Craddock Moor Stone Circle or Craddock Moor Circle is a
stone circle
A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being ...
located near
Minions on
Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor () is a granite moorland in north-eastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in size, and dates from the Carboniferous period of geology, geological history. It includes Brown Willy, the highest point in Cornwall, and Rough To ...
in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
,
UK. It is situated around half a mile Northwest of
The Hurlers.
Description
The circle consists of sixteen fallen stones with one remaining possible stump, all considerably overgrown making it one of the harder circles to find on the moor. John Barnatt has suggested that the circle was situated so that the summit of
Brown Willy
Brown Willy (possibly meaning "hill of swallows" or meaning "highest hill") is a hill in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The summit, at above sea level, is the highest point of Bodmin Moor and of Cornwall as a whole. It is about northwest ...
marked the
midsummer
Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest Daytime, day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of Eu ...
sunset.
It is nearby to Craddock Moor stone row and an embanked enclosure.
Christopher Tilley noted what he called a "possible axis of movement" linking the stone row, an embanked enclosure, the circle and the Hurlers. As these cannot be seen from each other, he commented "It is difficult to imagine how such a striking alignment could occur purely by chance."
Archaeology
One of the first archaeological surveys of Bodmin Moor, including Craddock Moor Circle was carried out c. 1800 by Nicholas Johnson and Peter Rose.
Folklore
Chris Barber and David Pykitt suggested that Craddock Moor is named after the ancient British King of
Arthurian legend
The Matter of Britain (; ; ; ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. The 12th-century writer Geoffr ...
Caradoc
Caradoc Vreichvras (; Modern , ) was a semi-legendary ancestor to the kings of Gwent. He may have lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is remembered in the Matter of Britain as a Knight of the Round Table, under the names King Carados and C ...
who has been linked to the
Pendragon Caractacus who fought the
Romans.
Literature
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References
External links
Cornwall's Archaeological Heritage - field guide to accessible sites - Craddock Moor stone circleIllustrated entry in the Megalithic PortalPastscape - English Heritage entry about Craddock Moor Stone Circle
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Craddock Moor Stone Circle
Bodmin Moor
Stone circles in Cornwall