Stone Circle (destroyed): OS Grid Reference – SE 308 527
Archaeology & History
The plurality of the place-name implies that there was more than one circle, but we don’t that know for sure either! But if there was more than one, it is more likely they were cairn circles than traditional free-standing stones circles. But once again, we simply don’t know….No remains exist of the “stone rings”—or rings of stone—that once stood here in bygone centuries. The only remains left are in the place-names of the stream and roads hereby, highlighted on several of the early OS-maps: Stone Rings Lane, Stone Rings Beck and the Stone Rings Quarry—the latter of which is probably the reason why there is nothing to be seen here anymore. But we don’t know for sure.
The grid-reference given here is an approximation.
References:
- Smith, A.H., The Place-Names of the West Riding of Yorkshire – volume 5, Cambridge University Press 1961.
© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian
As a boy living in Oatlands, Harrogate, in the mid-1950s we “played” in Stone Rings Quarry many times. Ideal for young boys with an element of adventure. No H&S to bother us then. The site was quite dangerous with big drops. I am sure that this and other similar quarries within two miles (Pannal, Hookstone Rd area) would have been turned into public features.