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| *****SWAAG_ID***** | 509 |
| Date Entered | 03/05/2012 |
| Updated on | 07/05/2012 |
| Recorded by | Tim Laurie |
| Category | Standing Stones / Circles |
| Record Type | Northern Britain |
| Site Access | Public Access Land |
| Record Date | 27/04/2012 |
| Location | Little Salkeld, Cumbria |
| Civil Parish | Not known |
| Brit. National Grid | NY 571 373 |
| Geology | Drift over Triassic Sandstone. |
| Record Name | SWAAG visit to the Vale of Eden, April 2012. Part One: Long Meg and Her Daughters. |
| Record Description | Great Stone Circle (The Daughters) with cup and ring and spiral decorated Sandstone Outlier (Long Meg). A total of 69 stones were counted by two careful SWAAG Members but one dissenter was convinced that there are 68 stones, consistent with the legend has it that it is not possible to arrive at the same total twice.
For a full description and the iconography of this impressive stone circle, see:
Aubrey Burl. 1976.'The Stone Circles of the British Isles.' Yale.
Aerial photography shows the Long Meg great stone circle to be tangential to and to overlie a large ditched enclosure. The stones which overlie this enclosure are all prostrate.
Entrance of double stones to the South-West. Traces of an outer bank attest to its affinities with henges.
'It is surely significant that two vast stones (See photo 9) stand virtually due east and west in the equinoctial positions. They stand at opposite ends of Thom's primary diameter(109.4m). (Thom 1967, fig12.11)It is tempting to believe the circle was planned originally on this axis.'(Burl 1976 p89.)
All members were impressed by the fact that the stone circle was located so as to relate to the surrounding hills. (see for example photo 1). |
| Dimensions | Stone Ring, (Flattened Circle): 109.4m * 93.0m. Heaviest stone weighs around 28 tons. |
| Additional Notes | The near by double spiral decorated cairn circle known as Little Meg was visited by Justin. (Photos please, Justin?) |
| Image 1 ID | 2755 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 1 Description | Blencathra seen from Long Meg Stone Circle. |  |
| Image 2 ID | 2756 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 2 Description | Animated discussion at Long Meg. She was listening! |  |
| Image 3 ID | 2757 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 3 Description | The stones. |  |
| Image 4 ID | 2758 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 4 Description | |  |
| Image 5 ID | 2759 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 5 Description | |  |
| Image 6 ID | 2760 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 6 Description | |  |
| Image 7 ID | 2761 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 7 Description | |  |
| Image 8 ID | 2762 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 8 Description | Aerial photographs indicate that these prostrate stones overlie an earlier ditched enclosure. |  |
| Image 9 ID | 2763 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 9 Description | This massive stone marks the eatern end of the main (109.4m) axis of the flattened circle) |  |
| Image 10 ID | 2765 Click image to enlarge |
| Image 10 Description | The branches of this ash tree within the stone circle have been decorated with coloured ribbons. |  |
