Two Neolithic stone circles have been discovered on Dartmoor, adding credence to the theory that a “sacred arc” of monuments was built in the heart of nature. Devon highlands.
One of the circles appears to have similar features to Stonehenge, while the second sits slightly outside the arc of the arch and could have served as a gateway used by pilgrims traveling to the area.
The discovery of the two rings is the result of a lifetime of work by Alan Endacott, a Devon archaeologist and stained glass artist who in 2007 discovered the presence of the tallest stone circle in southern EnglandSittaford on Dartmoor
It was the first stone circle to be discovered on the moor for over a century and strengthened the sacred arch theory. Rather than rest on his laurels, Endacott continued to search for more circles and was rewarded with two further finds.
“It was great,” said Endacott, who was joined by a team of volunteers who braved the heath’s often inclement weather in September and October to work on the sites. “Since Sittaford I have done many systematic searches. You have to be off the beaten path to find something new on Dartmoor.”
Endacott named one of the monuments the Metheral Circle after the hill under which it stands. It consists of 20 stones, mainly fallen, and the circle measures approximately 40 meters by 33 meters.
The team also discovered signs of an external bank surrounding the circle, of which Endacott said: “This suggests a Neolithic henge monument of a similar form to the Stripple Stones on Bodmin Moor [in Cornwall], the Presbytery of Brodger on Orkney or even the earlier phase of Stonehenge.
“People moved long distances in that period, so the people who built the stone circle at Metheral may also have been to Stonehenge and even possibly to Orkney. They traveled quite widely; there were many contacts between them with trade and so on.”
Endacott believes the sacred arch was intended to ring the high ground in the middle of the moor. “Dartmoor would have been very different then, there would have been much more forest cover. So possibly they were markers in the landscape, they recognized the higher ground and wanted to sort of include it for some reason.”
The second newly discovered circle sits just north of what Endacott believes is the sweep of the sacred arch at a prominent position called Irishman’s Wall. Also found was a collapsed dolmen that Endacott called “the fallen brother dolmen” as a tribute to those from Dartmoor communities who died in the world wars.
It doesn’t appear to be part of the arc. “But maybe it was an entry point [to the arc] from the north,” he said.
Endacott, 66, has been looking for the rings on Dartmoor since the 1970s and has “competitors” for other rings that could help fill gaps in the ring.
He said: “These excavations have exceeded my expectations and revealed new evidence that will help our understanding, but they have also inevitably raised more questions about why they were built. There are definitely other sites I want to follow up on. We won’t stop anytime soon.”
