Photograph of the Merry Maidens Stone Circle, St Buryan, 1864

This photograph, one of the earliest examples from the Francis Frith collection, shows the circle from the northwest. The Merry Maidens is arguably the finest example of a stone circle in Cornwall and is almost perfectly circular, deviating only 7 inches within a diameter of 78 feet. The circle is known to have been restored between the years 1862 and 1869, and this photograph, if the date ascribed to it by Frith's is correct, suggests that the restoration had been completed by 1864. The stone shown leaning on the right of the picture still leans to this day. Image courtesy of and © David Thomas.

Postcard of the Merry Maidens Stone Circle, St Buryan, c.1905

This rare real photographic postcard by Gibson must have been taken just a few feet to the left of where the photograph by Frith was taken. William Cotton, describing the site in 1827, states that "This circle of stones is in a field at Bolleit, in the parish of Burian, very near the high road, though it is not seen from thence. It originally consisted of nineteen stones, set upright in the earth, at nearly equal distances, in the periphery of a circle, which measures 83 feet in diameter, N. and S., and 72 feet E. and W. There are sixteen stones only now standing, two appear to be lying on the ground in their proper places, completely covered with heath and furze, and a third is wanting altogether. The distances between the stones vary a little, some being 8 feet 4 inches, others 9 feet 6 inches, and some 7 feet 4 inches, apart: their height is about 4 feet. Dance-Maine signifies the Stones' Dance, and is a name derived from a popular opinion, that they were young women so transformed, like Niobe, to stone, for impiously dancing on the Sabbath day. Hence the common appellation of the "Merry Maidens," which distinguishes this as well as other circular temples in Cornwall."

Postcard of the Merry Maidens Stone Circle, St Buryan, c.1905

The Merry Maidens stand at the centre of a large complex of prehistoric monuments which include the Tregiffian Entrance Grave, the Pipers, and other menhirs, holed stones and barrows. There are also references to a further stone circle close by. A recent attempt to steal one of the stones, luckily this was spotted and stopped before any real damage was caused, as well as the 'napalm' attacks on the Mên-an-Tol and Lanyon Quoit have necessitated the institution of a form of prehistoric neighbourhood watch, and mindless damage such as this makes us all aware of how precious these vestiges of our past are. The excuse given for the fire attacks was that these particular monuments are fake and are no longer in their original positions. This argument could equally well apply to a large number of prehistoric monuments in the country. They change very slowly and take on new and beautiful forms, almost in mimicry of the geological processes which made the stones of which they are composed. Of course the human hand is involved at many stages of the monuments' history, and this is what makes them so precious to us.

Photograph of Choone North East Holed Stone, St Buryan, photographer unknown, c.1860s

"About 65 paces exactly north of Rosmodreuy Circle is a flat stone 6 inches thick at a medium, 2 foot 6 inches wide and 5 foot high; 15 inches below the top it has a hole 6 inches diameter, quite through....In the adjoining hedge I perceived another, holed in the same manner," so wrote William Borlase in 1754. The holed stone, as can be seen in the following image, is now used as a gatepost, and was so used when described by the inspirational J T Blight in 1865. This photograph must have been taken at roughly the same period as Blight was writing, and from this angle it is difficult to determine whether or not the stone was in use as a gatepost at the time of the images creation. When compared to the following image the layers of stones behind it do bear some resemblance to those on the opposite side of the gateway. Image courtesy of and © Cornwall Record Office.

Postcard of Choone North East Holed Stone, St Buryan, c.1905

This postcard also shows the holed stone to the north of the Merry Maidens, but the stone is here named as "The Whipping Stock Stone", and this is a name which I had not encountered before obtaining the card, although I will certainly be on the lookout for further references. The publisher is given as LB, PZ, which may possibly refer to Lethby's Bazaar at Penzance. The card is also unusual in that it shows the stone at a 90 degree angle to its present position, and from that shown in the previous photograph.

     

Postcards of the Pipers at St Buryan, c.1904

The Pipers are, since the destruction of the Maen Pearne at Constantine, the two tallest menhirs in Cornwall and stand some 317 feet apart; the south west stone, in the left image, stands 13½ feet tall, while the north east stone stands to a height of 15 feet. The stones lie a short distance to the north east of the Merry Maidens and are just two of over one hundred menhirs known to have existed on the Penwith peninsula, a large proportion of which are still extant.

Photographic reproduction from a lantern slide of the Mên-an-Tol, Madron, c.1890s

This most enigmatic and atmospheric monument has sparked much debate over the years. The use of the holed stone for divination and the curing of ailments has been often repeated, and was first mentioned by Thomas Tonkin of St Agnes about the year 1700, but the account by William Borlase is worthy of further repetition: "When I was last at this Monument, in the year 1749, a very intelligent farmer of the neighbourhood assured me that he had known many persons who had crept through this holed stone for pains in their back and limbs; and that fanciful parents, at certain times of the year, do customarily draw their young children through, in order to cure them of rickets. He showed me also two brass pins carefully laid across each other, on the top edge of the holed stone. This is the way of the Over-curious, even at this time; and by recurring to these pins, and observing their direction to be the same; or different from what they left them in, or by their being left or gone, they are informed of some material incident of Love or Fortune". The Daily Telegraph of the 8^th of August 1963 states that a resident of St Ives said that in his young days he had seen a child being hurriedly dressed after such a ceremony. Image courtesy of and © David Thomas.

Postcard of the Mên-an-Tol, Madron, c.1910

William Borlase produced the first known plan of the Mên-an-Tol and its accompanying uprights, published in 1754, which shows the stones in a triangular formation. His description of the site is also of a triangular formation. A further plan of 1778, drawn in the margin of an old estate map, was mentioned to Hencken by Charles Henderson, and this apparently shows the stones in the same arrangement, but may have been copied from Borlase's plan; this plan I shall be endeavouring to track down. By the time William Cotton made his plan of the monument in 1826 the three stones were in a line, as they are still. The possibility that the holed stone originally stood at a 90 degree angle to its present position has been postulated in recent times and Borlase's plan shows the stone approximately midway between the two positions. Such questions are unlikely to be ever resolved as the site has suffered much from excavation, treasure hunting and restoration over the years.

Postcard of the Mên-an-Tol, Madron, c.1920s

In 1992 damage caused by the constant stream of visitors to the monument caused the Cornwall Archaeological Unit, now the Historic Environment Service, to stabilise the site. Part of this work involved cutting back the gorse in the immediate area of the stones, and it was discovered that the stones were actually part of a circle of stones, with 11 remaining, including the holed stone, and with a diameter of some 57 to 58 feet. In light of this discovery I would tend to describe the arrangement given in Borlase's plan as being closer to an arc than a triangle; though of course any three points on an arc will form a triangle. The possibility still remains that the holed stone was used as an entrance stone to the burial chamber of a barrow, and with the stone circle being the remnants of a retaining kerb. Though little evidence for this remains. There is a small and low cairn of stones, but this is localised to the area immediately south west of the holed stone.

Illustration of the Mên Scryfa, 1842

The Mên Scryfa lies a short distance above the Mên-an-Tol and was mentioned by Cotton in 1827 as being prostrate on the ground, until set upright by Captain Giddy in 1824, who was obviously a very busy man that year. Redding describes the Mên Scryfa as being 9 feet 10 inches long, and 20 inches broad, though, above the ground, it is actually close to 6 feet high. It was described by William Hals and first sketched by William Jones, the travelling companion of Edward Lhuyd, in 1700, while the stone was still prostrate.

      

Postcards of the Mên Scryfa, c.1910s and c.1930

The Mên Scryfa, meaning written-stone in Cornish, is included here due to the possibility of its being a prehistoric menhir, with the inscribed memorial added at a much later date. J T Blight, in A Week at the Land's End, writes that "As an ancient inscribed monument, it is one of the most important in the kingdom. The inscription is, "Rialobran-Cunoval Fil"; at length, "Rialobranus Cunovali Filius," signifying that Rialobran, the son of Cunoval, was buried here. It has never been ascertained who this Rialobran was. Rialoval, a British leader who lived in the year 454, and Rivallo (alias Rywathon) brother of Harold, the son of Earl Godwin, have been hinted at. The question is not now likely to be settled; and in a few years, most probably, the stone itself will be numbered amongst the things that were." It is a cause of celebration that Mr Blight's fears for the monument were unrealised.

Postcard of Duloe Stone Circle, c.1910

This most beautiful of stone circles at Duloe must surely be unique in that it is wholly composed of quartz stones. Lukis and Borlase described the circle as "a remarkable monument, on account of the great size of its stones. It is situated in a grass-field, close to the village of Duloe, and is 36 feet 6 inches in diameter. Seven stones are erect and one is prostrate. They are placed at distances of from 8 to 12 feet apart, and are all blocks of quartz; the highest stone is 8 feet 8 inches high, and 7 feet 6 inches in greatest width. The lowest is three feet. The fallen stone, the largest of the circle, has been artificially split into two parts, and is partially buried in a pit, which appears to have been excavated when it was thrown down for the purpose of converting it into building materials or gate-posts. The ground on which the monument stands is level. The monument is so small and differs so much in character from all other circles, that it is probably the enclosing ring of a cairn which has been entirely removed." Image courtesy of and © Cornwall Record Office.

Postcard of Duloe Stone Circle, c.1930s

George Tregelles wrote in the Victoria County History of Cornwall that a hedge bisecting the circle was removed in 1858, and that three of the huge blocks of quartz were re-erected about the year 1861. A Bronze Age Trevisker urn containing human bones was discovered at a depth of 3 feet whilst attempting to raise the broken stone, which can be seen at the front of the circle in this view by A E Raddy of East Looe.

Postcard of Duloe Stone Circle, 1937

Another real photographic postcard by Raddy showing a view of the smallest stone circle in the county. John Barnatt wrote, in 1989, that "This irregular circle has stones of variable size which appear to be designed to have alternating large, bulkier stones, and small ones, with the larger ones at approximate cardinal points. The site was first noted in 1801 and partially restored in 1861 or 1863. A wall that ran through the site was removed. There is some confusion what else was done at this time, but the most likely interpretation of old accounts is that two of the stones were discovered upright, previously hidden in the wall and that only the northernmost stone was recumbent. Attempts to re-erect this failed as a portion of its base broke. This lay by the stone until after 1902 but has now vanished." Image courtesy of and © Cornwall Record Office.

Postcard of the Hurlers Stone Circles, Linkinhorne, c.1908

A postcard of the Hurlers taken from a photograph by Valentine & Sons. The Hurlers are a rough alignment of three stone circles on the southern extremity of Bodmin Moor, and the circles here are noticably larger than those in the west of the county. In 1728 a local man named William Harvy had described the stones as: "The Hurlers, being about 22. great stones, standing upright on one end, in a plain piece of ground: so called, as the tradition goes, from so many men being at a hurling on a Sunday; and so, for their sin of sabbath breaking, by God Allmighty turned into these stones, as a monument of disobedience, & sin, like that of Lot's wife. But the truth of the story is, it was the burying place of the Brittons, before the coming of the heathen Saxons into this Kingdom: and this fable, invented by the Brittons, was to prevent the ripping up of the bones of their ancestors; and so called by the name of The Hurlers to this day." Stockdale, writing almost one hundred years later, notes that "The Hurlers, when perfect, consisted of three circles of upright stones from three to five feet high; but several of them have been removed. According to historians, these monuments of antiquity are said to have been of Druidical origin: but the name of hurlers is most probably derived from an opinion among the common people, that the stones were once men, who were transformed for Hurling (a favourite game among the antient Cornish people) on the sabbath day."

     

Postcards of the Hurlers Stone Circles, Linkinhorne, 1915 and 1924

A pair of postcards by Frith & Co taken from the same photograph but showing the wide variations in colouring used for these false colour postcards. The excavation notes in the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society for 1935 mention that the re-erection of the stones of the central circle under the direction of Mr Ralegh Radford was well underway and that it "consisted of 28 stones, of which 13 remain intact, socket-holes only surviving of the others. On the side nearest the southern circle there was a double space, a larger pit, containing rude paving, occupying the position where the socket of a stone upright might have been expected. The discovery in the interior of the circle of a floor of crystals from the granite rock, too thick to be explained on natural grounds, suggests that the standing stones were hammer-dressed and the refuse spread over the interior of the circle. The stones were hammer-dressed above ground and stood in large pits packed round with blocks of granite. Care was evidently taken to see that the tops of the stones rose to the same level above the ground. Near the centre a prostrate stone was discovered; it is uncertain whether it stood upright or not."

© Chris Bond 2004-6