The name of this ancient monument
derives from the Cornish meaning 'stone with a hole' - it is believed to date from the ea=
rly
Bronze Age and could be around 4000
years old. For some years the=
holed
stone was believed to be the entrance to a burial chamber, but more recently
evidence has suggested that the upright stones on either side are in fact p=
art
of a stone circle system comprising
20 or more stones, many of which can be seen protruding just above ground level=
. It
is not unknown for holed stones to be associated with stone circles and
although the connection is not fully understood, it is known they have stro=
ng
traditions associated with them usually of fertility and healing and these =
date
back to our pagan origins. It was said that sick children could be healed if
passed through the hole at certain phases of the moon, and that the stone w=
as a
sure cure for scrofula; the
sufferer having to crawl through&nb=
sp;
'nine times against the sun'
!
=