Gamelands stone circle explained

Gamelands stone circle
Map Type:United Kingdom Eden#Cumbria
Map Dot Label:Gamelands stone circle
Location:Cumbria
Coordinates:54.4683°N -2.5562°W

Gamelands stone circle (or Orton stone circle) is a stone circle at the foot of Knott Hill in Cumbria, England. The stones are mostly made of red granite and some were buried and blasted in 1862.

Description

Gamelands stone circle lies between the village of Orton and the hamlet of Raisbeck. It is an oval enclosure of around 40 large stones, all of which have fallen, together with three smaller stones.[1] The stones are set into a slight bank. All of the stones are of pink granite with the exception of one which is limestone. The stones are all below one metre in height and are arranged in an oval of 42 metres by 35 metres.

History

Around 1862, when the area was ploughed, some of the stones were buried or blasted.[2] Some stones have been taken for a wall to the south. Ploughing uncovered two worked flints and a probable cist-slab. The circle was surveyed in 1966, but it was not easy to tell whether the stones have ever been in a standing position.

Notes and References

  1. 13216 . 12 August 2014.
  2. Aubrey Burl (2005) A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany, page 80.