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Craddock Moor stone circle
St Cleer |
Caradon
NGR: SX 24871 71827 |
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About a kilometre to the west-north-west of The Hurlers lie the
remains of a stone circle. Sited in an area of
gently sloping rough moorland pasture, the Craddock Moor stone
circle consists of sixteen or seventeen stones, all fallen and some
broken. A detailed site survey suggests that there may originally
have been 26 or 27 uprights, but as a result of
intensive peat working and quarrying in the vicinity, it is not now
possible to be certain about the original design and layout of the
site. The ‘architecture’ of the Craddock Moor circle resembles that
of Leskernick in that the stones appear to be graded in size, with
the tallest facing towards a large settlement to the NNW.
Also in common with the Leskernick area, there seems to have been a
distinction between areas used for settlement and agricultural
purposes and areas reserved for sacred or ceremonial use. The area
surrounding the stone circle is densely populated with burial
monuments (including the Rillaton Barrow), standing stones, stone
rows and the three circles of the Hurlers. One factor in the design
of this Bronze Age ritual landscape may be the creation or marking
of alignments. Here an alignment seems to start 900 metres to the
north-west at the end of the Craddock Moor stone row, passing
through a short pairing of parallel banks, through the Craddock Moor
circle, on towards the Hurlers, and then beyond towards a group of
barrows on Caradon Hill. The Craddock Moor circle also incorporates
an astronomical alignment - a sight-line towards Stowes Hill marks
the midsummer sunrise, whilst Brown Willy marks sunset on the same
day.
The ceremonies that took place among these sites are lost forever,
but we can imagine that they might have provided a processional
route through the landscape, each site indicating and leading on to
the next. Although the circle itself is now difficult to find as the
stones all lie on the ground and have become overgrown, it is still
possible to follow in the footsteps of our Neolithic and Bronze Age
ancestors and tread these ancient processional ways across the moor.
Dating the construction and development of prehistoric monuments is
still problematical as few have been excavated in recent years.
However, it would appear that whilst the ceremonial and burial sites
are broadly contemporary, and their use continued over a period of
several centuries, they predate the settlements and hut circles by
perhaps a millennium.
Permanent settlement in this area may have been relatively
short-lived, and have given way to a mainly seasonal occupation as
the climate slowly deteriorated and people begun to settle the
lowland valleys on a more permanent basis. The uplands may have
provided vital areas of summer grazing in a pattern of farming known
as transhumance. This became the traditional pattern of farming in
the Cornish landscape for the succeeding two millennia.
Set on open common land a mile to the north-west of Minions, there
is full access to and around the monument.
Sources
Barnatt, J, 1980. Lesser Known Stone Circles in Cornwall in Cornish Archaeology
19, pp.17-30.
Barnatt, J, 1982. Prehistoric Cornwall: The Ceremonial Monuments.
Turnstone Press Limited. ISBN 0 85500 129 1
Tapper, B. and Herring, P, 2005. Caradon Hill Area Heritage
Project, Cornwall - Historic Landscape Characterisation.
Historic Environment Service, Cornwall County Council. |
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Ground & Aerial photographs |
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