Nine Ladies facts for kids
The Nine Ladies stone circle
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 Location in Derbyshire
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| Location | Stanton Moor |
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| Coordinates | 53°10′5″N 1°37′44″W / 53.16806°N 1.62889°W |
| Type | Stone circle |
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| Periods | Bronze Age |
The Nine Ladies is an ancient stone circle found on Stanton Moor in Derbyshire, England. It's part of a long tradition of building stone circles across Britain, Ireland, and Brittany. These circles were built a very long time ago, between 3300 and 900 BCE, during the Late Stone Age and Early Bronze Age. We don't know exactly why people built them, but archaeologists think they might have been important places for spiritual beliefs.
The stone circle is about 10.8 metres wide. It has ten stones made of a rock called millstone grit. For many years, one of these stones was hidden underground, making it look like there were only nine stones. It's a mystery whether the tenth stone was part of the original design or added later. There might have been a hollow, a standing stone, or a small mound inside the circle. A single tall stone, called the King Stone, stands near the circle. We don't know if it was placed there on purpose to go with the Nine Ladies or if it's just a coincidence.
In the 1700s and 1800s, people interested in old things, called antiquarians, started to study the Nine Ladies. Archaeologists did some digging here in 2000. A wall was built around the circle in the 1800s but was taken down in 1985. Since the late 1900s, many modern Pagan groups see the Nine Ladies as a special, sacred site and hold ceremonies there. From 1999 to 2010, a group called the Nine Ladies Anti-Quarry Campaign worked to stop a nearby quarry from expanding.
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Where is the Nine Ladies Stone Circle?
The Nine Ladies stands on the northern part of Stanton Moor. This area is a type of open land called heathland, located in the Peak District. The stone circle is about 297 to 298 metres above sea level. It is also about 3 ½ miles south-east of Bakewell. An archaeologist named Aubrey Burl described Stanton Moor as a "prehistoric necropolis." This means it was a very old burial ground with many cairns (stone mounds), ring-cairns, standing stones, and stone circles. The Nine Ladies is about 300 metres north-east of the Reform Tower. To the west, there is a burial ground with three large Bronze Age ring-cairns.
The land around the Nine Ladies is mostly heathland. However, the area right near the stones has a lot of fescue grasses. The heather has been cleared, and birch trees are kept away from the stones. This helps people see the monument better.
Why Were Stone Circles Built?
During the Stone Age and Bronze Age, people in Britain started building different kinds of monuments. Around 3000 BCE, they stopped building long burial mounds and large enclosures. Instead, they began creating circular monuments. These included earthen henges, wooden circles, and stone circles.
Stone circles are found in most parts of Britain where there is natural stone. They are especially common in south-western Britain and north-eastern Scotland. People built these circles for a very long time, from about 3300 to 900 BCE. The busiest time for building them was between 3000 and 1300 BCE.
Archaeologists have found very little evidence that people visited these stone circles often right after they were built. This suggests they might not have been used for everyday rituals. Instead, they might have been "silent and empty monuments." Some archaeologists believe that in Stone Age Britain, stone was linked to the dead, while wood was linked to the living. Others think the stones might have represented powerful spirits or gods.
In eastern Britain, including the East Midlands, stone circles are less common. This is probably because there isn't as much natural stone there. Instead, people in the east built more wooden circles and earthen henges. In the area of modern Derbyshire, there are five or six known stone circles. There are also many ring-cairns, which are similar but a different type of ancient monument. In the Peak District, nine was a common number of stones used in a circle. The largest stone circles in the Peak District are Arbor Low and The Bull Ring. These combine a stone circle with an earthen henge.
How Was the Nine Ladies Stone Circle Built?
Archaeologists believe the Nine Ladies stone circle was built during the Bronze Age. It might have been built in stages, perhaps starting as an earthwork before stones were added.
The Nine Ladies stone circle is 10.8 metres wide. It sits on ground that gently slopes down towards the east. In 1907, a report said there were nine stones, with most standing upright. A tenth stone was found lying down in 1977. It's possible this stone was moved there more recently. The stones are made from local millstone grit, a type of sandstone. They are not very tall; the tallest stone is about 0.9 metres high and is on the north-east side. Digging in 2000 showed that at least one stone was held in place by smaller stones packed around its base.
Some archaeologists thought a low bank of earth surrounded the stone circle. They believed it had entrances on its north-east and south-west sides. However, an excavation in 2000 found no evidence of a planned bank. Instead, it looked like the ground inside the circle was dug out, leaving a raised rim around the outside. This would have made the site look like a shallow bowl.
Old records from the late 1700s suggest there was something in the middle of the circle. One drawing showed a hollow, while another showed a stone. It's hard to know for sure what was there. Some people in the 1800s thought there was an earthen mound inside the circle. By the early 2000s, any sign of an internal mound was gone. It's possible people digging there caused this.
The King Stone is a tall, standing stone located 40 metres west of the circle. It is oblong and measures about 1.22 metres long. About 58 centimetres of it can be seen above the ground. Like the other stones, it is made of millstone grit. It leans heavily to the south-east. It's possible this stone was once part of a path leading to the circle, but digging in 2000 found no other stones nearby. It's also not certain if the King Stone is from prehistoric times or if it was ever meant to be connected to the Nine Ladies circle. The King Stone has old carvings on it, including the name "Bill Stumps," a cross, and a zero. These were likely carved in the 1800s.
Modern History of the Nine Ladies
The name "Nine Ladies" is common in British folklore. Many stone circles are named after women, like the "Nine Maidens" in Devon and Cornwall.
From the 1700s to the 1900s
The antiquarian Hayman Rooke wrote about the Nine Ladies in 1782. He thought it was a "Druid temple." Many people in the 1600s and 1700s believed that ancient British monuments were built by druids, who were spiritual leaders in the Iron Age. Another antiquarian, Thomas Bateman, also called it a "druidical circle" in his 1848 book.
In 1883, archaeologist Augustus Pitt-Rivers visited the Nine Ladies. He drew and measured the stones. He believed the centre of the circle had been dug into. The Nine Ladies was one of the first monuments in England and Wales to be protected by law in 1882. It came under state care the next year.
By the 1870s, stone walls were built around the circle and the King Stone. These walls were taken down in 1985 because they were falling apart. In 1977, the tenth stone was found at the east of the circle. It was uncovered partly by soil erosion and a drought, then fully dug up by unknown people.
The Nine Ladies Today
By 2010, the Nine Ladies was one of the most visited ancient sites in the Peak District. Many of these visitors are modern Pagans. They have been visiting the site since at least 1980. For many Pagans, the Nine Ladies is a sacred site, and Stanton Moor is seen as a sacred landscape. They believe the stone circle is a place to connect with spirits, gods, or ancestors. Some think it is on a special energy line called a ley line.
Different types of Pagans, including Wiccans, Druids, and Heathens, hold ceremonies there. These rituals often celebrate the seasons, following the Wheel of the Year. They also hold special events like wedding ceremonies called handfastings. The summer solstice (the longest day of the year) is a very popular time for visitors, especially Pagans. In 2020, hundreds of people gathered there for the summer solstice, even though it went against advice for preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Pagan rituals at the site include chanting, singing, dancing, and pouring out liquids as offerings. Pagans also sometimes leave things like tea lights, flowers, or coins around the monument. Things found buried in the circle in modern times include crystals, pebbles, and even human ashes. An oak tree near the circle has become a rag tree, where visitors tie rags, ribbons, and other items. People have also carved into a nearby rock.
All this activity has caused the ground at the site to wear away. Fires have been lit inside the circle, sometimes close to the stones, creating a hollow in the centre. Visitors touching and sitting on the stones also causes them to wear down. In 1990, during summer solstice celebrations, the King Stone broke off at ground level. It was propped up with other stones before being repaired in 2000.
To protect the site, English Heritage started preservation efforts in the 1980s. In 1985, they removed the old walls. In 1987, a contractor used quarry waste to fill in parts of the ground, which damaged the archaeological site. This material was later removed. In 1988, English Heritage hired the Trent and Peak Archaeological Trust to survey the site. They conducted surveys for over nine years. Because of the growing damage, English Heritage organized an excavation in autumn 2000. They dug six trenches to study the site. They found only one item that was likely from prehistoric times: a piece of flint. During the excavation, the Nine Ladies stones were decorated with a pentacle, possibly by Pagans to protect the land or bless the digging.
The Nine Ladies Anti-Quarry Campaign
Parts of Stanton Moor have been used for quarrying (digging for stone). The noise from Dale View Quarry can be heard at Nine Ladies. In 1999, a quarrying company wanted to re-open two old quarries nearby. They planned to dig out a lot of sandstone over 42 years. This would have made a lot of money for the landowner.
Local people, heritage groups, and Pagans were worried. They feared the quarrying would increase noise pollution, harm wildlife, and damage the important archaeological area of the moor.
In October 1999, five people started a protest camp near the site. They called themselves the Nine Ladies Anti-Quarry Campaign. By 2000, there were usually 20 to 30 protesters at the camp. Some local people supported the protesters, while others wanted the quarrying to go ahead.
Many Pagans felt this fight was important to them. The Nine Ladies became even more popular for Pagan rituals because of the quarrying threat. In September 2001, many Pagans visited the stone circle and performed a ritual to "raise energy" to "protect the stones."
In 2004, the High Court decided that the two quarries were "dormant." This meant they could not re-open until the Peak District National Park Authority agreed on new rules for them. In 2008, permission to quarry near the circle was finally cancelled. The protest camp then closed down in 2010.
Images for kids
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The Nine Ladies stone circle
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The Nine Ladies is located on Stanton Moor
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The main stone circle at the Nine Ladies
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The King Stone looking towards the Nine Ladies stone circle
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Illustration of the Nine Ladies in the 1872 book Rude Stone Monuments
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Offerings left in the centre of the Nine Ladies, showing modern Pagan ritual activity
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Information board at the Nine Ladies site
