Long Meg and her Daughters
Penrith, Cumbria 2500–1500 BC
“At whose behest uprose on British ground
That Sisterhood in hieroglyphic round
Forth-shadowing, some have deemed the infinite
The inviolable God that tames the proud.” - William Wordsworth 1882
This folklore story may take the prize for oldest on our website… so far… Long Meg and her Daughters refers to a stone circle in Penrith, boasting a diameter of about 350 feet, the second biggest in the country, with ‘Meg’ being the tallest of the 69 (maybe) stone formation at 12 ft. It is believed that these stones formed in the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (around 2500-1500 BC), which is about as old as I feel!
Long Meg herself is made from local red sandstone, whilst her daughters are rhyolite, and is etched with mysterious ring marks and spirals… She’s thought to align with the sunset during the shortest day of the year, which gives us some indication to the purpose of the stone circle. It is believed they have been used as a meeting place, or to celebrate a long passed religious ritual. Being relatively close to the River Eden, these stones have probably seen many travellers from Scotland.
But… who is Long Meg!? Why does she have so many daughters?! And why are they made of stone?! Many questions, but many legends have sprung from the stones to try and answer these.
Some say that Long Meg (the largest stone) was a witch who originally roamed around Northumberland, and somehow has settled in Penrith, known as Meg of Meldon. ‘Long Meg’ has historically been used as a nickname for any tall, thin woman, so maybe she wasn’t a witch after all, just a gentle giant?
It is said that someone by the name of Meg was caught dancing on the moors one Sunday, daring to profane the Sabbath, by astronomer and alchemist Michael Scot. Astounded by her audacity to be wildly manoeuvring on the moors, he turned her and her daughters to stone - and they stand still to this day. Legend has it that no one has been able to count the stones accurately twice in a row… but if they came a day that someone did, Long Meg and her daughters would break their stoney prison and finally be free.
In the 18th Century, it was squeaky-bum time for the fate of the stone circle. Local landowner Colonel Lacy decided he wanted to use the land for ploughing and the pesky stones were in his way, well… that’s what he told people anyway. A select few believed there to be buried treasure under the stones. Which was totally not the reason he wanted to blow them up, no, only for ploughing.
He ordered his gang to blast the sight into the sky with gunpowder. But the universe was not having it, these stones predate every person alive at that point! A wild thunderstorm erupted from the sky, forcing the men away from the stone circle and leaving Long Meg and her daughters unscathed.
