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Books on Cornwall
Men-an-Tol Studio
A set of excellent guides from Men-an-Tol Studio, a gallery and publisher in the Lands End peninsula (West Penrith) specialising in ancient sites.
Standing Stones of Land's End
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Standing Stones of the Land's End - An
Enquiry into their Function Ian McNeil Cooke |
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1998, A5 paperback format of 40 pages with colour cover; 6 photographs, 23 line illustrations. Bronze Age standing stones are more densely located in the Land's End Peninsula of Cornwall than in any other area of Britain. Some are thought to have replaced earlier sacred wooden pillars, possibly representing the Tree of Life, and known functions of 'holy' stones in early Mediterranean cultures having fertility and protective phallic properties indicate some of the possibilities for Cornish menhirs suggested in this booklet. Andy writes: This is the best little book I have found specifically about standing stones. The interesting text applies equally to standing stones in other parts of the world. |
"In the centre of most fields in this part of Cornwall
(Land's End Peninsula) stands a pillar of rough granite 6 to 10 feet tall 'stuck
upright' for the cattle to scratch themselves. In the Buryan district, a few
years ago, many of them were removed from the fields because they interfered
with the agricultural implements. It was found, in consequence, that the cattle
knocked or pushed the hedges down, so that it became advisable to reinstate
them." (extract from page 8)
"Once gods and goddesses became identified with mythological humans and animals, and named as individuals within the extensive pagan pantheon, boundary stones developed into simple carved angular pillars with the head of the deity on top and a pair of male genitals, usually erect, added to the front of the stone to emphasise his generative aspect as protector and provided of produce from the land. In Greece this god (Hermes) was originally represented as a mature bearded man who looked after flocks of animals and presided over business affairs (i.e. trade in livestock): he had the ability to lead souls of the dead back from the underworld into the world of the living and to restore them to life, and, as a protector, he was also responsible for dispensing justice and punishing wrong doers." (extract from page 16)
Antiquities of West Cornwall
and how to get there without a car
A set of four guidebooks written by Ian McNeil Cooke covering most major prehistoric sites in the Land's End Peninsula. Each guide is in A5 format with a full colour cover and profusely illustrated with line drawings and maps. The guides are based around circular walks embracing a series of monuments with description, alignments, etc., as well as general background information.
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Antiquities of West Cornwall |
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1990, 32 pages plus 8 with full colour photographs. Sites covered include The Men-an-Tol, Men Scryfa Inscribed Stone, The Nine Maidens Stone Circle, Bosiliack Barrow, Lanyon Quoit, Chun Quoit, Chun Castle, Bosullow Iron Age Settlement, Madron Well and Baptistery; plus notes on Stone Circles and Chambered Barrows. Illustrated with the author's own artwork, see below. For all four booklets bound together as a book, with lots more, seeJourney to the Stones below |
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Antiquities of West Cornwall Guide 2 - The Merry Maidens stone circle Ian McNeil Cooke |
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1990, 32 pages plus 8 full colour photographs. Sites covered include St.Buryan Church and Crosses, Boskenna Cross, Boscawen Ros Menhirs, The Pipers Menhirs, Boleigh Fogou, Merry Maidens Stone Circle, Nun Careg Cross, Gun Rith Menhir, Tregiffian Barrow; plus notes on Standing Stones. |
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Antiquities of West Cornwall Guide 3 - Carn Euny village and fogou Ian McNeil Cooke |
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1991, 32 pages plus 6 colour photographs. Sites include Sancreed Church, Crosses and Holy Well, Boscawen-un Stone Circle, Brane Barrow, Carn Euny Village and Fogou, Chapel Euny Holy Well, Caer Bran Hillfort, Brane Cross; with detailed notes on fogous. |
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Antiquities of West Cornwall |
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1991, 48 pages plus 8 colour photographs. Sites include St.Just Church and Crosses, Kenidjack Cliff Castle, Tregeseal Stone Circle, Holed Stones, Boslow Inscribed Stone, Boswens Menhir, Chun Quoit, Chun Castle, Bosullow Iron Age Village, Men-an-Tol, Men Scryfa, The Nine Maidens Stone Circle, Bodrifty Iron Age Settlement, Mulfra Quoit, Zennor Quoit, Towednack Church and Crosses, St.Ives Church, Cross and Holy Well. For all four booklets bound together as a book, with lots more, seeJourney to the Stones below |
Journey to the Stones
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Journey to the Stones - Ancient Sites and Pagan Mysteries of Celtic
Cornwall |
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Revised edition 1996, Paperback. 232 pages size 244x184mm, 40 photographs in colour and 29 in black and white, plus a wealth of line illustrations, maps and diagrams. Contains all the information in the above four booklets, but as a bound book. Eight comprehensively described walks with detailed maps take you to over 60 prehistoric and early Christian sites in the Land's End Peninsula including all the quoits and stone circles, as well as a selection of holy wells, inscribed stones, standing stones, barrows, hillforts, crosses, fogous and settlements. The esoteric associations of certain trees, plants and flowers; mermaids; phallic moonstones; the Celtic Sun God Bran; midsummer and midwinter sacrifices; pagan festivals and the magic of metals are all woven into the walks and linked to the ancient stones. Other sections investigate the symbolisms of sun, moon and certain numbers - why are there always nine maidens, never eight or ten? And how does the crescent moon appear to give new life to the dying sun? |
Ian writes: The idea of structuring the book around a series of walks stems from my belief that it is only by experiencing the local landscape on foot that a deep and intimate acquaintance with this unique peninsula can be attained. Eight circular walks are described in detail but there is ample scope for the less energetic to shorten, combine, or otherwise amend routes to suit individual abilities and desires; wherever practicable I have made use of footpaths rather than using a possibly shorter route by road in the hope that this will prove to be both more interesting and at the same time help to keep tracks open for others to use.
Antiquarian reprint from 1827
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Illustrations of Stone Circles, Cromlehs |
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Re-published by Men-an-Tol Studio in 1998. A4 paperback format of 75 pages including 11 pages of black and white line illustrations. "During a visit to Cornwall, in the autumn of 1826, I was led to notice the various remains of the superstition of our Ancestors, consisting of Circles of Stones, Cromlehs, Hill Castles, and singularly shaped Rocks, which there abound: and having made sketches of several near the Land's End, I was induced, by a curiosity to know something more about them, to read through Dr.Borlase's learned work on the Antiquities of Cornwall." ( W.Cotton: extract from his preface) |
Editor's Preface: Despite a few minor surveying errors (see his plan of Boscawen-un circle) and his mistaken report of the total destruction of Zennor Quoit - he had probably been informed of the pulling down of a large quoit at Trewey not far away - his drawings owe far less to artistic licence than the engravings in Dr.Borlase's monumental work three quarters of a century earlier and are a valuable record of the state of the sites in the early 19th century. Cotton was the first person to publish drawings of the Merry Maidens, West Lanyon Quoit, and the two circles at Tregeseal - one of which is now completely destroyed.
Cotton recognised his debt to the work and opinions of Dr.Borlase, and makes reference to Classical and Biblical sources, as well as to the religions of the Eastern Mediterranean, in his discussion on the origins of the inhabitants of Britain and their Druidical 'opinions, manners, and customs'. Although Druids were only recorded during the Roman era they must have existed as an indigenous priestly caste for many centuries before written history began, and Cotton acknowledges that, despite their practice of human sacrifice - a common enough custom in many contemporary cultures - they were, nevertheless, 'a studious and learned body of men'.
As the author of my own Journey to the Stones I have much pleasure in republishing this much earlier journey: the text has been retyped while retaining Cotton's spelling and punctuation, and keeping to the original layout as much as possible; only pagination and reference numbers have been altered."
Ian McNeil Cooke, Penzance 1998
New: Saint Priapus
| Saint Priapus by Ian McNeil Cooke | |
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Newly published in 2002, Paperback An Account of Phallic Survivals within the Christian Church and some of their Pagan Origins More information at Men-an-Tol Studio |
A huge number of ancient churches throughout Western Europe are still adorned with sculptures that would surprise and, in many cases, totally disgust many a sophisticated 21st century viewer. Men and women blatantly display their genitals as well as performing all manner of explicit sexual activity copulation, masturbation, fellatio, homosexuality. Such images, apparently in complete antithesis to all that is taught by, and about, the Church, are usually explained away as a warning to parishioners against indulging in sins of the flesh. But Saint Priapus argues that some, at least, of these images reflect the popularity and importance of the ancient god of fertility and protection who continued to be invoked under auspices of Catholicism until well into the 19th century.
Ian McNeil Cooke author of Journey to the Stones and Mother and Sun—the Cornish Fogou, is privately printed by the Men-an-Tol Studio and contains 262 pages that include over 220 black and white illustrations as well as a comprehensive index and referenced bibliography.
The title is printed in black on white 100gsm A4 Rey Text and Graphics paper using a Ricoh Aficio 1015 digital photocopier, and bound in a 'green linen' thin card cover using a Prima hot glue binder.
The first edition is be limited to 200 paperback and 20 hardback signed and numbered copies.
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