By Myghal Map Serpren

This menhir of locally sourced granite standing to a height of just under eight feet has had something of a chequered and indeed controversial recent history. It can be found on farmland set on the South Eastern side of the B3291 road at Eathorne Farm in the Parish of Mabe in Cornwall.

The name ‘Eathorne’ merits toponymical consideration. Even the recognised expert in this field, the late Craig Weatherhill found the name baffling and his research established that it was recorded as ‘Eytron’ in 1392 and later ‘Ethron’ in 1417. He suggested that the second syllable notably ‘thorne’ may derive from the Cornish language ‘tron’ meaning a ‘nose’ or ‘hillspur’.

Described by many as “slim and regular in shape with a curiously bent top” – a comment originally made by the late Craig Weatherhill in his book ‘Cornovia – Ancient Sites of Cornwall and Scilly’, current thinking indicates that this menhir was first erected in the Bronze Age (2500BCE to 801BCE), possibly fell or was moved and later re-erected during the Roman or post Roman period (43CE to 409CE).

Eathorne Menhir, just visible through the hedge from the roadside.

A very public outcry resulted following no less than three accounts of a recent occurrence regarding the menhir:

  • One informs that in June 1991, the landowning farmer determined the stone to be ‘an obstruction to the plough’ and removed it to behind a barn in the farmyard.
  • A second account records that the stone was removed by the farmer in 1992 as he felt it a pagan artefact and an offence to his Christian beliefs.
  • A third report has it that the same farmer removed the stone because ‘he felt uneasy about it’.

Whatever the actual facts are, doubtless somewhere between all three accounts, as a result of protest, the Eathorne Menhir was re-erected on 3rd October 1992, during ‘Archaeology Alive Week’ by members of the Cornwall Archaeological Unit, the Cornwall Archaeological Society and staff of Tehidy Country Park.

The Cornwall Archaeological Review of 1992 to 1993 recorded “the stone, which had been taken down by the farmer, is now near but not in, its original position”.

It appears that it had been placed close to a hedge so allowing it to become lost in vegetation and covered in fencing wire and that it had incurred damage as a result of the various moves.

By 2005, Eathorne Farm had undergone a change of ownership and the incoming farmer indicated support for the menhir being restored to its rightful spot.

Aerial photographs obtained in 1946 by the Royal Air Force and later in 1989 by Cornwall Council firmly identified its original position, so on 14th August, 2005, an eclectic team from the Historic Environment Service of Cornwall Council, the Cornwall Archaeological Society and the Cornwall Earth Mysteries Group undertook the work.

A mechanical digger was employed to remove the topsoil which revealed the original site, and during this operation, six flints, a number of pebbles and also notably charcoal was uncovered the latter of which was carefully retained to allow for radiocarbon dating.

The menhir was then re-erected in the correct position.

The subsequent radiocarbon procedure revealed the charcoal to have been oak and in the date range 120CE to 220CE with a 56% probability or 70CE to 240CE with a 95% probability. The results of this process has been used to date the menhir as previously discussed.

Said by some to be standing at a ‘sacred energy point’, the Eathorne Menhir does not appear to enjoy any form of scheduling or legal protection and whether there is some esoteric significance or not, it is of great historic and archaeological interest and one can but hope that the monument remains secure having finally returned to its original site.

References

All images author’s own, except where stated.

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