Rollright Stones, Oxfordshire

Location: 3 miles north-west of Chipping Norton and just off the A34. (SP 296308)

'I'he names of the three sites which make up the Rollright Stones come from a legend which tells how they were once living men, a king and his army. The stones in the circle are The King’s Men, an 8-foot standing stone across the road is The King Stone, and the group of five large stones which once formed a burial chamber and now stand in a huddle in a nearby field are The Whispering Knights. According to the legend, a witch met the king and his army as they marched across country and she told the king that if, after seven strides, he could see Long Compton, then he should be King of England. Confidently he replied: ‘Stick, stock, stone. As King of England I shall be known.’ But having taken the seven strides, his view of Long Compton was blocked by a mound, known as the Archdruid’s Barrow even though it is natural and not manmade. The witch condemned the king and his men to be for ever turned to stone and, somewhat surprisingly, she turned herself into an elder tree.

The King's Men: 'the greatest Antiquity toe have yet seen... corroded like loormeaten wood by the harsh Jatvs of Time'. ( H’illiam Stukeley, 1687-1765)

Other stories are told of the stones, including that The King Stone went to drink at a nearby spring when the clock struck midnight. Eestivities were held at the stones until relatively recently, and there was a local belief in their fertilizing powers. Taken together, the gatherings and rituals, the water connection, the fertility beliefs, give us clues to the original uses to

Which the stones were put. They have always held a strong fascination. In earlier centuries, people even used to chip pieces off The King Stone for good luck charms, especially soldiers going into battle. The witchcraft connection has extended to the present day, with rumours of modern witches using the stone circle secretly at night to perform their rituals. Rollright has also been the focus in recent years of intensive scientific research into earth energies and the possible role of stone circles and standing stones in harnessing and channelling such energies. More details of this research, known as the Dragon Project, are given in Chapter 19.