Priddy Circles

Infobox Megalith
Name = Priddy Circles
Photo =
Type = Stone circle
Country = England
County = Somerset
Nearest Town = Wells
Nearest Village = Priddy
Grid_ref_UK = ST540528
Grid_ref_Ireland =
Coor = coord|51.272482|N|2.660792|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title
Condition = 2
Access = 1
References = Megalithic Portal|7704

Priddy Circles are a series of four Stone circles or Henge monuments near the village of Priddy on the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England. Each circle is approximately 160m in diameter. Three of the circles are closely spaced in a nearly straight line, while the fourth is some 350m to the north and somewhat out of line with the other three.

They appear to be contemporary with Stonehenge, i.e. Neolithic circa 2180 BC. [cite book |last=Dunning |first=Robert |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=A History of Somerset |year=1983 |publisher=Phillimore & Co |location=Chichester |id=ISBN 0-85033-461-6 ] The North Hill location of two round barrow cemeteries, Ashen Hill and Priddy Nine-Barrows which are neighbours of the Circles, would seem to imply that the area to the northeast of Priddy held ritual significance into the Bronze Age. [cite web | title=Mendip Hills An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | work=Somerset County Council Archaeological Projects | url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/media/896B4/MendipAONB.pdf | accessdate=2006-10-28]

The four circles each consist of a bank and ditch enclosing a flat circular area with more than one entrance. Excavations carried out between 1956 and 1959 by members of the University of Bristol Speleological Society showed that the banks had stone cores with post and stake holes on either side. Geophysical surveys in 1995 and a magnetometer survey in 2006 are exploring further the make up of the circles. The circles have been listed as Scheduled Ancient Monuments. [cite book |last=Firth |first=Hannah |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Mendip from the air |year=2007 |publisher=Somerset County Council |location=Taunton |isbn=9780861833900 ]

References