Boswens Menhir facts for kids
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 Location in Southwest Cornwall
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| Location | Cornwall |
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| Coordinates | 50°08′21″N 5°38′24″W / 50.13904°N 5.63989°W |
| Type | Standing stone |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic / Bronze Age |
The Boswens Menhir is a very old stone that stands tall in Cornwall, England. People also call it the Boswens standing stone or the Long Stone. It's located about 3 kilometers (almost 2 miles) northeast of a town called St Just in Penwith. This ancient stone has been standing for thousands of years!
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What is the Boswens Menhir?
The Boswens Menhir is a type of standing stone. These stones were put in place by people long, long ago. They are often found in areas where ancient people lived. The Boswens Menhir was likely set up during the Neolithic (New Stone Age) or Bronze Age. These periods were thousands of years ago!
Where Can You Find the Boswens Menhir?
This ancient stone is located in a beautiful part of Cornwall. It stands to the west of an area called Boswens Common. You can even see it from the B3318 road. The Boswens Menhir is just one of many standing stones in the Penwith area. This shows that many ancient people lived here.
Nearby Ancient Sites
The Boswens Menhir is close to other interesting ancient sites.
- It is about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) east of the Tregeseal stone circle. A stone circle is a group of standing stones arranged in a circle.
- It is also about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) south of Chûn Quoit. A quoit is a type of ancient burial chamber made from large stones.
What Does the Boswens Menhir Look Like?
The Boswens Menhir is a tall, impressive stone.
- It measures about 0.7 meters (2.3 feet) by 0.9 meters (3 feet) across.
- It stands about 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) high. That's taller than most people!
- The front of the stone looks even and balanced.
- The back of the stone has two "steps" that make it half as wide.
The Mystery of the Cairn
In 1754, a person named William Borlase drew the stone. His drawing showed it standing in a small, low cairn. A cairn is a pile of stones. By 1861, most of this cairn was gone. Today, you can still see a very low mound around the stone, about 0.3 meters (1 foot) high. This small mound might be what's left of an ancient burial mound, also known as a barrow. These barrows were often used to bury important people.
