 inches at base, and 3 feet 4 from apex to baseline. Cordiner, who visited the spot in 1780, mentions that three distinct rows of galleries could be traced within the walls, and that he walked up and down different stairs from the first to the second storey, but that the third storey was partially filled up owing to the displacement of the stones. Now, as the result of the depredations of time, and the still more destructive influence of human hands, ony the remains of the first and second galleries can be discerned.
From the Celtic Monthly, v1, 1893.
archive.org/stream/celticmonthlymag00mack#page/52

From ‘The Scottish Gael’ by James Logan, originally published in 1831.
archive.org/stream/scotishgalorce00logauoft#page/263

Does this cast doubt on Fitzcoraldo’s sceptical source? Assuming I have the right spot. “On the top of Tibradden Mountain, which rises to the west of the Two Rock, and is near Glencullen, there is a curious cairn, in which was found a small sepulchral vessel, now to be seen in the Irish antiquities section of the Kildare street Museum. This cairn is still in fair preservation and offers a good example of what may be called a “small giant’s grave.” The climb up Tibradden (properly – Ti-braddan, Braddan’s House) is rather trying, owing to the soft ground and thick gorse, but it is well worth while making the ascent, not only in order to inspect the cairn, but also for the sake of the view, which is one of the finest near Dublin. The cairn, of which a drawing is given, consists of a shallow passage lined with stones leading to a vaulted chamber in a mound, in which is a circle of stone.” In the Weekly Irish Times, 23rd January 1904.

I doodled this a while ago when I read the poem in an Alan Garner book (naturally). Ryaner’s addition rang a bell and then I realised why. And why not add this as a change from typing folklore :)

From Mr Scott’s article on ‘Turf Monuments of England’, in the Proceedings of the Bath and Bristol Branch of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society 1914.
archive.org/stream/proceedingsofbat1909some#page/n331/mode/2up

From Mr Scott’s article on ‘Turf Monuments of England’, in the Proceedings of the Bath and Bristol Branch of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society 1914.
archive.org/stream/proceedingsofbat1909some#page/n323/mode/2up