Cornish
Ancient Sites near Roselands Caravan Park
Stone Circles
Stone circles are the most inspiring and evocative of all
ancient sites. They date from the Early Bronze Age, circa
2500 – 1600 BC. Their purpose is unknown, but they were
probably used for ceremonial purposes. Stone circles often
indicate alignments with astronomical events such as Equinox
and Solstice sunsets, sunrises and moonrises. Some are exact
circles, others are oval.
Merry Maidens Stone Circle
They often form central points with outlying systems of standing
stones, barrows and other ancient sites, and also with prominent
natural features in the landscape. Stone circles in Penwith
are large, flattened rings that contain many different irregularly
shaped stones. The name ‘Nine Maidens’ has been
given to several stone circles, although they do not always
have nine stones. Maiden is thought to derive from the Cornish
‘meyn’ for stone, although the origin of nine
is unclear. In Penwith the stone circles typically have nineteen
stones, which could indicate a relationship with a 19-year
solar and lunar cycle.
Holy Wells
The origin of the holy wells in Penwith is
not clear. Most are associated with early Celtic saints and
have probably been used for over a thousand years. Many of
these wells have been used continuously for healing, divination
and for fertility purposes, a testimony to their power, attraction
and efficacy. An age-old custom is to tie a piece of cloth
(known as a cloutie) to a nearby tree. Traditionally this
is a part of cloth that had been worn close to the skin of
a person’s ailment or malady. As the cloth rotted away,
the illness would disappear and the person would recover their
full health
Quoits
Quoits are great megalithic chamber tombs,
a type of portal dolmen found only in Penwith. They date from
the Neolithic period, circa 3500 – 2500 BC and are among
the oldest stone monuments in Cornwall. They consist of large
upright stone slabs that form a chamber, roofed by a single
massive capstone weighing many tonnes. Most quoits appear
to have once been surrounded by a circular or oval mound of
stone, with the capstone and entrance left open. Excavations
of quoits have indicated that they were not burial sites,
but places where ritual burial offerings were made
Thank you to http://www.cornishancientsites.com
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