King Arthur’s/Emblance Downs’ Stone Circles. Visit date 8th May 2012
I searched out the stone circle on the lower section of King Arthur’s Downs which actually morphs into Emblance Downs after visiting King Arthur’s Hall. Instead of heading off in a SE direction toward the circle close by the farmed area boundary stone wall, I first ventured directly south to take some pix of some fine looking ponies that were crossing the Downs from east to west and that’s when I came across what I THINK is another circle with just the one stone being prominent, the rest either partly buried, recumbent or broken off at ground level. It was on the lower slope leading up to a collection of scattered boulders toward Leaze Farm and I counted 8 in the outer setting with a possible centre stone also visible. Photos marked accordingly.
I then walked due east in the direction of the plantation on the south western end of Garrow Tor which led me directly to the stone circle to the north-west(ish) of Leaze stone circle behind the walls of the privately owned farmed land. Pure Joy’s? hand-drawn plan is spot on and nothing appears to have changed with nine visible stones (some just) in the outer setting with two flattened centre stones present. Like all the circles I have seen so far on this part of Bodmin Moor it incorporated an equilaterally triangular stone within its setting but it was virtually prostrate! At first I thought I was going to have to settle for the acute irregular triangular stone still standing so was rather pleased to come across the ‘proper’ one to the south of the setting!
I ventured onto King Arthur’s Down from Candra via Casehill. Walked up the sloping ground from Casehill Farmhouse and once at the top the King Arthur’s Hall enclosure can be seen to the south east along with spectacular views of Roughtor, Brown Willy and Garrow Tor. https://picasaweb.google.com/100525707086862773355/KingArthurSOrEmblanceDownsCircles?authkey=Gv1sRgCM7jw-js7P75oQE#
Maybe it was the sun beating down on my bald patch but I thought I counted 9 stones with 2 still standing proud. Did not realise till I got home that there was another circle to the south east, another reason to go again.
Just 500 metres on from King Arthur’s Hall and clearly visible, so unless the visibility is particularly low you shouldn’t need to map read. I agreed with Craig Weatherhill’s drawing in “Cornovia: Ancient Sites of Cornwall & Scilly” (Cornwall Books - 1985, revised 1997 & 2000) but I also found a few extra stones not reported. I’ll try to do a drawing soon.
Sadly destroyed double circle to the east of King Arthur's Hall, just by the dry stone wall. Only one stone remains upright and it is not easy to work out which stones belonged to which circle.
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