The Rollright Stones

23 April 2011

Some 6 or 7 miles north-east of Stow is a group of megalithic monuments known as the Rollright Stones. There are three separate sites, but legend links them as a king and his men marching over the Cotswolds towards the village of Long Compton, where they were stopped in their tracks by a witch and turned into stone after the king failed to see the view of the village which would have made him king of all England. The King’s Men The main site is a 30 metre circle of irregular and worn stones, about 70 surviving out of more than 100 which would originally have formed a continuous circle. These stones represent the king’s men. The real significance of the circle is unknown: it presumably was used in connexion with religious or community ceremonies. More about the Rollright Stones
Teresa and some of the larger stones	Jay running the perimeter of the circle
The Whispering Knights About 400 yards to the east is a group typical of a megalithic burial chamber, probably pre-dating the circle by a thousand years. In legend they are said to be the king’s treacherous knights
	The ‘whispering knights’
The King’s Stone	The King’s Stone Fifty yards to the north of the stone circle is the single stone known as the King’s Stone. It is probably associated with the Bronze Age burial area on which it stands, which would make it a thousand years later than the circle itself. Walking a few yards further on to the edge of the ridge provides a view of the village.	The view over the village of Long Compton

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