The Rollright Stones

The Rollright Stones are to the south of the village of Long Compton and north of Little Rollright. These stones are thought to date back to the Neolithic period dating from 2500 to 2000 bc.

The King’s Men Circle is a ring of stones about 30m in diameter - there are 77 stones of heavily weathered local oolitic limestone local to the site.

However according to the Rollright website ‘This number seems to have altered considerably over the years - drawings from the tail-end of the 19th century, just before the Stones were scheduled under the 1882 Ancient Monuments Protection Act along with Stonehenge and Avebury, show about 25 stones in the Circle. “In the year 1882 the proprietor of Little Rollright replaced all the fallen stones in their original foundation.” T-t is believed that there originally some 105 stones standing shoulder to shoulder’

On the other side of the road is a single stone – The King’s Stone. It actually stands in a different county – Warwickshire. ‘Again from the website ‘Its purpose and age are unclear, although it is believed to be of middle Bronze Age origin. Some sources suggest that it might be an outlier to the Stone Circle. The strange shape (likened to a seal balancing a ball on its nose) of this standing stone has less to do with the weathering effects of nature than with the destructive habit of 19th century drovers who chipped off small pieces to act as lucky charms and keep the Devil at bay.’

In the field by the stone was a wooden sculpture of recent construction – I am sure it has some meaning but what, I have no idea. In the background can be seen the village of Long Compton