The King Stone, Long Compton

Description of this historic site

The King Stone is a standing stone dating from between the Early Neolithic and the Late Bronze Age periods. It is located 850m south of The Hollows.

Notes about this historic site

1 A large standing stone, 2.43m high and 1.52m wide, with a large semicircular notch on its E edge.
4 Various interpretations for the stone include: 1. Outlier of the stone circle as an astronomical marker; 2. Guidepost to indicate the location of the stone circle; 3. Remnant of a stone avenue; 4. Remnant of a long barrow immediately to the N; 5. Remnant of a ‘porthole’ entrance to the chamber of a long barrow; 6. Marking the position of a burial or cemetery. The long barrow interpretations are unlikely and the discovery of a nearby round cairn (PRN 2395) suggests that the megalith was possibly intended to mark the location of a cemetery. Records exist of the chipping off of fragments of the stone as souvenirs into the 20th century. This appears to have been the origin of the notch on the E side, which is not original.
6 Scheduling information.
7 Revision of the scheduling.
8 Small excavation of a hollow adjacent to the King Stone. No features of archaeological features were found.
9 Correspondence resulting from possible damage to the area around the stone. See 8.
10 Letter to the landowner 1982.
11 Surveys done in 1920.
12 Correspondence from 1984 about scheduling.
13 Correspondence from 1986-7.
14 Correspondence from 1995.
15 Plans.

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