removed this hedge and the fallen stones were set back up once again. Unfortunately in the process, the largest stone was broken and left prostate. At the same time, an urn said to be full of bones, was discovered at the base of the largest stone which was broken by a pick blow before the workmen realised what it was, the contents instantly crumbled to dust on their exposure to the air.
Description of the Stone Circle
With a diameter of less than 12 meters, Duloe is the smallest stone circle in Cornwall. The eight stones which measure 1.49 - 2.65 metres high are of quartz rich rock containing the mineral Ankerite, which suggests that they were obtained from Herodsfoot, 2 miles north west of Duloe. Similar rocks are also found at Tregarland Tor, Morval, just over a mile to the south east of Duloe. It's been calculated that approximately 35 people would have been needed to move the stones, which may weigh up to 9 tons. The stones are rough, unhewn and all taper towards the top. They are aligned to the points of the crosspass, suggesting that astronomical observations may have formed some part of the ceremonies performed here. At the centre of the circle is a low mound which with the 1861 discovery of the burial urn, may suggest that this is in fact a special sort of burial mound or burrow, rather than a stone circle. Alternatively the mound might just be a remnant of the former hedge.
Monuments set in Stone
Stone circles are monuments of the Bronze Age, ritual centres, used for seasonal gatherings and ceremonies. In Duloe, continuous settlement and cultivation over thousands of years have removed all traces of the contemporary landscape, but on Bodmin Moor, stone circles can be seen in relation to the settlements, field systems and cairns of the people who used them. There are 15 stone circles on Bodmin Moor, the nearest to Duloe being the Hurlers and Craddock Moor and the Nine Stones in Altarnun.
VISIT MORE PHOTOS OF DULOE STONE CIRCLE CORNWALL BELOW
The History of Duloe Stones
Although Stonetown the adjoining farm is named from the stone circle, first recorded in 1329, the circle itself was not officially discovered until 1801. Perhaps because it was bisected by a hedgebank and an orchard, standing between the two fields. In 1858 the Rev TA Bewes of Plymouth
