The leaning stone aligns exactly with the centre stone of
Men-An-Tol, it was determined by
archaeology to have been positioned like this originally suggesting a
deliberate alignment of the two sites. It is angled at approximately 53� and
points towards the midsummer sunrise in the NE.
The number nineteen may also be significant as both the nearby
Merry Maidens and Tregeseal East stone
circles also comprise nineteen stones. William Borlase noticed this and
suggested that it related to the twelve months of the year and the number of
days in the week. The 18.61 year cycle between major lunar standstills is
widely known. It is interesting to note that the longer axis is aligned with
the northern minor lunar standstill, which may also be significant here.
John Michell has identified
seven alignments passing through Boscawen-Un, including one
which runs from the circle in the direction of the Samhain
sunrise. This alignment, also noted by Sir Norman Lockyer,
includes a menhir at Trelew (SW 4217 2693) from which W. C.
Borlase excavated fragments of human bones, and a cup-marked
stone at Castallack (SW 4540 2545). Lockyer identified a number
of astronomical alignments, but later work by Alexander Thom and
John Barnatt fails to support their significance.
Burl is sceptical of both
Michell's and Lockyer's alignments.
Boscawen Un:
