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Summary

A stone circle of 24.8m diameter consisting of ten upright and four fallen stones.

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument CO123: Stone circle, 600yds (550m) NE of Leaze

Other References/Statuses

• Cornwall PROJECT ID: BM
• National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 2099.32.1
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SX17NW 26
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 1966
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SX17NW 48

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 centred on a gentle east slope in an area of enclosed pasture, this circle, which is a Scheduled Monument, was first recorded in 1892 (b1) and has subsequently been described by many sources. It is marked on the 1962 OS map (b5) and was surveyed at 1:2500 scale by the OS in 1973 (h1) and by the RCHM in the 1980s (h2, h3). According to Barnatt (b8), it is a true circle, 24.8m in diameter, consisting of ten upright and four fallen stones. The ring of stones is symmetrical, and the stones, themselves are of equal height (1.08m) and have flat tops and inner faces. On the south side of the circle are three barely discernible pits, which mark the positions of removed stones. Barnatt says an outlying stone mentioned by Lewis (b1) and Thom (b11) is probably part of the fragmentary remains of a field wall. He found no indications of astronomical alignments (b8). The stone circle is cut by a field wall, which overlies one of the upright stones and had already been constructed by the time the site was first recorded in 1892 (b1). The present condition of the monument is good (h3) though it is susceptible to trampling by cattle and sheep, to date they have caused very little damage to the stones (h3).

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Site history:
1: 1973. MHB / OS
3: 1984. QUINNELL, NV / RCHM
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NMR, 28/2/79, NMR 1377 (Aerial Photograph). SCO22648.

<1> LEWIS, AL, 1895, RUDE STONE MONUMENTS ON BODMIN MOOR, VOL XIII, 108 (Unedited Source). SCO6564.

CUC, 1978, RC8 BU 108 (Photographic Record). SCO16315.

<2> Page, W (Editor), 1906, Victoria History of the County of Cornwall, VOL 1, 392 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4068.

<3> Gray, H St. G, 1908, On the Stone Circles of East Cornwall, VOL 61, 29-33, 49-50 (Article in Journal). SCO6957.

<4> Hencken, H O'N, 1932, The Archaeology of Cornwall and Scilly, 58 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3489.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<7> Burl, A, 1976, The Stone Circles of the British Isles (Bibliographic reference). SCO2971.

<8> Barnatt, J, 1982, Prehistoric Cornwall: The Ceremonial Monuments, 170-172, 249 (Bibliographic reference). SCO2777.

<9> RCHM, 1980s, 1:2500 Air Photo Transcript, SX 1377 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4238.

<10> Weatherhill, C, 1985, Cornovia: Ancient Sites of Cornwall & Scilly, 74 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5028.

<11> Thom, A, 1967, Megalithic Sites in Britain (Bibliographic reference). SCO4594.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Related records: none recorded

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