Twelve Apostles Stone Circle
Encyclopedia
Twelve Apostles is the name given to a large stone circle situated between the villages of Holywood and Newbridge, near Dumfries
, Scotland
. It is the fifth largest stone circle in Britain and the largest on the mainland of Scotland.
Type B 'flattened circle'.
To the north-east of the circle, running parallel with the A76 road
, is a cursus
, now only visible from the air.
In 1882 it was reported that a four inch bronze figure was uncovered at the circle some years before. This has since been identified as Saint Norbert
, and dated to the twelfth century. It is now housed in the Dumfries Museum.
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is the fifth largest stone circle in Britain and the largest on the mainland of Scotland.
General information
The circle is composed of eleven stones, of which five are earthfast. The highest upright stone is around 1.9 meters tall. The longest, lying in the south-western sector, is 3.2 meters long. The circle measures 89 meters at its maximum diameter. It is not a true circle in formation; rather, it is an example of Alexander Thom'sAlexander Thom
Alexander "Sandy" Thom was a Scottish engineer most famous for his theory of the Megalithic yard, categorization of stone circles and his studies of Stonehenge and other archaeological sites.- Life and work :...
Type B 'flattened circle'.
To the north-east of the circle, running parallel with the A76 road
A76 road
The A76 is a major trunk road in south west Scotland.Starting at Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, the A76 goes through or immediately by-passes Hurlford, Mauchline, Cumnock, Pathhead and New Cumnock before entering Dumfries and Galloway and continuing through Sanquhar, Mennock, Enterkinfoot,...
, is a cursus
Cursus
thumb|right|250px|[[Stonehenge Cursus]], Wiltshirethumb|right|250px|[[Dorset Cursus]] terminal on Thickthorn Down, DorsetCursus was a name given by early British archaeologists such as William Stukeley to the large parallel lengths of banks with external ditches which they thought were early Roman...
, now only visible from the air.
In 1882 it was reported that a four inch bronze figure was uncovered at the circle some years before. This has since been identified as Saint Norbert
Norbert of Xanten
Saint Norbert of Xanten was a Christian saint and founder of the Norbertine or Premonstratensian order of canons regular.- Life and work :...
, and dated to the twelfth century. It is now housed in the Dumfries Museum.
Further reading
- Burl, A. (1976). The Stone Circles of the British Isles. London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-30001972-6.