A few miles from Chipping-Norton, by the side of a road which divides
Oxfordshire from Warwickshire, and on the brow of a hill overlooking Long
Compton, stand the remains of a Druidical temple. Leland speaks of them as
"Rollright stones," from their being in the parish of Rollright. The temple
consists of a single circle of stones, from fifty to sixty in number, of
various sizes and in different positions, but all of them rough, time-worn,
and mutilated. The peasantry say that it is impossible to count these
stones, and certainly it is a difficult task, though not because there is
any witchcraft in the matter, but owing to the peculiar position of some of
them. You will hear of a certain baker who resolved not to be outwitted, so
hied to the spot with a basketful of small loaves, one of which he placed
on every stone. In vain he tried; either his loaves were not sufficiently
numerous, or some sorcery displaced them, and he gave up in despair. Of
course no one expects to succeed now.
In a field adjoining are the remains of a cromlech, the altar where, at a
distance from the people, the priests performed their mystic rites. The
superimposed stone has slipped off, and rests against the others. These are
the "Whispering Knights," and this their history:--In days of yore, when
rival princes debated their claims to England's crown by dint of arms, the
hostile forces were encamped hard by. Certain traitor-knights went forth to
parley with others from the foe. While thus plotting, a great magician,
whose power they unaccountably overlooked, transformed them all into stone,
and there they stand to this day.
Not far from the temple, but on the opposite side of the road, is a
solitary stone, probably the last of two rows which flanked the approach to
the sacred circle. This stone was once a prince who claimed the British
throne. On this spot he inquired of the magician above named what would be
his destiny:
"If Long Compton you can see,
King of England you shall be,"
answered the wise man. But he could not see it, and at once shared the fate
of the "Whispering Knights." This is called the "King's stone," and so
stands that, while you cannot see Long Compton from it, you can if you go
forward a very little way. On some future day an armed warrior will issue
from this very stone, to conquer and govern our land!
It is said that a farmer, who wished to bridge over a small stream at the
foot of the hill, resolved to press the "Whispering Knights" into the
service; but it was almost too much for all the horse power at his command
to bring them down. At length they were placed, but all they could do was
not sufficient to keep them in their place. It was therefore resolved to
restore them to their original post, when, lo! they who required so much to
bring them down, and defied all attempts to keep them quiet, were taken
back almost without an effort by a single horse! So there they stand, {59}
till they and the rest (for I believe the large circle was once composed of
living men) shall return to their proper manhood.
Other legends respecting this curious relic might, I doubt not, be obtained
on the spot. I obtained the above in answer to inquiries, when making a
pilgrimage to the place.