Avebury by William Stukeley. There is an old proverb common in Somersetshire, "Stanton Drew, a mile from Pensford, another from Chue;" which should denote some peculiar regard and excellence in that town, and direction for the ready finding it: and in fact it highly deserves to be celebrated, upon account of that remarkable monument, vulgarly called the Weddings [Stanton Drew Stone Circles], whose name only is but just known to the curious and learned world. To redeem it from further obscurity, I took a journey thither from the Bath in July 1723, where calling on my friend Mr. Strachey, a worthy fellow of the Royal Society, and who has shewn his knowledge in his nice remarks upon the neighbouring coal-mines, we made mensurations of this notable work together. I find it is the most considerable remnant of the ancient Celts which I yet know, next to Stonehenge and Abury. Mr. Aubrey, that indefatigable searcher-out of antiquities, is the first that has observed it ; and I believe Mr. Strachey, living near the place, is the first that measuired it, since the original ground-line was stretched upon the spot. To open a more exact view of this noble antiquity, observe we that there is a little stream runs into the Avon between Bath and Bristol, called Chue, arising near here at a synonymous town, and first passes under a stone bridge at Stanton Drue, where making a pretty turn, as it were, half inclosing our monument, a little further it comes to Pensford ; which is an old British name, for it is written Pennis-ford, Pen ise signifying the head of the river. It was a common usage among all ancient nations, so with our ancestors, to pay a sacred reverence to the fountains of rivers, and frequently were they fought for upon religious occasions, judging a divinity must needs reside where so beneficial an element takes its rise. The road from Pensford to Chue goes along the north side of the river and there, half a mile above, and half a mile below the bridge, lie two great stones, called Hautvil's Coyts [Map], according to the apprehension of the common people, said to be pitched there by Sir John Hautvil, of these parts, a famous champion, of whom legends are printed under the name of Sir John Hawkwell, as vulgarly pronounced. These stones now lie flat upon the ground by the road side, but said to have been standing, and much larger than they are at present ; for some pieces have been knocked off. We measured that toward Pensford 13 foot long, 8 broad, and 4 thick, being a hard reddish stone. Stanton Drue church bears here south-west. What regard this has to the temple which it overlooks on the other side the river, and from higher ground, I cannot fay ; whether it is the remnant (together with the former) of some avenue, or whether it was carried thither, or laid for fome direction to those that lived on that side the river. Repassing the bridge, and entering the inclosures east of the church which belong to a farm there, we come to the Weddings. Here is an old manor-houfe adjacent, which has been a castle ; for the walls are crenated, and some half-moons built to it. The farm-house is an old stone building, said to have been a nunnery, probably founded by some pious lady of the manor. There is a great hall in it, open to the cieling, handsomely made of timber work, and two arched windows with mullions on each side and all the windows of the house are arched in the same manner: at the east end is a winding stone stair-case, and near it, in the yard, an elegant stone dove-cote, round, with six buttresses. This house, with the church and that part of the grounds which is the site of our monument, is a knoll of rising ground, of an oval form, stretched out with a whole broad side against the river, half embracing it with a circular sweep, and but little space between it and the river; and that side from the river has a delicate acclivity or valley winding round it, answerable to the river. The longer axis of this knoll is from north-east to south-west: the major part of it declines manifestly gently toward the river, or northward, and is finely guarded from the north winds by a ridge of hills adjacent ; upon the summit of which is an ancient fortification, called Miz knoll, in the road to Briftol: this is a pleasant place, full of hedges and trees growing very tall, especially elms. The country is stoney, covered over with a reasonable stratum of sandy ground, mixed with clay, which is rich enough. One would imagine this knoll was pitched upon by the founders for the sake of its figure, and because capable of giving a sufficient stability to their work: its declivity carries off the rain, always regarded in this manner of building; for that would loosen the foundations. Here is a fine large area between the temples, for the rites of sacrifice, &c.

Memoirs Historical and Topographical of Bristol Volume 1 Chapter. 95. Stanton Drew

95. Stanton Drew lies in Somersetshire, about seven miles from Bristol on the south, and on the further side of Dundry-hill. It's name sufficiently shews, that it was the Stone-town of the Druids. It contains three circles of stones, (beside some other stones contiguous to them), which are commonly called the Wedding, and a silly story is told, that the whole company were suddenly turned into stones: here stood the bride and bridegroom, here the fiddler, here a set of dancers The largest and the smallest circles are both situate in a field, called Stone-Close, adjoining to the dwelling house of Mr. Coates. The annexed plan represents the whole structure under the following rule: if the stone projects largely above the ground, it is represented by a black mark: if merely visible or tangible, by an outline: if quite under-ground, and only suspicious, by dots. The whole plan is made with great care, and is (as I believe) the first accurate one ever published. I have added two plates, giving a view of some of the most remarkable stones: the lithographic manner, in which they are represented, suits well with the rude appearance of the originals. The great circle according to my measurement is 342 feet diameter: Mr. Wood makes it 378, and Dr. Stukeley 300: the outward circle of stones at Stonehenge has only about 100 feet diameter, and that of Abury 1215 feet at the mean. The measurements in the Gent' Mag' are not worth attention. In the great circle at Stanton Drew only five stones are actually standing in their places; so that the first appearance is not particularly striking. How many there were originally it is impossible to ascertain, for the distances of those which remain are very irregular, and must have been so from the beginning, if the fallen stones still lie where they fell, which is probably the case. I have set down 27 in the plan, which (as I think) may be depended on; there were more without doubt: Dr. Musgrave, who wrote in 1718, supposes that there were once 32; probably there were many more. They were not perfect in his time: it is said in the village, that about 100 years ago, great depredations were made on them, and many were broken for the purpose of mending the road Dr. Stukeley says that about ten years before his time (he visited it in 1723) they suffered great dilapidation; until which time, he says, they were perfect. The greater part of them are magnesian limestone: but some are red sandstone, and some breccia.

Munimenta Antiqua Volume 1. And the well known circles of stones, at Stanton Drew, in Somersetshire, seem to have been designed for astronomical observations, and for superstitious rites conjointly. The principal one there, forms, like that at Stone Henge, in reality a sort of ellipsis, of about 330 by 260 feet, and not a regular circle. And there are stones cautiously placed nearly on each side of the meridian; two at the one end, for a sort of observer's index, and two at the other, as if designed for leading sights to direct the eye to certain points in the heavens equally distant, a little to the east and west of the south: and so in like manner two to the east, and one on the west side for an index; as if to observe the rising of certain stars and planets. The rest of the stones of this circle are at most unequal distances;¹ but yet apparently fixed in their situations with great circumspection. Within the circuit appears, lying on the ground, a great altar stone, as at Stone Henge, placed towards the east; and at some distance on the outside of the circle, in the same direction, is a great and high stone of memorial. All these circumstances should be borne in mind, to compare them with other remains of a similar kind.

The stones in general are in height, from 8 to 14 feet; which would lead the eye of an observer to a considerable height in any azimuth circle; and from 6 to 8 or 10 broad; and 3 or 4 feet thick.

Near adjoining to this great circle of stones, are two other smaller ones, which seem plainly to have been mere appendages to this.

And not far off, towards the north-east, on an high hill, is an antient fortress containing about thirty acres, called Stanton Bury; which appears to have been British; whilst at the same time a number of barrows, on the top of Mendip hill, point out the former residence of many Britons, and Druids, of high rank, in these parts; as well as near Stone Henge.

Note 1. Plans and Views of the whole may he seen in Gough's Camden, Vol. I. p. 81. Wood's Description of Bath, p. 1 4 7, 15 9. And somewhat more correctly in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1 7 8 5, p. 7 62.