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<< Our Photo Pages >> Nine Stones (Belstone) - Stone Circle in England in Devon

Submitted by TheCaptain on Saturday, 16 October 2004  Page Views: 22664

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Nine Stones (Belstone) Alternative Name: Seventeen Brothers; Grinsell Belstone 1; Turner Stone Circle G23
Country: England County: Devon Type: Stone Circle
Nearest Town: Okehampton  Nearest Village: Belstone
Map Ref: SX6123192844  Landranger Map Number: 191
Latitude: 50.718609N  Longitude: 3.96714W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 5

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philw visited on 22nd Jun 2021 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3

lauraaurora visited on 11th Nov 2020 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 3

Catrinm visited on 18th Jul 2020 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3

UnnaturalDisaster visited on 21st May 2018 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 3

graemefield visited on 15th Jun 2014 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 3

AngieLake TheCaptain cazzyjane have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.4 Ambience: 4.4 Access: 3

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by TheCaptain : Belstone Nine Stones, Belstone Common, Devon SX612928. A nice neat little stone circle on the moors below Belstone Tor on the common to the south of the village of Belstone, Devon. This circle is almost certainly the remains of a round burial cairn, and traces of the burial chamber can be seen within the circle. This is a view looking north (Vote or comment on this photo)
A nice neat little stone circle on the moors below Belstone Tor on the common to the south of the village of Belstone, Devon. This circle is almost certainly the remains of a round burial cairn, and traces of the burial chamber can be seen within the circle.

There are gaps around the circle, suggesting that originally there were originally some forty stones. None of the stones are very large, the tallest being about 0.9m (3 feet). There is considerable upheaval in the centre of the circle, evidence of a robbed cairn and destroyed cist.

Access: 1km walk onto the moor from near Belstone Church.

Update November 2019: This site is featured on the Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks (PDW) website - see their entries for the Nine Stones, Belstone Cairn Circle and the Nine Maidens Cairn Circle, Belstone Tor.

The cairn is also recorded as Pastscape Monument No. 444161, as MDV6865 (The Nine Stones, Belstone Moor) on the Devon and Dartmoor HER, and scheduled as Historic England List ID 1017871 (Nine Stones ring cairn on Belstone Common).
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Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by JohnF : The Nine Stones circle near Belstone. Photographed in interesting moody evening light in late spring. (7 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by Postman : A simply fantastic site, I will surely come back here......one day. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by stonedowser : A nice little circle here and not vandalized by the lunatic fringe yet. Ian (Vote or comment on this photo)

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by cazzyjane : Nine Stones, Belstone. A lovely little cairn circle in a fantastic location. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by AngieLake : A closer view of the SW stone in Nine Stones (Belstone) cairn circle. It has such a noticeable shape compared to the other stones in the circle, as if it was carefully dressed like this for a reason. I found this feature echoed in the cairn circle near Cullever Steps (see site page), which also has a similarly-shaped stone in its SW arc.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by StoneLee : 17 Brothers at Belstone. Take ear plugs. (1 comment)

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by Bladup : Nine Stones of Belstone.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by cazzyjane : Easy to reach being just a short walk up on to the moor from the village of Belstone.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by cazzyjane : Nine Stones, Belstone. March 2012.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by crannog : An hour to sun set autumn equinox 2011. So beautiful, peaceful had a dancing tranquility, full of cheery contemplation. (2 comments)

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by caradoc68 : Love weather like this on the moor, cloud comes down and the spirt of the moor comes out, and when you visit a circle there's nothing to take your mind off the stones. I counted 26 stones in the circle itself with what I thought was a large capstone on the outside.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by AngieLake : I wonder if that large broad stone (near foreground) was once the capstone of the central cist? It lies outside the (approx) SE arc of the circle. (2 comments)

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by steveco : Nine Stones Stone Circle SX612928. 13 closely set stones.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by Bladup : The Nine Stones of Belstone.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by Bladup

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by Bladup : The Nine Stones of Belstone.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by Bladup

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by Bladup

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by crannog : Also known as the 17 brothers or the Dancing Maidens. Beautiful cairn circle, feels like sitting amid the elders.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by AngieLake : 'The Book of Belstone - Words and Images from a Dartmoor Village' (copyright 2002 Chris and Marion Walpole), is a terrific little paperback full to bursting with history and information. I hope the authors will not mind us having a copy of this useful map of the Parish, showing the main features already mentioned on our site pages. My copy is from the local library.

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by AngieLake : A 'logan stone'-type natural formation of a granite outcrop on Belstone Tor. It stands close to the south of Irishman's Wall. In the top pic Corndon Tor's summit cairn is just visible to the east. The lower pic is looking north. I wonder if these 'special' stones were incorporated in any rituals by the builders of the Belstone Common cairns?

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by AngieLake : The 'seat' on top of the rocky outcrop above Nine Stones. (See other pics linking my theory about the view from it looking SW, over the 'scooped' stone [possibly important at Winter Solstice sunset], on Nine Stones site page - or currently on p.6 of 'more photos'.) (1 comment)

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by AngieLake : Pic 3 of Mysterious 'Scooped' Stone at Belstone Tor. This shows the whole feature on the next outcrop to the north from the highest part of Belstone Tor, directly above Nine Stones. The scooped stone is centre, the 'beaky' stone is on the right, and you can see the grassy part of the 'seat' left, where you can sit to see the view in Pic 1 [the higher peaks of Yes Tor and High Willhays framed... (1 comment)

Nine Stones (Belstone)
Nine Stones (Belstone) submitted by AngieLake : A lovely pointed natural stone on the east side of the ridge of Belstone Tor, looking towards NE, and the northern end of Cosdon Hill. Maybe the builders of Belstone Common cairns were influenced by natural outcrops like this one? Was it even used for sighting on various astronomical events during the year? (4 comments)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 311m NE 49° Watchet Hill Cairn* Cairn (SX6147293042)
 955m NE 45° Belstone Ring Cross* Ancient Cross (SX6192793500)
 998m SSW 206° Belstone Common Cairns* Cairn (SX6077491956)
 1.0km NE 50° Holy Well (Belstone)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SX6202393468)
 1.5km NW 325° East Hill Promontory Fort* Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle (SX604941)
 1.5km S 183° Winter Tor* Cist (SX6110291335)
 2.2km E 97° Cosdon Hill cairn 9* Round Cairn (SX63419250)
 2.2km E 94° Sticklepath stone circle* Stone Circle (SX63439264)
 2.2km WNW 293° Fitz's Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SX5919093783)
 2.7km NE 43° Belstone Boundary Marker* Marker Stone (SX6314994770)
 2.7km ESE 118° Cosdon Hill Summit Cairns* Cairn (SX63619149)
 2.7km SE 144° White Hill, Devon* Ancient Village or Settlement (SX628906)
 2.9km ENE 62° Sticklepath Boundary Marker* Marker Stone (SX6388694135)
 3.0km ENE 63° Lady Well (Sticklepath)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SX6390494124)
 3.1km ENE 65° Sticklepath Methodist Chapel Cross* Ancient Cross (SX6404694079)
 3.3km E 94° Eight Rocks* Stone Circle (SX645925)
 3.3km ESE 111° Cosdon Hill Cairn Circle* Stone Circle (SX64339159)
 3.3km ESE 110° Cosdon Hill Multiple Stone Rows* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX64349159)
 3.4km S 191° Oke Tor* Stone Row / Alignment (SX605895)
 3.6km E 83° South Zeal Stone Row* Stone Row / Alignment (SX648932)
 3.8km SE 146° White Moor Down* Stone Circle (SX63288961)
 3.9km E 85° Ramsley Stone Row / Alignment (SX651931)
 3.9km ENE 77° South Zeal Cross* Ancient Cross (SX6505793594)
 3.9km SSE 147° White Moor Cairn* Cairn (SX6330289534)
 3.9km ENE 78° Oxenham Arms* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SX65119354)
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"Nine Stones (Belstone)" | Login/Create an Account | 3 News and Comments
  
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Re: Nine Stones (Belstone) by AngieLake on Monday, 14 July 2008
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Here's a quote from The Book of Belstone - Chris and Marion Walpole, 2002 - regarding the 'Nine Maidens' circle.
[Admins - should we have this as an alternate name on site page??]
Quote:

The Nine Maidens:
“No-one can be sure how many stones originally formed the circle, but some have been removed for local use; indeed Douglas St Leger-Gordon recorded that the circle proved a godsend to local stone-masons, until steps were taken not long ago to save the remainder (Under Dartmoor Hills, 1954). Most observers in the last century counted 16 or 17 stones (it was sometimes called the Seventeen Brothers), although Dora James wrote, Alas! now [1930] only 13 stones remain intact, four having been wantonly broken and defaced in 1929 – not, surely, by any Belstone hand!
Today up to 20 can be counted, including small stones and five toppled or insecure temporary ones. One of these was added in 1985 by a local film crew who decided to ‘improve’ the layout for a horror movie called The Circle of Doom, which told of a backpacker trapped inside the stones by an invisible force. Fulfilling the prophecy that anyone tampering with the stones will be cursed, the only copy of this film was lost in the post.
Other legends attach themselves to the stones; it is the church bells that bring them to life…… every time you count them you will get a different number……it is noon when they dance….. In fact the stones were placed by Bronze Age man and form the outer wall of a long vanished kistvaen or burial chamber. Victorian archaeologists interpreted the circle as symbolising the sun and full moon. Dowsers have found many energy lines here, most importantly the powerful Michael Line, which narrows from a width of seven metres to a point as it enters the circle.”
[Unquote]
(John Christian of South Tawton had contributed a section on ley lines, explaining that):
Quote:
“….One of the most significant, the Michael Line, passes through St Michael’s Mount, Brentor, Glastonbury Tor, Avebury….. and the Nine Maidens and the tower of Belstone Church. Although the line twists and turns, its alignment coincides, surprisingly, with the rising sun at May Day (Beltane) – the Serpent and the Sun.”
[Hamish Miller’s book about the Michael and Mary lines is called ‘The Sun and the Serpent’ incidentally.] John Christian continues:
“The Mary line, named because of the incidence of churches on the line dedicated to St Mary, also passes through the parish between Cullever Steps and Lady Brook.”


[ Reply to This ]

Re: Nine Stones (Belstone)/Mysterious Stone on Belstone Tor by AngieLake on Monday, 14 July 2008
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An explanation for the 'mysterious scooped stone' on Belstone Tor?

In The Book of Belstone (Chris and Marion Walpole, 2002), I was intrigued to read this**:

(Quote):
"Origins of the name:
"2200BC; the Phoenicians have founded Cadiz and a band of adventurers journey on into the Atlantic to make a landfall far to the north. They seek the high ground and give thanks for safe passage to He Who Rides on the Clouds, the god of life and fertility, Baal. **A stone from the clitter, shaped in the form of a sacred calf, is pulled to the summit and worshipped.** A settlement is made below the hill, called Baal’s ton… This romantic explanation of the village’s name was proposed by the Victorians.
More prosaic are 20th century interpretations. Domesday records Bellestan or Bellestam, from belle bell and stan stone, possibly the logan stone identified by Rev Baring-Gould that rolled like a ship in a gale, and boys were wont to make it crack nuts for them; it has been thrown down and broken up by quarrymen.”
Other names have been recorded:
“Belstana (1166), Ballestan (1238), Belestan (1259), Bylston (1524) and Belson (1569), but the usual spelling between the 16th and early 19th centuries was simply Belston.”
[Unquote]

Another explanation for it being more recent follows**:
(Quoting again):

"Quarrying:
“Stone was quarried from under Belstone Tors, a scene described by John Trevena in ‘A Pixy in Petticoats’ (1906); ..the sides of these tors were covered with white scars made by sundered granite and some of Eastaway’s men, as small as dolls, were working there getting the last load of granite for the day, their crowbars ringing upon the blocks and striking wild mountain music. There are many places where partly-worked granite, with the tell-tale remains of the splitting holes on one edge, can still be seen. Good examples of a trough and a quarter part of a cider press lie respectively about 350m south and 100m south-west of Resugga house. **The most substantial quarry lies at the north end of the Belstone Tor clitter, almost on the boundary between the granite and the Culm Measures shale, about 250m south-east of the Nine Maidens stone circle. ** Here are visible a row of 11 splitting holes in the back-wall granite, while two nearby stones have the iron tare wedges still embedded in them. This quarry was known as ‘Sand Pit’ to William Reddaway whose men brought the granite back to Belstone on the track around Watchet Hill."

“North of the granite mass is a metamorphic aureole of shales and cherts from the Carboniferous Age, with dolerite intrusions. The granite boundary runs roughly east-west from the Taw below Moorlands House across the southern side of Watchet Hill past the Nine Maidens and down to the East Okement at Slipper Stones.”
[Unquote]

Whilst the quarry wasn't obvious at all on the route I took to the summit where this mysterious stone seemed to have been carefully placed, it does make me wonder whether these industrious quarrymen, having heard the Victorian legend about the Phoenicians 'sacred calf stone', decided to have a little input themselves. Realising that there was a natural 'seat' at the top of Tors End (see map on Nine Stones Belstone site page), perhaps they shaped the stone and wedged it into the upright of the granite stack, thus framing the view to Yes Tor when sitting on the seat?
[See photos posted previously]
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Nine Stones (Belstone) by TheCaptain on Saturday, 16 October 2004
(User Info | Send a Message)
From Tom Bullock

Circle diameter: 25 feet, Number of stones: 11 of 40
All of the stones are less than 3 feet in height, and are closely spaced. The upheavel inside the ring is the remains of a robbed cairn and its lost cist.
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