Guernsey Folk Lore: a collection of popular superstitions, legendary tales, peculiar customs, proverbs, weather sayings, etc., of the people of that islandMacCulloch, Edgar, Sir
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Guernsey Folk Lore: a collection of popular superstitions, legendary tales, peculiar customs, proverbs, weather sayings, etc., of the people of that island
MacCulloch, Edgar, Sir
Folklore -- Guernsey
flat circular bone of some fish, of the shape of a disk, and
about nine inches in diameter, was discovered, together with
an old fishhook, the former of which was given by the soldiers
to Sir John Doyle. I was only able to procure for myself some
of the fragments of broken ware. About eighteen feet distance
from the foot of the temple there are remains of a circle of
stones which probably surrounded it; they are placed about a
foot above the ground, and in general about two feet distant
from each other. At about forty-two feet from the temple there
appears to have been another circle of stones of a larger size
than those of the inner circle, but there are very few of
them remaining. As this temple stands upon the top of a hill,
it is the intention of some gentlemen in the island to have so
much of the sand on each side of it removed, as may render it
visible to all the surrounding country.
“We have three more such temples in this island, but not so
complete, nor so large, as the one I have just described. One
of these is situated near Paradis, at the Clos of the Vale, and
is called ‘La Pierre du Déhus.’ It stands on a rising ground,
and slopes towards the east-north-east. The stones are of a
grey granite. The supporting, or upright stones, are two and
a-half feet above the ground in the inside, and could not be
more, as the bottom is rocky; they form a parallelogram in the
inside of twelve feet broad.
“Another of these temples is seen at the Catioroc, at St.
Saviour’s, and the third is situated between L’Ancresse Bay and
the Valle Church, and is partly concealed by furze.
“Some years ago I discovered a very large Logan or rocking
stone, or a rock at the opposite side of L’Ancresse Bay, which
could easily be rocked by a child; but within these three
years it has been entirely destroyed, and no vestige of it
now remains. An ancient manuscript says that this island was
originally inhabited by fishermen, who were Pagans, and used
to place large stones one upon another, near the sea shore,
on which they performed their sacrifices. The stones of this
kind, which are now extant, are certainly all situated near
the sea shore, and this circumstance so far corroborates the
information given in the manuscript.
“I have the honour to be, Dear Sir,
“Your obliged and very humble servant,
“JOSHUA GOSSELIN.”
This article is illustrated by plates drawn by the author, viz.,
“Temple of L’Ancresse in the Valle Parish, Guernsey,” “Plan of the
surface of the Temple at L’Ancresse,” “Views of the Temple” called “La
Pierre du Déhus,” from the W.S.W. and the E.N.E. “Plan of the surface
of Déhus,” North and South Views of the “Temple at the Catioroc,”
and “The Temple among the Furze between L’Ancresse Bay and the Valle
Church.”
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