Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/488

 A HISTORY OF CORNWALL inclined to regard it as a cattle pen or pound, with an entrance at the south-west corner, now partly choked by the settlement of the banks. FERNACRE No. Height Length Breadth Thickness No. Height Length Breadth Thickness ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. I Ill

2 2 8 42 2 5

2 O o 9 6 4 6

2 6 i 6 51 2

2 IO o 7 7 leans in 2 O 3 3 o 9 63 3 o

2 o 9 H 3 9

3 6 I 2 65 fallen 6 10 2 6 I 2 16 i 6 leans out 2 5 o 8 66 leans in 2 4 2 9 o 8 21 2 9 leans in i 6 o 9 67 3 o

2 8 1 3 32 3 6

2 8 O II 68 fallen 3 o I 9 o 8 34 3

3 8 I O 69 2 4 leans out 2 2 II The next two circles belong to quite a different class from those already described, one of considerable area, irregular outline, and a large number of stones in the ring, many of them small. Fernacre Circle lies under the southern slope of Row Tor, 5 miles south-east of the town of Camelford, and takes its name from the nearest farm ; it is situated in St. Breward parish and the landowner is Sir W. Onslow. In diameter alone it is one of the largest in Cornwall, being about 146 ft. across, but the irregularity and small size of the stones reduce it to quite an inferior rank ; it appears to correspond closely with W. C. Borlase's definition of a ' ring barrow,' so many of the stones are set on edge and close together, although not touching, but there is no tumulus in the centre. Out of the sixty-nine stones shown in the plan thirty- eight are standing, ten fallen, fourteen are buried, and seven have sunk so far into the peaty soil that only their tops are visible. The tallest standing stone (6) is but 4 ft. 6 in. high, and the largest fallen one (65) measures 6 ft. 10 in. in length. All are of granite. The table of dimensions includes only the more important stones, the great majority being quite insignificant. About 1 60 ft. away, eastwards, in line with the highest point of Brown Willy, is a small erect stone. Row Tor rises due north of the circle, Garrow due south, and in line with these two hills and the circle there lie, out of sight on the south as already mentioned, Stripple Stones, on the slope of Hawk's Tor. On the east is Brown Willy, the highest hill in Cornwall, and on the west, over the shoulder of Louden Hill, is another circle, Stannon. Thus we have two lines crossing Fernacre at right angles, or nearly so, for as a matter of fact the eastern line formed by Brown Willy, Fernacre, and Stannon is 2 out. If, as might appear probable, this very exact alignment, north and south, east and west, was intentional and part of a plan, and Fernacre was the pivot of the whole, it is a curious feature that the three circles mentioned should have been so effectually hidden from each other by intervening hills. Mr. A. L. Lewis has suggested that the diameters of these circles and their distances apart bear certain fixed ratios to each other, expressed 394