Call me basic, but my inner fantasy-fae-loving self will never not be excited by a stone circle. So when I had the opportunity to visit the Rollright Stones, I lept at it. The Rollright Stones are a complex of megalithic monuments lies on the boundary between Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, on the edge of the Cotswold hills. They span nearly 2000 years of Neolithic and Bronze age development and each site dates from a different period.
The oldest, the Whispering Knights dolmen, is early Neolithic, circa 3,800-3,500 BC, the King’s Men stone circle is late Neolithic, circa 2,500 BC; and the King Stone is early to middle Bronze Age, circa 1,500 BC.
The origin of the name ‘Rollright’ is unknown. One interpretation is that it is derived from the Old English ‘Hrolla’+ ‘landriht’, the land-right.
Legend has it that the Stones take their names from a king and his army who were marching over the Cotswolds when they met a witch who challenged the king saying, “Seven long strides shalt thou take and if Long Compton thou canst see, King of England thou shalt be”. On his seventh stride a mound rose up obscuring the view, and the witch turned them all to stone: the king became the King Stone; his army the King’s Men; and his knights the Whispering Knights (plotting treachery). The witch became an elder tree, supposedly still in the hedge: if it is cut the spell is broken the Stones will come back to life.
Legend also has it that it is impossible to count the King’s Men. It is said that the man will never live who shall count the stones three times and find the number the same each time. It is also said that anyone who thrice counts the same number will have their heart’s desire fulfilled. (It is harder than you might expect!) A baker swore he could count them and, to prove it, he baked a number of loaves and placed one on each of the stones. But each time he tried to collect them up some of the loaves were missing, spirited away either by the Devil or by fairies.
As you can see, it was very atmospheric whilst I was there. It is free to visit, but parking is limited. Please be respectful and remember to tidy up after yourself.
The Rollright Stones are located at Rollright Road, Little Rollright, Chipping Norton OX7 5QB.
Have you ever visited the Rollright Stones before?
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