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The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map : Index >>
Stones Forum >> A new Dartmoor Circle ?
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A new Dartmoor Circle ? |
TheCaptain
Joined:
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from near Bristol
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|  Posted 10-06-2004 at 00:09
I expect this will be controversial, or scoffed at, but I firmly believe that while out walking on Cosdon Hill, Dartmoor last week, I and a friend think we may have found a stone circle which I can find no reference to. Surely somebody here can add to the debate. Anyway, heres my notes.
Possible Stone Circle, Cosdon Hill, Dartmoor, Devon SX63449264
Visited Thursday, 3rd June 2004
While walking up the north side of Cosdon Hill from Belstone, I saw what looked like an old stone standing on a flattish piece of hillside, so went to have a look. It stood more than a foot high and looked like an old stone standing there, and not natural, a boundarystone, or a remnant of stonecutting or similar. While looking around, my friend Andy shouted out to me asking if it was a stone circle, as there were a few more bits of stone protruding from the ground nearby where he was walking to my left. Looking around, it was possible to make out what could well be a stone circle, with many stones being in the right positions. I would estimate the circle to be between 30 and 35 metres diameter, with a possible 18 evenly spaced stones remaining, all either as stumps or flat to the ground. My friends who I was out walking with accept my interest in ancient stones, and humour me with planning routes which take in what they call “piles of old stones” to some extent, but weren’t going to stop for long while I tried to “make up an imaginary stone circle” right at the start of the days walk, which was going to take in several known sites anyway. So I made a few quick mental notes (I’d unforgivably forgotten to take a pen and paper with me), put a waypoint in my new gps, and we continued on up Cosdon Hill. The standing stone which first attracted my interest is at the northwest of my circle, and the gps position (SX63449264) was at the southeast. Looking down on the site from above, it looked just the perfect place for a stone circle, on a flat shelf of land on the north hillside overlooking the edge of the moor with views north to Exmoor and west into Cornwall. As Cosdon Hill has many other ancient remains still standing on and around it, everything seemed to fit into place.
I find it unlikely that there is a circle there that nobody has found or remarked upon before (I can find no mention of one anyway), but there is a lot of loose stone in the vicinity, and perhaps only now is it becoming visible above the peat. I now wish I’d spent a little longer there, making more detailed notes, and taken a few photos.
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Anonymous
User not Registered |  Posted 10-06-2004 at 20:14
It did look like the kind of place there would be a stone circle, and there isn't one within a reasonable distance from there. Also, it is not far from an old boundary line. How do you go about checking such things? Tarquin Biscuit-Barrel
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ocifant
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| Posted 10-06-2004 at 22:28
Sounds like you might have stumbled over a Round Cairn. The magic map description gives its co-ordinates as SX63389247, but there's a lot of stuff up there on the map....
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TheCaptain
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| Posted 12-06-2004 at 14:00
I dont think so Ocifant. Looking at the detailed map, the cairn is shown a bit further south, and on the part of the hill where the land starts to rise steeply again. The site I thought there may be a large stone circle is on the flatter bit of land, clearly shown by the contours, a bit to the north of the marked cairn. And there was no obvious remains of a cairn by the upright stone I first went to look at.
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ocifant
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| Posted 12-06-2004 at 18:05
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Looking at the detailed map, the cairn is shown a bit further south, and on the part of the hill where the land starts to rise steeply again. |
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Fair enough. I don't know the area, but I know from experience in Cornwall that the Magic maps can show sites several yards away from where they really are!
If you could identify the cairn on site, and then find your circle near it, then I'd accept it's not the cairn. Otherwise, there is always going to be doubt...
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TheCaptain
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| Posted 12-06-2004 at 20:01
Good point. It wouldnt be the first ancient site with the wrong grid ref, would it.
Sometimes I wish I lived nearer these places, and had all the time in the world to walk and explore them. I feel another visit is necessary already.
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TheCaptain
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| Posted 25-07-2006 at 09:29
Having just spent a weekend down on Dartmoor, searching out some ancient stones (but not in this area), and as such looking through all sorts of references for thngs, I have found reference to a long lost stone circle known as Eight Rocks, which was in this area.
Dont know why I didn't find this before, as its clearly mentioned by Burl, and Butler. 
Hmmmmm. And indeed it is included here on the portal, but not near where I found my stones. More research needed.....
Right. Burl quotes the possible circle to the east of Cosdon Beacon at the place detailed here on the portal, where there are some remains of hut circles. But Butler states that the remains of the Eight Rocks stone circle possibly lie on the northwest slopes of Cosdon Hill, near to a cairn, and near to where I found my "circle".
[ This message was edited by: TheCaptain on 2006-07-25 10:09 ]
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rbatham
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| Posted 26-07-2006 at 13:03
Interesting one this. Why shouln't there be a stone circle there? the very name of the village, Belstone, if of ancient origin suggests a religious site. The ancient Brits main God was BEL, hence Beltane for the solstice celebration. So why not BEL stone for a site? Roy
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mithra
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| Posted 26-07-2006 at 13:58
[quote]
On 2006-07-26 13:03, rbatham wrote:
'Interesting one this. Why shouln't there be a stone circle there?'
Quite agree.
'the very name of the village, Belstone, if of ancient origin suggests a religious site. The ancient Brits main God was BEL,'
Belstone was called Bellestam in Doomsday book. Several explanations for name Belstone including: Baal's Ton ( the phoenicians sun god hill), Belle's Ham (Belle's enclosure), Belle Stan (Bell rock).
The Celtic deity Belenos was spelt, in Britain, Bellinus (in Binchester) and the native Brythonic form was Belenus.
In Wales there was 'Beli the Great' who was called Bile in Ireland! 'Bel' may be a short form name?
'hence Beltane for the solstice celebration.'
Beltane is the Celtic word meaning 'fires of Bel'- it's celebrated on May day (1st May) not the solstice.
Mithra.
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TheCaptain
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|  Posted 26-07-2006 at 18:54
But this place is not at Belstone, which does indeed have its share of ancient sites, and a stone circle. See here This place is across the valley on the next hillside.
Dartmoor, although being the only real wilderness in southern England, has many ancient sites, and has generally been thoroughly explored and recorded for the last thousand years or more by various people. There are several recorded sites in ancient times that are now destroyed or gone missing. The peat levels in certain places are increasing, yet in others decreasing. So it is possible to find new places, which have either been missed before, or are just beginning to show above the peat due to extra wear.
I am firmly coming to the conclusion that this possible site I found is perhaps the remains of the Eight Rocks (or Sticklepath) stone circle, one which was thought to have been almost completely destroyed. It would fit with Butlers fine archaeological records, and also be not too wrong for Burl's words, although his grid ref is wrong. This would not be the first time.
And to add fuel to the fire, I found an arc of 8 stones last weekend which would have made a very good circle, a bit further into the middle of the moor. But in a place where it is hard to believe a stone circle would have been lost. So I need to do more research here before going public !
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Balgorg
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from Tavistock
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| Posted 27-08-2007 at 15:53
Definitely sounds interesting, think I might take a look, got some holiday time coming up soon.
It must be said that Dartmoor really has a lot of stuff out there beneath the peat and undergrowth. As the moor is drying up, some areas of peat are receding rather quicker than you might think.
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