Excursions in the County of Cornwall: Comprising a Concise Historical and Topographical Delineation of the Principal Towns and Villages, Together With Descriptions of the Residences of the Nobility and Gentry, Remains of Antiquity, and Every Other Interesting Object of CuriosityStockdale, Frederick Wilton Litchfield
History
Excursions in the County of Cornwall: Comprising a Concise Historical and Topographical Delineation of the Principal Towns and Villages, Together With Descriptions of the Residences of the Nobility and Gentry, Remains of Antiquity, and Every Other Interesting Object of Curiosity
Stockdale, Frederick Wilton Litchfield
Cornwall (England : County) -- Description and travel; Cornwall (England : County) -- History
In this neighbourhood are several other objects highly interesting to
the antiquary. The _Hurlers_, when perfect, consisted of three circles
of upright stones from three to five feet high, but several of them have
been removed. According to historians, these monuments of antiquity are
said to have been of Druidical origin; but the name of hurlers is most
probably derived from an opinion among the common people, that the
stones were once men, who were transformed for _Hurling_ (a favorite
game among the antient Cornish people) on the sabbath day.
The _Cheese-Wring_ is a natural pile of rocks 32 feet high, of eight
stones, or layers, apparently placed one above another, the largest at
the top: considering its perilous form and exposed situation, how this
pile has withstood the rage of storms for so many ages, is a matter of
just astonishment.
The _Cromlech_, or _Trewethy Stone_, as it is generally called, standing
on an eminence some distance from the Cheese-Wring, may be ranked as one
of the greatest antiquities in the county. It consists of six upright
stones, and one large slab, covering them in an inclined position. This
impext measures 16 feet in length, and 10 broad, and is, at a medium,
about 14 inches thick. It rests on five of the uprights only, and at its
upper end it is perforated by a small circular hole. No tradition exists
as to the time of its erection; but, its name at once designates its
being a work of the Britons, and sepulchral.[41]
The village of St. NEOT’S, four miles from Liskeard, has long been
celebrated for possessing a church, embellished with some of the finest
painted glass windows in the kingdom. They amount to 17, and display
various subjects connected with the legend of _St. Neot_, Portraits of
Saints, the History of the Creation, &c., but some of them have
unfortunately been defaced by ignorant or malicious depredators.
The _Church_ is a handsome fabric, built of granite, and from the style
of architecture is supposed not to be older than the reign of Henry VI.
It stands on a rising ground at the head of the village, and has a
dignified appearance, especially when contrasted with the humble
dwellings near it.
A correspondent has favoured us with the following additional
particulars relative to St. Neot’s:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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