When it comes to photographing prehistoric stone circles, you need the right kind of light, preferably a dramatic dawn or sunset or a good frost. And this clearly wasn’t any of these, but the best I could do on dull, dank December morning. The whole thing was definitely improved by the arrival of the sweet little girl in her tangerine wellies.
Anyway, here it is – Cornwall’s smallest prehistoric stone circle. It is just over thirty feet across (10-11 metres) and is at least 4,000 years old. It sits most domestically behind farm cottages and among a few sheep in the small village of Duloe. There are eight stones, some estimated to weigh around 12 tons, and they were probably chosen because of their high quartz content, which gives them an otherworldly bloom even in this poor light. In any event, they had to be manhandled from the nearest source, at least one mile away.
The first historical reference to them was in 1329 CE, when they are mentioned in a record relating to the farm called Stonetown (still existing with that name), on whose land they stand.
In 1801 they were discovered again, although at that time the stones were all lying flat and there was a hedge growing through the middle, with a field on one side and an orchard on the other.
Many stone circles in Britain have recumbent stones, (e.g. see my post on Arbor Low in Derbyshire) and it is usually not known at what stage the stones were laid flat, or in what circumstances. Certainly there is archaeological evidence of prehistoric people themselves ritually ‘closing’ a monument or burial site when it is no longer needed. In more recent times superstitious dread, and/or Christian repugnance at old ‘pagan’ ways prompted people to bury standing stones or lay them down. All of which is to say, everything to do with stone circles is pretty much shrouded in mystery and conjecture.
At Duloe though, there was an interesting and tangible discovery. In 1861, during efforts to restore the circle and raise the stones, a workman put his pick through a Bronze Age burial urn containing human bones. It had been placed at the foot of the largest stone which was also broken during the restoration work, and is still lying on the ground in two pieces. The urn and its contents have since been lost.
But it is this find that provides 2,000 BCE date for the site. However, the circle itself may well pre-date this. As has been shown with recent work at Stonehenge, the world’s most famous prehistoric circle, the stones there were erected in the late Neolithic (c.4,500 BCE) and not in the Bronze Age as originally conjectured, although there are many Bronze Age burials in the vicinity. It also appears that before the Stonehenge stones, there were earlier wooden pillars on the site and these belonged to the Mesolithic period circa 8,500-7,000 BCE when people were still hunter gatherers.
In other words, throughout human existence, a site that has once held, or is perceived to have held ritual significance will often be re-used by succeeding inhabitants across many centuries, and by people of quite different ethnicity and religious viewpoints. So we find Roman temples in earlier Iron Age hillforts, or medieval churches built atop Neolithic chambered tombs.
We cannot divine what these stone circles truly meant to the people who constructed them. But we can surmise that the monumental effort involved implies life and death importance. There are political implications too, both in the conception of the work and in its realisation. Even the building of a small circle like Duloe would have required considerable organisation of people-power. But if these circles have no stories to tell us, they do at least reflect an era when humanity had a very different relationship with the natural and cosmic world than we do today, and that alone might give us some pause for thought.
Thursday’s Special Paula’s August ‘pick a word’ prompts include fortified, chic, submerged, embodiment, prehistoric. I think I might claim submerged here too, since the meaning and means of construction of this site are well and truly buried.
copyright 2018 Tish Farrell
Tish Farrell 
What an atmospheric place, and your photos are great. 🙂
Many thanks, Cathy.
Most atmospheric, indeed, Tish – and I would say you cover submerged as well as prehistoric……
Thank you, Sue.
As certain Stones that are still Rolling have remarked in the past. Time Waits for No One.
A somewhat enigmatic comment, Ark.
A fascinating account on the prehistoric stone circles in the UK, Tish! The dark December day lends the right kind of atmosphere to your impressive photo.
Thank you for that very positive take on rather gloomy-day shots, Peter.
Very insightful, wonderful photos, well-chosen Wellies.
Glad this hit the spot, Thom – along with the wellies 🙂
There are so many things we don’t know and may never fully understand…At least not in this time.
I often think we are becoming more ignorant despite the overload of so-called ‘content’ on the internet. It’s often very light on things comprehensible or even vaguely useful.
Yes…The dumbing down
I’m pretty sure I was there when we were in Cornwall. I wish I had been photographic back then, but it was still film and getting everything processed was EXPENSIVE, so we brought home 18 rolls of 36 shots each … and it still took me more than two months to get them all turned into pictures. I could have easily don’t 10 times that many with a modern, electronic camera. As far as photography goes, I think THESE are the good old days!
We also saw a similar, really TINY circle up in Ireland (Garry and I), but the 13th “head” stone had been turned into a shrine for Mary, who was now the head of a standing stone circle. I do have pictures of it and if I ever figure out how to use my printer properly, maybe I’ll be able to show it.
I am NOT good with printers.
I love the tiny circles. They are so personal, like a tiny neighborhood church. Just enough room for the local adherents.
That’s a good point about the small scaleness of some of the circles. It was reckoned that Duloe would have required 30 odd people to construct it, though I don’t know how that figure was arrived at. It could have been a family monument of course. Or served as a centre for several homesteads, possibly all related families.
It’s annoying when one has photos one can’t bring into the 21 st century – for whatever reason.
Can’t beat a child in wellies, Tish 🙂 🙂 Astonishing some of these stones. All these years on and still glowering away!
Can’t beat a good mystery either, can you. The why and the how and the who.
😃
What an amazing place. The photos are so fabulous they invoke a mystical feeling.
Glad the photos did the trick, Brian. Thank you.
Like Marilyn, I like the personal feel of this circle. I was fortunate to visit Stonehenge for the first time in the mid-seventies when you could walk up to all the stones. When I went again with our younger daughter, we had to stay on a path, not the same feel.
janet
I know exactly what you mean about Stonehenge. There’s a sense of being excluded from its landscape.
How very interesting. Yet another site I haven’t visited.
Its setting makes it a touch underwhelming – by a hedge, under a power line and cottages all round. On the other hand it also feels a bit as if it’s been adopted; part of the fabric of the village, which incidentally has quite a good pub.
I noticed the pub when I looked up the village 😀 I also want to visit the Trethevy Quoit which is in the same sort of general direction.
Sorry we missed the Quoit.
Always another time 🙂 That’s what I keep saying.
Love your evocative storytelling here Tish you made me imagine the ancient people who erected these stones. Also it was a great day for photos…adding to the mysterious vibe 😊
That’s a big compliment 🙂 Many thanks, Athena.
It always amazes me the date of some of these archeological findings. How they manage to unravel some of the stories behind them. But then I imagine a lot of it is just guess work and will always remain shrouded in mystery. The little, gumboot wearing girl lights up the picture
She’s a sweetie with her cuddly cat 🙂 and yes, in my experience, archaeology involves a lot of guesswork.
I like the gloom.
I quite like it too 🙂
I think the winter light can be most beautiful, and it works perfectly with these images and adds to the mystery of the site. I do believe those who conceived and built these structures were closer to nature than we are today, and indeed saw the world – the cosmos quite differently.
Thanks for all those thoughts, Pete. I do agree about people being more in tune with the natural world.
The little girl in her wellies drew me in Tish, and your storytelling held me to the end as always.
Many thanks, Su. It’s always good to know when the writing works 🙂
I love that image of the little girl and the moodiness of the images. Lovely!
Many thanks. Patti.
These places always make me feel deeply connected to the land Tish.
I know exactly what you mean, Gilly.
I so love this post, Tish. Thank you for introducing me to the site which I will hopefully visit too some day. Great idea to include the little girl in the circle and not just for the sense of scale. Again, amazing photos!
Much appreciate all these nice comments 🙂
I’m always astounded at our species’ brief memory. How did so much knowledge get forgotten, magnificent landmarks neglected and ignored for so many centuries? Those stones are amazing.
We got industrialised, went to town, and forgot our roots – just to boil it down to basics 🙂
Well, there you go. I thought it was complicated.
🙂 🙂