Cornwall - Boscawen-Un

Boscawen-Un Stone Circle, Cornwall

The quartz stone, the centre stone, and the eastern arc

Considered by many to be the finest ring of stones in these lands, Boscawen-Un lies hidden by a high envelope of gorse. This serves to heighten the air of mystery that infuses the air at this inconspicuous site, sealing its sanctity from the outside world.

Nineteen evenly spaced stones form an ellipse measuring 25.2m by 22.3m, with the longer axis aligned NW to SE. Most of the stones are of local granite, but one in the WSW is made of quartz. The stones increase in height to the western arc where the tallest stones stand 1.3m above the turf. Unusually, but not uniquely, there is a single menhir located near the centre of the ring. This stone protrudes 2.5m from the ground but is angled at about 53° to the horizontal, thus "pointing" towards the midsummer sunrise in the NE. A gap in the western arc may have originally served as an entrance.

According to the eighteenth century Welsh bard, Iolo Morganwg, a circle of nineteen stones with a central pillar makes for the perfect gorsedd (a traditional druid meeting place). It should be noted that many modern writers on the druid tradition dismiss Morganwg's work as fraudulent, as the evidence he claimed to use has never been found. It seems strange that if it is the perfect gorsedd circle, as Morganwg claims, why aren't there any similar circles in Wales? However, predating Morganwg by twelve centuries, a version of the Welsh triads mentions "Beiscawen" as being one of the three principal gorsedds of Britain. High praise indeed.

The circle was restored in 1862 when three of the stones were imperfectly re-erected. An excavation a few years later failed to find any artefacts within the circle, or at the base of the central pillar. The excavators concluded that the centre stone was carefully set in its leaning position. A conclusion doubted by Aubrey Burl. Stukeley recorded the stone as leaning when he wrote about the circle in 1740, and presumed that it had been "loosened by treasure seekers". But then he also suggested that it was built by Hercules and a team of Phoenicians!!

Centre stones and quartz stones are rare in British circles. But the inclusion of both in the same monument is unique outside of Ireland, again suggesting a cultural link between southern Ireland and the SW of England.

Burl believes that the central pillar was originally set upright, and suggests that it was intended as a way marker, one of a series defining the path from Penzance to Lands End. The circle then being built around the pillar at a later date. Whilst this theory best fits the archaeological evidence, modern interpretation leads to a number of more esoteric analyses.

It has been suggested that the phallic central stone and the feminine quartz stone were purposely placed to mark the Imbolc and Samhain sunsets in the SW, or the Beltane and Lughnasad sunrises in the NE. Also when the first rays of the rising midsummer sun obliquely strike the base of the central stone, they reveal two very faint acceded carvings. So whether or not the central stone is contemporary with the building of the circle, it could be argued that it is an integral part of a ritually significant monument.

The number nineteen may also be significant as both the nearby Merry Maidens and Tregeseal East stone circles also comprise nineteen stones. William Borlase noticed this and suggested that it related to the twelve months of the year and the number of days in the week. More recently, Cheryl Straffon has noted the importance of both quartz and the number nineteen in the goddess tradition. And the 18.61 year cycle between major lunar standstills is widely known. It is interesting then to add to the speculation by suggesting that this circle was intended as a megalithic observatory linked to the celebration of the Goddess. The fact that the longer axis is aligned with the northern minor lunar standstill may also be significant here.

John Michell has identified seven alignments passing through Boscawen-Un, including one which runs from the circle in the direction of the Samhain sunrise. This alignment, also noted by Sir Norman Lockyer, includes a menhir at Trelew (SW 4217 2693) from which W. C. Borlase excavated fragments of human bones, and a cup-marked stone at Castallack (SW 4540 2545). Lockyer identified a number of astronomical alignments, but later work by Alexander Thom and John Barnatt fails to support their significance. Burl is somewhat sceptical of both Michell's and Lockyer's alignments.

The nineteenth century excavation also examined two barrows near to the ring. One contained some bronze and two piles of cremated bones. The other contained two pots and a broken saddle quern. Thus, the site was still considered sacred during the Bronze Age.

Many megalithic sites have been used into the Bronze Age, but this circle has a much longer continuity of use. Documents reveal that it was used as a meeting place (moot) for the tribes of West Wales up until 926 CE when the Saxon king Athalstan defeated the locals. It was at this time that Athalstan "forbade all devil worship", which presumably included using such heathen circles for important business matters. Happily Athalstan's edict hasn't survived the test of time, and contemporary Druid groups have reinstated this circle as an important gorsedd.

Like its nearest neighbour, this circle has also attracted the legend that the stones are the petrified remains of girls who were turned to stone by the Devil for dancing on the sabbath. Quite a popular legend that. Because of this it is also known as The Nine Maidens (even though there are twenty stones here). Of course, a nearby menhir is known as The Blind Fiddler (SW 4252 2818).

The unusual name derives from Old Cornish for "the dwelling by the elder tree on the downs". Its etymological association with the elder tree possibly being a reference to the historical perception of the "heathen" practices that did or were thought to occur here. Or maybe there was an elder tree here.

As an interesting diversion, Thom classifies this ring as a Type B flattened circle. The construction of such "circles" is based on that cornerstone of sacred geometry, the vesica piscis (the symbol on the cover of the Chalice Well at Glastonbury). This arrangement of two circles has been identified in sacred architecture throughout the ages, and is linked to the Mother Goddess. It might be stretching a point to suggest that this geometric form is intrinsically embedded in the human psyche, inextricably linking the human mind to higher planes, but its prevalence in sacred architecture must surely be of significance.

All in all, this is a fascinating circle. It is atypical of British circles and yet it could be a text book example of one as it contains so many features found in other sites. No doubt its unusual nature is the reason that it has attracted so much attention over the years. Cope describes this site as a Faerie circle. This is a very apt description as its relatively isolated setting gives it an air of peace and power. It is a sanctuary, a place to be. A place of rare numinance.

O.S.G.R.:	SW 412 274 (203).
Location:	4 miles SW of Penzance, 1 mile N of St. Buryan.
Directions:	Follow A30 south from Penzance. About 1 mile on from Catchall, before turning for Sancreed, park on side of road by footpath sign. Follow footpath through the gorse in a south-easterly direction to the stones.

Email Rich

Top Front English Sites Scottish Sites Welsh Sites Index