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Summary

A stone circle situated on rough moorland pasture first discovered in 1923.

Protected Status

• Conservation Area: MINIONS
• Scheduled Monument 15057: CRADDOCK MOOR STONE CIRCLE AND ADJACENT PEAT-STACK PLATFORM 800M NNE OF TREWALLA FARM

Other References/Statuses

• Cornwall PROJECT ID: BM
• National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 380.68.1
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SX27SW 14
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 1233
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SX27SW 34

Monument Type(s):

• STONE CIRCLE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2501 BC)
• STONE CIRCLE (Bronze Age - 2500 BC to 801 BC)

Full description

A stone circle situated on rough moorland pasture slightly below the crest of a broad hilltop.

It was first discovered by the Rev H A Lewis, vicar of St Cleer, in 1923 and first recorded by W A Pascoe in 1937 (h1, h2). It has subsequently been described by a number of sources (b1-b8). The circle was surveyed at 1:2000 and 1:1250 scale by the OS in 1974 (h3, b6), and during the 1980s was surveyed from the air and on the ground by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) (h5, b9) (the latter made ammendments to the OS 1:1250 plan of the site). According to RCHME, the circle, 39.0m in diameter, now comprises fourteen prostrate stones, one clearly snapped stump, and two fairly earthfast small stones which may be no more than protruding trig stones.

Recumbant stones vary in length from 1.1m to 2.0m, the majority being 1.5m to 2.0m long. In section, one stone is post-like, 0.5m by 0.4m; all others are distinct slabs 0.2m to 0.3m thick and 0.5m to 0.8m wide, even in the case of two which have been reduced by stone-splitting (h5). The distance between stones is approx 5.0m, and on this basis the circle may have originally had about 26 stones. Most (perhaps seven) stones are missing from the north quadrant. Where gaps occur there are no indications of socket holes and in the extreme north a peat stead occupies part of the area (h5).

According to Barnatt (b7), Brown Willy marks midsummer sunset from this circle, and Stowes Hill marks sunrise on the same day.

This stone circle is in poor condition; it appears to have been deliberately slighted by uprooting and snapping of some stones, a few subsequently being drill split lengthways (h5). An area of 5.0m by 2.0m at the centre has recently been dug over by treasure hunters (h5).

The circle was plotted as part of the NMP. The monument was included in the Schedule on 28/9/1937 and the scheduling was revised on 26/3/1992.

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Site history:
h1: 1923. LEWIS, HA
h2: 1937. PASCOE, WA
h3: 1974. JWS / OS
h5: 1984. QUINNELL, NV / RCHM
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ANDREW, CKC, 1935, UNKNOWN TITLE, VOL 19, 6, 354-356 (Unedited Source). SCO7243.

NMR, 1979, RC8 BT 143 (Photographic Record). SCO16453.

ANDREW, CKC, 1937, UNKNOWN TITLE, VOL 25, 8, 61 (Unedited Source). SCO7276.

ANDREW, CKC, 1948, ANNOTATED 6-INCH MAP (Unedited Source). SCO7407.

Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

ANDREW, CKC, 1974, UNKNOWN TITLE, VOL 3, 74 (Unedited Source). SCO8228.

Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

Barnatt, J, 1982, Prehistoric Cornwall: The Ceremonial Monuments, 61, 64, 73-74, 110, 186-187, 189, 198, 249 (Bibliographic reference). SCO2777.

Weatherhill, C, 1985, Cornovia: Ancient Sites of Cornwall & Scilly, 31 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5028.

RCHM, 1980s, 1:2500 Air Photo Transcript, SX 2471 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4238.

Cornwall Archaeological Unit, 2015, Minions Film Impacts 2015, Cornwall (Report). SCO27261.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO2284 - Lesser Known Stone Circles in Cornwall
• ECO4428 - Minions Film Impacts 2015, Cornwall (Ref: 2015R030)

Related records: none recorded

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