Nine Ladies Stone Circle
Stanton Moor II · Stone Circle of the Nine Women
Early Bronze Age (c.2100–1800 BCE)·Bronze Age Peak District (Food Vessel / Beaker)·🇬🇧 Derbyshire, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom
About
About Nine Ladies Stone Circle
Famous Early Bronze Age embanked stone circle on Stanton Moor edge, Peak District, known as Stanton Moor II. Ten gritstone boulders (not nine — one outlier the King Stone stands 40 m southwest) in 10.5 m ring on heather moor at 300 m altitude, with low encircling bank. Legend of nine women turned to stone for dancing on Sabbath. Excavated by J. P. Heathcote 1849 revealing pottery, flint, central cairn with cremation and King Stone cist. Part of four-circle Stanton complex (with Nine Stones Close, Doll Tor, Stanton Moor circles I, III, IV) within Bronze Age moorland field systems. In English Heritage guardianship.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why ten stones called Nine Ladies — folklore vs counting
- 02Relationship and contemporaneity with four Stanton Moor circles
Theories
- 01Circle as territorial marker for moorland summer pastures
- 02Central cairn as sequence: circle first, then inserted burial
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 2000 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze Age (c.2100–1800 BCE)
- Culture
- Bronze Age Peak District (Food Vessel / Beaker)
- Purpose
- Ritual / funerary circle with central cairn and cremation
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 2000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1183 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
53.1630° N · 1.6400° W · 295 m · 3 mapped features
Nine Ladies Ring
stone circleTen gritstone boulders in 10.5 m circle with earthen bank
53.1630° N · 1.6400° WKing Stone (outlier)
standing stoneSingle gritstone standing stone 40 m southwest, associated outlier or portal
53.1627° N · 1.6405° WCentral Cairn with cist
cairnLow central cairn covering cremation pit excavated 1849
53.1630° N · 1.6400° W
Gallery