To paraphrase L.P. Hartley, "The past is a different country." Stan L Abbott sets out to explore the visible clues to our mysterious past from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages: stone circles. Cumbria boasts more of these monuments than any other English county. Here, our tallest mountains are ringed by almost fifty circles and henges, most of them sited in the foothills or on outlying plateaux.

Were these the earliest such monuments in Britain, placing Cumbria at the heart of Neolithic society? And what traces of that society remain today in the roads we travel, the food we eat, the words we speak, our work and play? By observing and comparing many sites in Cumbria and beyond, and researching many sources, a greater understanding emerges.

Were some circles built for ritualistic purposes, or perhaps astronomical? Were they burial sites? Or were they just places for people to meet?

Illustrated with linocut illustrations by artist Denise Burden, Ring of Stone Circles follows the search for the hidden stories these monuments guard - and might reveal if we get to know them.

About the Author
Stan L Abbott is an award-winning writer on the outdoors and conservation, whose career as a journalist began in Yorkshire. He has written on travel and the outdoors for national and regional newspapers and magazines. He has also worked in industry and tourism in the UK and Europe. He has written and edited many books about local history, travel and walking, and published or edited several travel and conservation magazines. A prominent member of the Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild, he led a rail restoration group in Yorkshire and writes regularly for the New European newspaper.

Reviews

'An energetic and informed historical adventure shining a light on Neolithic Cumbria.'

-- Emily Atherton, Editor, Cumberland and Westmorland Herald



Book Information
ISBN 9781913393434
Author Stan L Abbott
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Saraband
Publisher Saraband