The legend of Stanton Drew.

The megaliths of the Stanton Drew stone circles, about 19 miles north of Glastonbury, Somerset, England.

The circles are of the Neolithic period, (New Stone Age) about 5,000 years old, with later megaliths added during the Bronze age.


The circles have a "Henge", a ditch with an outer bank encompassing the site. Unfortunately, the ditch has largely silted up, but parts are still visible in this video as a ridge near a section of the NE circle, the most complete part of the complex of three. The Great circle and SW circle are in a bad condition.

Some megaliths from the Great circle; a part of one of the two processional avenues, and the smaller NE circle are seen here.
The largest megaliths are over ten feet tall. Megalith = "Big stone".

The Stanton Drew megaliths are thought to be older than both Stonehenge and Avebury and the whole site is larger than both of those.
The images of the "Cove" are shown after the dawn pictures. These three megaliths, two upright and one broken recumbent stone, are in the garden of the "Druid's arms" the village pub, and are separate from the main complex. The "Cove" maybe a sort of "redirector" of Earth energy.

The legend says that people at a Wedding celebration were turned to stone by the Devil, who played his fiddle for them.

THE SONG OF STANTON DREW:

"Midsummer eve it fell on a Saturday, Sue and William went to be wed. They had music played by a fiddler 'Let's go dancing,!' William said.

(Chorus)
They danced and danced and danced around They danced and danced to the fiddler's sound They danced with a skip, they danced with a hop, It seemed that nothing could make them stop. Midnight struck and then said the fiddler 'Dancing on a Sunday wouldn't be right,' Sue gave a laugh, 'Don't care if to Hell I go I'll find another fiddler tonight.'
(Chorus)
They danced and danced and danced around They danced and danced to the fiddler's sound They danced with a skip, they danced with a hop, It seemed that nothing could make them stop. Off went the fiddler, left them all grumbling, Then another fiddler came along the way. 'You'd like to dance and I'd like to play for you' Tunes he played both merry and gay.
(Chorus)
They danced and danced and danced around They danced and danced to the fiddler's sound. They danced with a skip, they danced with a hop, It seemed that nothing could make them stop. 'Stop' cried the dancers, 'NO' cried the fiddler, He kept on in spite of their moans. They couldn't stop their jerking and a stumbling, Then in a flash, He turned them into stones.
(Chorus)
They danced and danced and danced around They danced and danced to the fiddler's sound They danced with a skip, they danced with a hop, It seemed that nothing could make them stop. Stanton Drew in the County of Somerset That's where the Devil played at Sue's request, They paid the price for dancing on a Sunday. Now they are standing evermore at rest."

Copied from an ancient text by Kim Ravenscroft; she died in a motorcycle accident in 1998. R I P.

The music here is by the US based singer, Pamela Wyn Shannon, who not only sings, but also plays some of the instruments.
She is the finest folk singer of the last thirty years.
She wrote and is performing "Netherworld" here, the most sombre track from her album "Courting Autumn" a fabulous album full of emotion and light. It's of the English and Irish folk music genre, and performed wonderfully.

Pamela's website:

http://www.myspace.com/pamelawynshannon


Thanks to Matthew for the use of some of his images in this video.

Please feel free to RATE this video!

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Pamela
• Wynn
• Shannon
• Stanton
• Drew
• Stone
• circles
• Kim
• Ravenscroft

[aifammafiaaifam]

the most magikal place in britain............

[mikesey1]

@aifammafiaaifam

Right on!

[mikesey1]

Hi there, all. If you want to know anything at all about Pamela's events and gigs, then look to my side-panel notes, here, and go to her MySpace site as noted with a link. There you shall find all places where she will be performing, with dates.

Pamela is also on Facebook.

Mike.

[CPL593H72]

two of my favourite things in one video, Pamela Wyn Shannon's music and megaliths, lovely.

fantastic photos!

[mikesey1]

Thanks. Pamela is performing in the Assembly rooms in

Glastonbury on November 27th, Starting @ 8pm.

Hope you can be there!! Mike.

[CPL593H72]

Have a good one on the 27th then Mike, wish I could be there!

I'm going to see her play on the 20th December up here in South Yorkshire at a wee house concert in a log cabin at the bottom of someone's garden, should be great, can't wait!

[mikesey1]

Wish I could see that event in Yorkshire :(

I may ask her if she would like a video session while she's here; very time related though, may not be here long.

Chees mate.

[Masonictoaster9]

great - who's music is that? Great artistic touch there.

[abarrathemaster]

some say that if you dance backwards around the stones on a moonless night, you will hear the cireds of those surcfice from those thousends of years ago

[ruiseartalcorn]

A truly magical place - truly magical music! :)

Le beannachdan (With blessings),

Ruiseart - Gaelic Druid Order, Scotland.

[CPL593H72]

Hi lin61lin61lin61, unfortunately it happened in January after the December date was cancelled due to snow, however the good news is she's playing two dates in Yorkshire in May 2010 27 May 2010 20:00 Topic Folk Club at the Bradford Irish Club Bradford, West Yorkshire

28 May 2010 20.00 The Black Swan (with Beneath the Oak) York

hope this helps :)

[lin61lin61lin61]

@CPL593H72 would love to know if this event is something I can attend. Please, please, please. I live in South Yorkshire & have a child with ASD who is fascinated by the stones & crop circles, who's calmed on journeys by listening to Pamela's music we discovered by chance via a friend in Somerset. Anything happening in 2010 please?

Lin