George Barnett (historian) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Barnett
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| Born | 11 February 1876 Owenreagh, Sixtowns, Draperstown, Ireland
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| Died | 10 April 1965 (aged 89) Owenreagh, Sixtowns, Draperstown, N. Ireland
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| Resting place | St. Anne's Church, Sixtowns, Draperstown, N. Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Other names | Geordie |
| Occupation | Local historian, archaeologist, botanist, geologist, folklorist and poet |
| Known for | Discovery of Beaghmore Stone Circles, expertise on Sperrin Mountain ranges |
George Barnett (born 11 February 1876 – died 10 April 1965) was an amazing Irish expert who taught himself many things. He was a historian, an archaeologist (someone who studies old things), a botanist (plant expert), a geologist (rock expert), a folklorist (story expert), and even a poet!
George learned a huge amount about the Sperrin Mountains in Ireland. He gained his knowledge by exploring, trying new things, watching carefully, and listening to old stories. He found many ancient sites, but he is most famous for discovering the Beaghmore stone circles. He believed these stone circles were an old observatory used to watch the moon. He even wrote a poem about his idea called The Beaghmore Stone Circles.
Contents
The Beaghmore Stone Circles: An Ancient Calendar?
George Barnett believed the Beaghmore Stone Circles were used like an ancient calendar or observatory. He thought the stones helped people keep track of important dates and seasons. Here is a part of his poem that explains his ideas:
Ceremonial occasions they often had there,
They knew every day, aye, and week in the year,
For fifty-two weeks they had stones in a ring,
Thirteen in a line for the time the call Spring.
The same for Summer, that time of great joy,
Twenty-six for the Autumn and Winter stands nigh,
Four stones that are bigger stand up in a line,
For midsummer sunrise and midwinter time.
One stone by the circle's a day it appears,
Another convenient makes out the leap years,
You can soon make them out, if you look the place o'er,
Twixt the eastern circle and mighty big four.
What the Poem Means
George's poem suggests that the people who built the stone circles used them to mark the days, weeks, and seasons.
- He thought some stones represented the 52 weeks in a year.
- Other stones might have shown the start of Spring (13 stones), Summer, Autumn (26 stones), and Winter.
- Four larger stones could have marked the longest day of the year (midsummer) and the shortest day (midwinter).
- He even thought one stone might have helped them keep track of leap years!
George Barnett's Field Work and Discoveries
George Barnett was very well known by university professors and researchers. They valued his deep knowledge and experience of the Sperrin Mountains. He often helped out on important trips to study the land and its history. Many published reports about these trips mention his help and how important his discoveries were.
After George passed away, Professor E.E. Evans, who was Ireland's first professor of Geography, wrote about him. Professor Evans said:
"George Barnett, who died on 10th April 1965, in his ninetieth year, was a man of rare quality who, with little formal education, won more than local fame for his knowledge of field archaeology, botany, and geology."
This means that even though George didn't go to university, he became famous for how much he knew about old sites, plants, and rocks.
George Barnett's Pen Name
In the 1920s, George Barnett wrote notes for a weekly newspaper column called 'Nature and Antiquarian Notes'. This column was in the Northern Whig Newspaper. When he wrote these notes, he used a special pen name: G.B. M'Keown. M'Keown was his mother's maiden name (her family name before she got married).
It wasn't until 19 November 1927 that people found out who G.B. M'Keown really was – it was George Barnett!
