More information : [Centred at SW 43272450] Merry Maidens or Dawn's Men
(Stone Circle) [O.E.] (1)
Merry Maidens Stone Circle, St. Buryan's Scheduled Ancient
Monument. Listed under Burial Mounds and Megalithic Monuments. (2)
There are 19 stones forming the "Merry Maidens".
A 25" survey has been made.
See GP/AO/60/336/5 from the North (3)
Merry Maidens (NAT) Stone Circles (NR) (4)
A 77ft 9 ins diameter circle of nineteen stones, three of which
are known to have been replaced. A
pronounced gap at the east may define an entrance. (5-7)
Scheduled under Megalithic Monuments. (8)
This impressive restored stone circle is situated on a slight
south-west facing slope in a pasture field. It has an overall
diameter of between 23.7m and 24.0m and consists of an almost
complete ring of 19 fairly equally spaced erect stones. These
granite slabs range from 0.9m to 1.4m in height and 0.2m to 0.5m
in thickness. A gap on the east side of the circle may, as has
been suggested, be an entrance gap. (Boscawen-Un stone circle,
SW 42 NW 28), has a similar gap on its west side). However,
it is equally possible that it denotes the site of a missing
stone.
Two earthfast boulders lie approximately 15.0m to the south-east
of the circle at SW 43272447 and SW 43282448. One measures 1.4m
by 0.7m and up to 0.3m high and the second 1.4m by 0.7m and
0.6m high. Although they have the appearance of natural earthfast
boulders (which were perhaps left behind when the area was
cleared) and enclosed their close proximity to the circle may
be significant.
Published 1/2500 survey correct. (9)
Tom Lethbridge apparently dated the circle to c.2540 BC by holding a pendulum over one of the stones and counting the gyrations, a technique which Burl feels able to describe as "eccentric". (10)
According to Barnatt, in the 18th century the circle consisted of 18 stones, 2 of which had fallen. Between 1862 and 1869, the two fallen stones were re-erected and an extra stone added in one of the two gaps to match the incorrect total of 19 published by Borlase in 1754. The stones are arranged in a circle and graded according to height, the tallstones being to the SSW. The restored stones apparently spoil the exact symmetry of the design. (11) |