I’ve not yet visited this site, but apparantly it’s one of the best preserved stone hillforts forts in Britain. Access to the fort is good (there’s a small car park) and on a clear day you can (allegedly) see Ireland and the Llyn.
My sources are Chris Barber’s More Mysterious Wales, the NMRW and the Ordnance Survey Landranger.
The name Rhos Maen Hir when translated into English means approximately long stone on the heath. Here’s how it breaks down:
rhos = moor, heath, plainThe alternative name for this stone is the Capel Nebo Stone which is derived from the chapel that stands to the north of it.
maen = stone
hir = long
Kammer x
Nearby, in the Brynarian caravan park, is another stone which I went to investigate. I’m pretty convinced that it’s an old gatepost. It has a hole running through it, and it’s extremely rectangular. I’ve not given it a site of its own. I should mention that proprietor of the caravan park was extremely friendly, and didn’t mind me taking a look at the stone.
I’m told that there’s a third stone nearby, but I have yet to find it. I have no idea how old this one is.
Not to be confused with the Maen Llwyd standing stone seven and a half kilometres to the east near Tal-y-Wern.
If you want the address or telephone number for the Oxenham Arms Hotel, take a look at the Facilities Menu.
Kammer x
I’ve not visited this site, but apparently it’s fortifications are built in an irregular circle covering approximately 9 acres. The site is now wooded, and being relatively close to Faringdon, it’s a popular walking spot.
According to the Faringdon Community Web Site, “the banks were levelled early in the 19th Century leaving little but vestiges of the fosse on the south side and a faint escarpment on the other sides”.
Kammer x
Here’s a paragraph from the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust Web site about Carn Gop, highlighting it’s Silbury like qualities:
The largest prehistoric monument in Wales is Gop Cairn, near Trelawnyd, Flintshire. The site measures 100m x 68m and is 12m high, and is of mostly stone construction. The cairn was partially excavated by Boyd Dawkins in 1886-7, when a shaft was dug in the centre down to the original ground level. However, despite these efforts no burials or finds were recovered.
I’ve not visited this site, but I understand that at 519 metres, Dunkery Beacon is the highest point on Exmoor (that’s 1,706 feet if you’re still using old money). The beacon is capped with two Bronze Age cairns.
Kammer x
I pass these stones almost every day. They’re on private land belonging to IGER (the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research). There’s no public right of way to them, but you can see them both from the A4159.
During the 1980s excavations around the easterly stone unearthed evidence to suggest that it had been moved, and a hole was found indicating it’s original location. At the same time evidence was found for post holes, suggesting a possible timber post alignment. In the same field as the eastern stone (to the south of the stone) is a bump that’s thought to be a ploughed down round barrow.
The earliest written record of the stones dates back to the eighteenth century, when they were used to mark the beginning and end of a race course. The road that now runs between them is relatively modern.
Loosely translated, ‘cerrig’ means ‘stones’ and ‘llwydion’ (the plural of llwyd) means ‘sacred’ or ‘grey’. This is one of three sites in the area that have words deriving from ‘llywd’ in their names, possibly indicating a tradition of sanctity that has survived down the centuries.
Incidentally, the Robin Hood and Little John stones stand near Nene Park, which is known locally as Ferry Meadows (pronounced ‘fury’). The name Nene is pronounced locally as neen but in Northamptonshire it’s pronounced nen.
I wonder which of the stones is Robin Hood, and which one is Little John?
Kammer x
I can’t really improve on Julian’s directions to Adam and Eve (the ones he gives in the Modern Antiquarian book), so here they are:
At Beckhampton roundabout, take the A361 to Avebury and Swindon. After 200 yards , turn immediately left at ‘60s farm cottages and take the road straight on. Adam & Eve are in the field ahead.
As far as I can see there is no public access to the stones, but if there aren’t any crops in the field you could chance it and take a closer look.
I contacted Cambria Archaeology (Dyfed Archaeological Trust) to check up on their records for Llwyn-on-Fach, because nobody else seems to list it. They sent me a response by email, including this description of the stone by someone with the initials GW, alluding to metal rings fixed to the stone (no longer there):
It lies on level ground in pasture now used as a caravan site. An elongated, tapering stone 1.8m high and 0.6 x 0.3m across max, and leaning at an angle. Attached to it are broken metal rings for hanging a gate. It makes no sense as a gate-post in relation to modern field boundaries (which are unchanged since the 1st edition 25” map). It is very possibly on old gate-post re-erected in its present position as a pseudo standing stone.The person who emailed this to me seemed more inclined to think that the stone might be a Bronze Age standing stone adapted for use as a gatepost, rather than a gatepost mistaken for a standing stone. Based on what I’ve seen I agree with him. It’s ridiculously large for a gatepost.
GW. 1995.
The Cambria Archaeology chap pointed out possible evidence for Bronze Age activity in the area from the local place names. The name of the nearby village Llaingarreglwyd translates as narrow strip of land of the grey stone and the name Ty Carn belonging to a nearby cottage means Cairn House.
I’ve not yet visited the Great Orme, but according to Gwynedd Archaeological Trust records there’s a prehistoric hut circle north of Pyllau Road (SH77258305). I’ve no idea what kind of access there is to the site, or how much evidence remains on the ground.
There are two other possible hut circles to the south east (one at SH77498300 and the other at SH77358321). One of these looks like it has a public footpath running past it.
Dinas is visible from most of the Bronze Age sites that surround it, so inevitably it’s ended up in the photos I’ve posted up for them. Rather than post the same images up twice, here are some links to those photos:
Buwch a’r Llo
Garn Lwyd Stone
Garn Lwyd Stone
Y Garnedd
Lle’r Neuaddau Circle
The hilltop is best known for it’s spectacular late 13th century castle. Long before this was built the site was occupied, probably as an Iron Age fortress, and possibly earlier. Roman coins and four skeletons have been found at the site indicating early occupation, but if there was an Iron Age hillfort at the site, all trace of it has been obliterated by subsequent building.
The sacred well or spring was probably sited at the end of the cave that was eventually incorporated into the castle itself. Water still collects at the end of the cave, but if this is the site of the spring, it’s no longer active. The atmosphere in the cave is certainly electric. When I lived in Carmarthen we sneaked up there at night and sat at the end of the cave in the dark. It was an amazing feeling being so deep down in the cold wet rock.
I’ve read in one source that the name Carreg Cennen has its roots in the Welsh for sacred well. I’ve not been able to confirm this though.
If you need to report damage to West Kennet Long Barrow, or come across such vast quantities of rubbish up there that you can’t clear it up yourself, it’s worth contacting the local National Trust office in Avebury.
Tel: 01672 539250
Fax: 01672 539388
Email: [email protected]
Kammer x
The Aubreys is an Iron Age defensive enclosure, oval in shape and covering approximately 8 hectares. It’s now right next to the M1 and the B487 between Hemel Hempstead and Redbourn, and is relatively close to Watling Street (now the A5183).
There’s a double bank and ditch around most of the enclosure, except for on the west side where there’s only a single bank and ditch. There have been flint finds at the site suggesting occupation as far back as 4000 BCE. Excavations indicate that in it’s last incarnation as a fortification, the site was not a permanent settlement. It was abandoned during the Roman period.
There’s a horrible looking (mostly modern) hotel built into the edge of the site. This stands on the site of a 13th Century farmstead.
The name Aubreys is derived from the Anglo Saxon meaning an old fortified place.
Kammer x
According to a thesis by AR Sainsbury (published in 1939) the quartz stone that acts as a war memorial in the village Penrhyn-coch was originally a standing stone (standing at SN66138586).
A large menhir of white quartz formerly stood on the crest of the ridge north of the road and 400 yards north-east of the magazine of Court Grange mine. It has since been placed on a plinth and adorned with a cross in the village of Penrhyncoch and now forms the village War memorial. The stone is approximately 5’ in height and 15’ in girth and is rectangular in section.
Apparently the stone was marked on the 1853 OS map, presumably in it’s original location. The stone is sometimes referred to as the Banc Troed Rhiw Seiri Stone, in reference to its original location.
According to the BBC Web site (and who’s going to argue with that) Bronze Age miners at the Great Orm could retrieve 50% copper ore with basic tools, while moden copper miners extract only 1% per bulk of rock. It’s also claimed that the Great Orme is the oldest industrial complex in Wales.
“The earliest mining at the surface dates to 1600 BC, whereas the bulk of underground workings took place in the Middle Bronze Age ... Finds at the site underline a society in transition. At the start the mine produced mainly tools, but by the end, the focus was on weapons. It was becoming an increasingly competitive warlike world, with people starting to fight for land and food.”
Kammer x
The circle is just over 22 metres in diameter, and the site is made up of 16 stones in total. The two outlying stones align to the Solstice, and apparently one of them is known locally as the Dreaming Stone.
The name Gorse Fawr translated from the Welsh means big bog.
The name Waun Oer translates from the Welsh into English as cold moor. The word oer is in common use in the modern language (you sometimes see it on Welsh language taps). It also crops up in loads of Welsh place names, especially in the area where I live (I don’t really need to explain why).
According to Cambria Archaeology records (sadly no longer online as far as can tell) the Blaen Llwernog stones are either the remains of a round barrow, or simply a small stone pair. In either case they probably date back to the Bronze Age.
There are eight recumbent stones in the Cerrig Caerau circle, unevenly spaced (1 to 2 meter gaps). There are some hollows where the gaps between the stones are larger, indicating where lost stones may have once stood.
The longest remaining stone (on the west side of the circle) is approximately two metres in its recumbent state. On the northern side of the circle, lies the largest stone (the one that William sheltered behind on our visit) which is a bit less than two metres long, but much broader. Centrally, within the circle, is a distinct oval shaped hollow.
There are five stones in the circle at Lled Croen yr Ych (I’m not sure where Mr Barber got his information from), and two small outlying stones to the north west. According to Cadw the circle has a maximum diameter of 26 metres. Despite looking rather squat and boulder-like the stones are upright, each with a small hollow around it, probably created by livestock.
Apparently the area around the circle was ploughed and re-sown, probably in the early ‘80s. Although the stones themselves weren’t damaged, there’s the possibility that this improvement might have done damage to as yet undiscovered finds. The area around Cerrig Caerau seems to have escaped ploughing in recent times.
Kammer x
According to Historic Scotland this stone represents the remains of a stone circle. The record gives Margaret and Ron Curtis as one of it’s sources:
Survey work has established that the single standing stone, stone stumps, prostrate stones, other broken stones and packing stones at this site (DES 1976, 58) should be regarded as the remains of a stone circle. They mark the positions where eight standing stones once stood in a circle of about 51m diameter. The circle may have consisted of at least 13 standing stones. These eight positions are not continuous but extend along 7% and 39% of the perimeter.
Local knowledge records that in the 19th century this stone circle was used as a source of lintels for the houses shown on the 1853 1st edition OS map, at NB 2158 3508. There is still a metal wedge embedded in a crack in the remaining standing stone.
The area around the remaining standing stone is scheduled, and known to contain the remains of two burial cairns and a group of later shieling huts. Margaret Curtis (previously Ponting) has a stone axe that she found at the site (NB22233569) in 1976. There’s an excellent plan of the ruined circle in the book The Stones Around Callanish by the Pontings (ISBN: 0 903960 67 2).
I’ve never visited Barpa Nam Feannag, or even North Uist, but I saw shacmh’s excellent photo, and couldn’t resist finding out more.
From the information I dug up, the site is a 30 metre long chamber cairn. There’s a stone slab to the east of it, and three large vertical slabs to the west. These are all thought to have been part of the chamber, the former possibly being a lintel.
For some reason the Multimap link doesn’t work for this site, but the grid reference is correct (the eight figure reference is NF85677207).
This stone is on the south side of the road, about 300 yards north west of Breasclete School. It was re-discovered in 1923 after peat cutting revealed it, and it stands in its original position. The stone is about a metre high, and one and a half metres wide.
Na Dromannan consists of eleven large stones, which probably represent a fallen stone circle. Several of the stones are 3 metres in length and over a metre in breadth.
A nearby rock face is probably the quarry that was used as a source for the stones for this site, and possibly the other Calanais monuments. An old theory was that the stones at Na Dromannan were never erected, but represented the remnants on building work on the other sites.
Apparently the site is also known as Druim nan Eum, but only in error. The exact nature of this error isn’t clear, and my Gaelic isn’t really good enough to spot it.
I’ve not been to this site but I understand that it consists of 5 standing stones, 3 of them prominent.
In 1914, “five standing stones, apparently forming the western arc of a large circle”, were recorded by the RCAHMS varying from approximately 75cm to 106 cm in height.
Another record, made in 1969 (possibly after a visit by the Ordnance Survey) cast doubt on whether the site was the remains of a stone circle:
...the fact that two of the stones are set very close to each other whilst the others are widely spaced, and the total lack of others on the circumference of a deduced circle of c.100.0m, casts doubt on this being the remains of a strong circle. It is possible that they form part of a field or enclosure wall, but if so any other trace of it is under the peat. The stones further down the slope appear to be out-cropping natural boulders.
The site was scheduled in 1994.
I’ve not visited this site, but I understand it consists of two fallen standing stones, next to the two holes that they probably once stood in.
This site is also known as Callanish IX. To confuse things a bit more the site is listed on CAMORE under the name Airigh Nam Bidearan (also used to describe Callanish V).
I’ve not visited this site, but it seems to be a contentious one, thought by some to be the remains of a stone circle. Here is a quote taken from CANMORE describing the site:
What may be three unroofed shieling-huts and one enclosure are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Island of Lewis, Ross-shire 1853, sheet 25). This site lies within a system of head-dykes associated with the township NB23SW 49. Three unroofed buildings which may be shieling-huts, one sheep pen and one sheep dip are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1973).
Information from RCAHMS (AKK) 29 September 1997.
Apparantly the name Cnoc Dubh means black hillock in Gaelic.
I’ve not visited these standing stones, but I understand that most of this site is a relatively recently abandoned settlement. The two stones may be part of the settlement, or they may predate it. One theory is that they may represent the remains of a cairn.
The name Cùl a’Chleit means rocky cliff at the back in Gaelic. The title of this page should have an accent of the ‘u’ of Cul, but for technical reasons it doesn’t.
If like me you’re wondering, “why is a Norman castle on this Web site?“, the missing bit of information is a referrence to the castle mound (not the castle itself) in the Modern Antiquarian book:
“Crossing Middlebere Heath, the mound of Corfe Castle rises up between its two hill ridges like a divine Mother hill. When I visited Corfe Castle in May 1996ce, I saw that the castleless mound had once represented the Mother lying on her back, the East Hill and West Hill representations of the open legs and the central mound as great clittoris, womb and belly all together.”
Thanks to Holy McGrail for pointing this out. I must read the book from cover to cover ‘cos I keep missing these things!
The name Carreg y Big isn’t a cross between Welsh and English (thanks to Martin for pointing that out) but means ‘stone of the peak’.
In some sources the name of this site is written as ‘Dol-y-Gamfa’. Presumably this has been abbreviated to Dolgamfa over the years.
The name ‘Dol-y-Gamfa’ means something like ‘place of the crooked meadow’, and if you look at the plateau that the circle sits on, this is very appropriate. I’m pretty certain that the farmstead to the south of the circle shares the same name.
Capel Garmon means (unsurprisingly) ‘chapel of Garmon’ in Welsh. As yet I’ve not been able to establish who Garmon was, so perhaps someone out there can tell me.
If you want to hear the name being pronounced in an authentic (north Welsh) accent, there’s a WAV file available on the Betws-y-Coed Web site:
‘Eglwys’ means church and ‘Gwyddelod’ is the word for ‘the Irish’, so this site’s name probably means ‘The Church of the Irish’.
However, there’s another less common meaning for the word ‘Gwyddelod’ (probably developed on the basis of misinterpretation of the word ‘gwydd’) which is an old word for ‘woods/trees’ etc. This means the circle’s name might mean ‘The Church of the Trees’.
Big thanks to Elin for her help translating this, and providing most of the other Welsh language info that I’ve posted.
Kammer x
According to CANMORE this stone is also known as ‘Mid Lix’.
Another nearby cup marked stone has the names ‘East Lix’ and ‘Middle Lix 2’ (Map ref: NN55253030).
Kammer x
Waun Fach translates (approximately) into English as ‘small moor’.
There’s an alternative translation for ‘waun’ which is from an old meaning of the word, and this would give the stone the English name ‘small horse’. I’m having trouble remembering where I got this last bit of information from, so it may not be all that reliable.
I’ve posted a rather hazy photo of Pendinas hillfort, taken from Bwa-Drain with a telephoto lense, the point being that there’s the potential for people at one site to communicate with the other. There is also intervisibility between Pendinas and Esgair Nantyrarian (SN710817).
I’ve just checked to find out the origins of the name Disgwylfa Fach. In Welsh ‘disgwylfa’ means ‘watchtower’ and ‘fach’ is the mutated form of ‘bach’ meaning ‘small’.
The stone is named after the hill that it sits on, which is a small peak at the foot of Disgwylfa Fawr (Fawr means ‘big’).
The grid reference given for this site is for the most southerly of the two stones (the one you can’t see from the road).
The northerly stone is less than half a mile away just up the hill from the cattlegrid (you can’t miss it because it’s an enormous lump of white quartz). Here’s the grid reference for it: SN72619062
If you’re not a Welsh speaker it can be a bit tricky pronouncing some of the place names in this area, so at the risk of offending the purists, I thought I’d have a go at giving an indication of how the names are supposed to sound:
Ysbyty Cynfyn: This is something very close to ‘us-but-ee kunvin’.
Ponterwyd: This is approximately ‘pont-er-wid’.
Pontarfynach: This village is called Devil’s Bridge in English, but it’s real name is pronounced ‘pont-ar-vun-ach’. The ‘ch’ at the end of the name has no equivalent pronunciation in English, but it’s similar to the sound at the end of the Scottish word ‘loch’. It’s not pronounced like the ‘ch’ in the word ‘chicken’!
Ystumtuen: This is pronounced ‘us-tim-tee-en’.
Dolgamfa: This is pronounced ‘doll-gam-va’.