Boswarva Carn Settlement lies above Madron in West Penwith - Kernow -
The picture below shows what I believe to be a large fallen Menhir (long-stone) lying in a moorland field where it fell centuries earlier - this one is very near the top of the hill where you would expect to find a larger obelisk - it conforms to the typical leaf or blade-shape often found in these objects -
The stone below is another one I am sure is a fallen menhir -
Around six feet long - you can just see a large flat rock leaning on the left end of it - I believe this to be one of the original packing-stones used for holding the upright in place - the left end of the menhir is the end that would have been planted -
This object was largely obscured by brambles and tufts of grass - I spent about ten minutes clipping around it and then removed the layer of moss and soil (about 4 inches deep) which had accumulated in the system of cracks on the upper face - this soil accounts for the large blackish stain visible on the rock -
In my opinion this menhir - like many others - including the South West Piper - was picked out for these very cracks - I believe they are a vital feature of a lot of these long-stones -
A typical menhir stands tall and is often pointed - it is hard to avoid phallic connotations and there is no reason to suppose the Ancients were shy about sex - however after looking closely at more and more of these interesting stones I noticed that many of them featured large cracks - often conforming to the pattern seen on the South West Piper where you have a descending crack that does not reach the bottom and an ascending crack that does not reach the top - thus these stones are not merely phallic - as is pretty obvious - but are also vaginal - they aptly and vividly illustrate the union of male and female that lies at the heart of creation and is therefore sacred to so-called primitive people -
The picture below shows what I believe to be a large fallen Menhir (long-stone) lying in a moorland field where it fell centuries earlier - this one is very near the top of the hill where you would expect to find a larger obelisk - it conforms to the typical leaf or blade-shape often found in these objects -
The stone below is another one I am sure is a fallen menhir -
Around six feet long - you can just see a large flat rock leaning on the left end of it - I believe this to be one of the original packing-stones used for holding the upright in place - the left end of the menhir is the end that would have been planted -
This object was largely obscured by brambles and tufts of grass - I spent about ten minutes clipping around it and then removed the layer of moss and soil (about 4 inches deep) which had accumulated in the system of cracks on the upper face - this soil accounts for the large blackish stain visible on the rock -
In my opinion this menhir - like many others - including the South West Piper - was picked out for these very cracks - I believe they are a vital feature of a lot of these long-stones -
A typical menhir stands tall and is often pointed - it is hard to avoid phallic connotations and there is no reason to suppose the Ancients were shy about sex - however after looking closely at more and more of these interesting stones I noticed that many of them featured large cracks - often conforming to the pattern seen on the South West Piper where you have a descending crack that does not reach the bottom and an ascending crack that does not reach the top - thus these stones are not merely phallic - as is pretty obvious - but are also vaginal - they aptly and vividly illustrate the union of male and female that lies at the heart of creation and is therefore sacred to so-called primitive people -
When I arrived at the site the sun was about to set and I had not much time to look around - clear some undergrowth - and try to snap these pictures - I wanted to upload them to a popular archaeological website but this is initially proving tricky - I did manage to post a comment - my first - on their site - regarding Boswarva and you can read how Floydy Steps Through The Megalithic Portal - it-s an excellent realm for anyone suffering from menhirgitis!
The stones seemed to form a broad double-row that headed off down the hill in an orientation that would apparently take you just South of Lanyon Quoit - - - Going the other way it was aimed towards the top of Madron Carn - the modern road that crosses the hill-top at this point possibly pierces an ancient structure or complex as the field adjacent to the opposite hedge is also rich in large stones -
The site offers the usual sweeping views of a hill-top settlement and in this case you can get a good view of Trewern Round and Lanyon Quoit amongst other notable places -
I have checked for the official designation of this site and it looks like the Boswarva site is considered to lie in three lumps - whereas the menhir-row (posited) that I found lies outside all of the three designated zones which makes me wonder if it appears on the list of "suspected" monuments - I imagine some-one must have paid it some attention in the past - however - a menhir does not look like a menhir if you can only see part of it - so maybe the significance of these particular stones had escaped notice until now - time will tell - - - - -
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I-m Jeremy Schanche - Author - Activist - Archaeologist - Anarchist - Arachnid -
When I-m not hacking my way through some of Cornwall-s finest brambles I have a couple of other occupations - I-ve been working with Harold Hempstead - Florida-s Caged Crusader - to publicize the story of Darren Rainey - a case which will not be closed until justice is served -
I-ve also published my first book - available in electronic form only at the moment - which is a romantic mystery set in early twentieth-century Cornwall - - -cause I-m a twentieth century boy - - -
Under the brambles - the bracken and gorse - lies The Bronze Age - sleeping like King Arthur - waiting to be awoken - - -
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