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HER Number:	3169
Name:	LESKERNICK - Neolithic / Bronze Age stone circle

Summary

A stone circle with a diameter of approx 30.4m and now consisting of 20 to 22 stones.

Grid Reference:	SX 1881 7962
Parish:	Altarnun, North Cornwall, Cornwall
Map:	Show location on Streetmap

Protected Status

Scheduled Monument: Leskernick south stone circle

Other References/Statuses

Cornwall PROJECT ID: BM
OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SX17NE 30
Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 3169
SHINE Candidate (Yes)
SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SX17NE 21

Monument Type(s):

STONE CIRCLE (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 801 BC)

Full description

The remains of a stone circle situated in open moorland on level pasture at 293m above OD but dominated on all sides by higher ground. Discovered in 1973 during field investigation and surveyed by Fletcher (h1). Re-surveyed by RCHM in the 1980s from the air (h2, b1) and in 1984 on the ground (h3, h4). This stone circle, approximate diameter of 30.4m is typical in size to those found on Bodmin Moor, although the only known circle in this area. It now consists of 20 to 22 stones of which one is a stump and the others have fallen. Three stones are virtually buried by vegetation accumulation and others have been displaced or buried by trial mineral workings. The stones are between 1.9m and 1.4m long and so would have stood approximately 1.3m to 0.9m high. One broken stone may have been standing and used as a rubbing stone until relatively recently. Originally the site was perhaps circular and it is likely that there were between 29 and 33 stones (b2). The area around the circle has been stripped of a surface layer of peat as several stones lie on a platform of peat which would represent the old land surface. The stump is 0.1m high and none of the recumbant slabs is more than 0.5m thick. The contraction of peat during a period of drought in 1984 revealed a number of small boulders between the stones and a little more of the surface area of the partially buried stones (h3, h4).

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Site history:
1: 1973. FLETCHER, MJ / OS
3: 1984. FLETCHER, MJ / RCHM
4: 1984. FLETCHER, MJ / RCHM
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Cambridge University Centre for Aerial Photography, 30/4/66, CUC ANT 33 (Aerial Photograph). SCO21503.

Cambridge University Centre for Aerial Photography, 30/4/66, CUC ANT 34 (Aerial Photograph). SCO21494.

<1> RCHM, 1980s, 1:2500 Air Photo Transcript, SX 1879 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4238.

<2> Barnatt, J, 1980, Lesser Known Stone Circles in Cornwall (Article in Journal). SCO179.

<3> Barnatt, J, 1982, Prehistoric Cornwall: The Ceremonial Monuments, 198, 249 (Bibliographic reference). SCO2777.

<4> Weatherhill, C, 1985, Cornovia: Ancient Sites of Cornwall & Scilly, 74 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5028.

Sources / Further Reading

---	SCO21494 - Aerial Photograph: Cambridge University Centre for Aerial Photography. 30/4/66. CUC ANT 34. SX 1890 7980.
---	SCO21503 - Aerial Photograph: Cambridge University Centre for Aerial Photography. 30/4/66. CUC ANT 33. SX 1890 7980.
[1]	SCO4238 - Bibliographic reference: RCHM. 1980s. 1:2500 Air Photo Transcript. SX 1879.
[2]	SCO179 - Article in Journal: Barnatt, J. 1980. Lesser Known Stone Circles in Cornwall. Cornish Archaeology. 19. 17-29.
[3]	SCO2777 - Bibliographic reference: Barnatt, J. 1982. Prehistoric Cornwall: The Ceremonial Monuments. 198, 249.
[4]	SCO5028 - Bibliographic reference: Weatherhill, C. 1985. Cornovia: Ancient Sites of Cornwall & Scilly. 74.

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Related records: none recorded

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