Gazetteer of
British Place Names

Long Meg and her Daughters is a Neolithic stone circle in Cumberland. It is the third widest in England and consists of 59 stones (of which 27 remain upright). The monument is 120 yards by 100 yards in diameter. Long Meg herself stands 80 feet outside the circle, 20 feet above the farthest stone in the circle, and is the tallest of the 69 stones at 12 feet high, weighing about nine tons and made of red sandstone. The placement of Long Meg is in the alignment between the centre of the circle and the point of the midwinter sunset. The south-west face of Long Meg has crystals in it, whereas the face looking towards the circle has spirals and other rock art inscribed on it. The most famous of the many legends that surround the stones is that they were once a coven of witches who were turned to stone by a wizard from Scotland named Michael Scot. Another legend states that if you walk round the circles and count the number of stones correctly, then put your ear to Long Meg, you will hear her whisper. The name itself is said to come from a local witch, Meg of Meldon, who was alive in the early 17th century. The Long Meg monolith and accompanying circle form one part of a complex of monuments in the Penrith area that includes nearby Little Meg. It is within the council area of Westmorland and Furness.
Historic England Scheduled Monument 1007866.

Place Type: Prehistoric Monument
Historic County: Cumberland
Lat, Long: 54.728081,-2.6673559
Grid Reference: NY 5711 3721
Civil Parish: Hunsonby CP
Council Area: Westmorland and Furness CA
Police Area: Cumbria PA

GBPN ID: 303006
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Long_Meg_and_her_Daughters,_Cumberland_303006

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