Tony Garofalo
Mitchell's Fold Stone Circle
Mitchell’s Fold stone circle dates back some 4,000 years to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age era and it is one of only three such structures that have been identified in the English county of Shropshire. It is located approximately 16 miles south-west of Shrewsbury (“fortified place of the scrubland region”), where it stands very close to the Welsh border, perched on a plateau of high ground that lies between Stapeley (“wood where posts are got” [?]) Hill and Corndon Hill (“hill of cranes” [?]).
Mitchell’s Fold stone circle is sometimes also referred to as “Medjices Fold” or “Madges Fold”. The name may possibly thus be derived from the Old English word “micel” [or “mycel”] and have the meaning of “large” or “great” stone circle. Certainly it must once have been an impressive religious/ritualistic site and it may originally have comprised as many as 30 stones, although only 15 of them still remain. The un-worked, dolerite stones are all thought to have been quarried from nearby Stapeley Hill. They are laid out in the form of an ellipse that measures approximately 89 feet north-west to south-east and 82 feet north-east to south-west. Most of the stones are quite short and barely protrude through the turf, although 3 of them are appreciably larger than the rest. The tallest stone is just over 6 feet tall. It is located at the south-east of the circle and is thought to have been one of a pair of such pillars that once flanked an entrance to the circle. There is also a stone at the centre of the circle but it now lies buried below ground.
An interesting story describing how Mitchell’s Fold stone circle was created has become part of local folklore. The story relates how once during a time of great famine a benevolent fairy [or giant] took pity on the local population and gave them a magical cow that lived upon Stapeley Hill. Apparently the cow could provide an endless supply of milk but that happy state of affairs would only persist if each person played by the rules and took no more than one bucket of milk at a time. With some depressing parallels to the banking crisis, however, a wicked witch heard of the scheme and set off to visit the cow on a stormy night when nobody else was around. She then milked the cow into a bucket with a perforated bottom so no matter how much milk the cow gave she could never fill the container. It seems, however, that a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the hillside and when the cow became aware of the scam she galloped away in disgust and indignation, never to be seen again. Many years of austerity now lay in store for the good country folk who were entirely innocent of the fraud and there was a great gnashing of teeth and an utterance of expressions that couldn't possibly be reproduced here on flickr. In fairy tales, however, if not in real life, there is such a thing as justice and the witch was turned into stone as a punishment for her anti-social behaviour. Feeling perhaps not in the best of humours and determined that the witch should never be allowed to do them any further harm, the locals surrounded the fossilized reprobate with a circle of stones to prevent her escape and that apparently is the circle we see today at Mitchell’s Fold.
The picture was taken looking southwards from Mitchell’s Fold towards Corndon hill, which lies just across the border in Wales. The stone circle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and it is currently managed by English Heritage.
Mitchell's Fold Stone Circle
Mitchell’s Fold stone circle dates back some 4,000 years to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age era and it is one of only three such structures that have been identified in the English county of Shropshire. It is located approximately 16 miles south-west of Shrewsbury (“fortified place of the scrubland region”), where it stands very close to the Welsh border, perched on a plateau of high ground that lies between Stapeley (“wood where posts are got” [?]) Hill and Corndon Hill (“hill of cranes” [?]).
Mitchell’s Fold stone circle is sometimes also referred to as “Medjices Fold” or “Madges Fold”. The name may possibly thus be derived from the Old English word “micel” [or “mycel”] and have the meaning of “large” or “great” stone circle. Certainly it must once have been an impressive religious/ritualistic site and it may originally have comprised as many as 30 stones, although only 15 of them still remain. The un-worked, dolerite stones are all thought to have been quarried from nearby Stapeley Hill. They are laid out in the form of an ellipse that measures approximately 89 feet north-west to south-east and 82 feet north-east to south-west. Most of the stones are quite short and barely protrude through the turf, although 3 of them are appreciably larger than the rest. The tallest stone is just over 6 feet tall. It is located at the south-east of the circle and is thought to have been one of a pair of such pillars that once flanked an entrance to the circle. There is also a stone at the centre of the circle but it now lies buried below ground.
An interesting story describing how Mitchell’s Fold stone circle was created has become part of local folklore. The story relates how once during a time of great famine a benevolent fairy [or giant] took pity on the local population and gave them a magical cow that lived upon Stapeley Hill. Apparently the cow could provide an endless supply of milk but that happy state of affairs would only persist if each person played by the rules and took no more than one bucket of milk at a time. With some depressing parallels to the banking crisis, however, a wicked witch heard of the scheme and set off to visit the cow on a stormy night when nobody else was around. She then milked the cow into a bucket with a perforated bottom so no matter how much milk the cow gave she could never fill the container. It seems, however, that a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the hillside and when the cow became aware of the scam she galloped away in disgust and indignation, never to be seen again. Many years of austerity now lay in store for the good country folk who were entirely innocent of the fraud and there was a great gnashing of teeth and an utterance of expressions that couldn't possibly be reproduced here on flickr. In fairy tales, however, if not in real life, there is such a thing as justice and the witch was turned into stone as a punishment for her anti-social behaviour. Feeling perhaps not in the best of humours and determined that the witch should never be allowed to do them any further harm, the locals surrounded the fossilized reprobate with a circle of stones to prevent her escape and that apparently is the circle we see today at Mitchell’s Fold.
The picture was taken looking southwards from Mitchell’s Fold towards Corndon hill, which lies just across the border in Wales. The stone circle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and it is currently managed by English Heritage.