Nine Stones Close facts for kids
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 Location in Derbyshire
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| Location | Derbyshire |
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| Coordinates | 53°09′38″N 1°39′52″W / 53.1604574°N 1.6644407°W |
| Type | Stone circle |
| History | |
| Periods | Bronze Age |
Nine Stones Close (or Nine Stone Close) is a Bronze Age stone circle near Winster in Derbyshire, England. It is sometimes known as Grey Ladies.
Description
Nine Stones Close is a small stone circle on the edge of Harthill Moor in Derbyshire, part of a rich prehistoric landscape that includes Bronze Age barrows and settlement enclosures. It consists of four remaining upright stones, originally part of a circle of around 30 metres (98 ft) in diameter, plus the sites of several others removed in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the stones that was appropriated in the 18th century is now used as an oversized field gatepost nearby.
It is uncertain whether there were originally nine stones, one theory being that nine is a corruption of 'noon', said to be the time when, according to local folklore, fairies would gather at the site to dance.
Excavations in 1847, 1877 and 1939 found flints and pot-sherds that date the monument to the Bronze Age.
Images for kids
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The monument, showing the four stones that remain
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Removed upright in field gate
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Nine Stones Close in its current landscape context
