The Visitor's Hand-Book for Holyhead: Comprising a History of the Town, the Antiquities and Sublime Scenery of the MountainJackson, Thomas
History
The Visitor's Hand-Book for Holyhead: Comprising a History of the Town, the Antiquities and Sublime Scenery of the Mountain
Jackson, Thomas
Holyhead (Wales) -- Guidebooks
About a mile and a half from Holyhead, at Trefigneth (a house on the
quagmire) farm, may be seen some relics of Druidical superstition, and
remarkable monuments of the rude art of the Ancient Britons. They are
what antiquarians call _cromlechi_. Two derivations have been given for
the word cromlech: the one, “an inclining stone,” from the British word
_crwm_, bowed, and _llech_, a broad, flat stone; and the other, “a
devoted stone or altar,” from the Hebrew _cœrœm-luach_,—the first part
expressing the appearance of the upper or principal stone of the
cromlech; the second, the horrible use to which, there is good reason to
believe, it was put. The stones referred to are called by the Welsh, at
this time, _Llechen Trevigneth_, i.e., Trevigneth flat stones; and the
field they are in, _Cae’r Llechen_, flat stone field.
The writer visited these cromlechs on the 18th of February, 1853, and,
assisted by a friend, measured some of the huge, unshapely stones. The
western cromlech consists of 5 stones, four of which were undoubtedly
uprights, but have fallen from their proper situation, and the table
stone, with its flat face, reposes upon them. This superincumbent stone
measures 12 feet long, including the piece broken off at the eastern
end—it is 6 feet wide, and in some parts about 2 feet in diameter. One
of the four stones is 10 feet long, by 4 wide, and about 10 feet in
circumference. At the western end of this cromlech are three stones, but
for what purpose they were originally used, I wot not.
The eastern cromlech consists of 8 stones, two of which are standing; one
perpendicularly, the other in an oblique position—following the example
of its companions, which have long since bowed beneath the weight or
pressure of centuries;—these are 6 feet long, one of which is about 10
feet in circumference, the other 8. There is one reposing
longitudinally, measuring 10 feet long, and 6 feet in circumference. The
other three are of smaller dimensions. There are two table or
superincumbent stones, one of which measures 10 feet long, by 6 wide; the
other, 6 feet long, by 5 wide. When first constructed, this cromlech
would have admitted a tall man to stand upright in it.
When I first approached these ruins, I felt that I was treading the
sacred ground of ancient Britons; a longing to comprehend their origin
came over me—a yearning to make out the dark enigma that for ages had
puzzled the learned and the wise. While walking round these ancient
relics, I felt somewhat astonished and bewildered. Awe, amazement, and
solemnity, were as a load on my spirit, pressing heavily. I wished to
know, but I was ignorant; I wished to admire, but I was awestruck.
Ages seem present; shadowy, giant forms,
And fantasies that throng the heated brain,
Are fluttering to and fro; unhallowed rites,
Obscene and cruel, and unearthly shapes,
Start into being.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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