More information : (SS 74914431) Stones (NAT) (1)
Cheriton Ridge, Long 3 degs. 47' 24": Lat 51 degs. 1 3/4". A possible double stone row with a triple head, of which three stones remain
standing and one fallen (see plan) SS 749443. Stone setting in
rhomboid?; Bronze Age (3). (2-3)
Of the eight stones in this setting in 1905 (a) only five are
identifiable.
Four are standing and are between 0.4 metres and 0.6 metres high;
and the fifth has fallen. Published survey 1:2500 revised. (4)
Cheriton Ridge II. SS 74894428. A setting of ten stones, situated on the gently sloping E flank of Cheriton Ridge. At 371m OD, it is in an area of coarse grass and bracken, with extensive views to the E over Clannon Ball and Brendon Common. With an underlying strata of Hangman Grits the monument consists of sandstone slabs and post stones.
In plan the seting is an E to W rectangle with sides of 22.5m by 14.5m.
Five stones remain standing and five are recumbant. Originally there may have been three rows 6m apart, each of four stones at intervals of about 7m, but there is now no trace of the sites of the two inner stones of the centre row. Fallen stones G and K are adjacent to embedded trig stones; it is assumed that E, F and J are near their original positions. Uprights A and B are the only stones set in alignment with the main axis.
Differing numbers of stones have been attributed to the setting over the years. Chanter and Worth (2) depict only the W half of the site (stones A to E) and state that F,J and K, surveyed by the OS, when presumably upright were missing. They make no mention of G or H. The account was endorsed in 1974 (4) while six stones are noted in 1978 (5,Griffiths). Only in 1983 are the ten stones mentioned (5, Eardley Wilmot).
The anomolies may be explained by variable bracken growth and it is possible that some stones have been retrieved, eg Griffiths stone in the track, 8m from the setting, is no longer visible. Stone H, however, must always have been in position (6).
A further table of information on the stones is held in the archive.
Site surveyed at large scale by RCHME 1988 (7)
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