Grey Croft stone circle

Grey Croft stone circle is a restored stone circle near Seascale in Cumbria, England (grid reference NY03340238). It is situated near the site of the former nuclear-power stations at Sellafield.

Grey Croft stone circle
Shown within Cumbria
LocationCumbria
Coordinates54.4076°N 3.4908°W / 54.4076; -3.4908
TypeStone circle
History
PeriodsNeolithic / Bronze Age

Description

Grey Croft stone circle is a circle of 12 stones situated south of the Sellafield nuclear site.[1] The circle is about 600 metres from the sea. Only 10 of the original 12 stones are currently standing.[2] There is a small outlying stone 21 metres to the north.[2]

History

The stones in the circle were toppled over and buried in 1820 by a tenant farmer, with the exception of one stone.[1] In 1949 the site was excavated and nine of the stones were located, and replaced as accurately as possible.[1]

The excavations uncovered an oval stone cairn situated in the circle centre.[1] Trenching under the cairn revealed charcoal traces, calcined bones, a broken early Bronze Age jet or lignite ring, and flint flakes and scraper.[1] A Great Langdale Late-Neolithic stone-axe was found near to the eastern stone of the circle.[2]

See also

References
  1. GREY CROFT STONE CIRCLE, Pastscape, retrieved 13 November 2013
  2. Aubrey Burl (2005), A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany, page 44. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300114060


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.