Quoits are great megalithic chamber tombs, a type of portal dolmen found only in Penwith. They date from the Neolithic period, circa 3500 – 2500 BC and are among the oldest stone monuments in Cornwall. They consist of large upright stone slabs that form a chamber, roofed by a single massive capstone weighing many tonnes. Most quoits appear to have once been surrounded by a circular or oval mound of stone, with the capstone and entrance left open. Excavations of quoits have indicated that they were not burial sites, but places where ritual burial offerings were made.
Chûn is the best-preserved example of the class of monuments called variously Quoits, Dolmens or Cromlechs. They are probably the earliest of any of the prehistoric monuments
Lanyon Quoit is perhaps the best known and most photographed of any of Cornwall’s prehistoric monuments – but it also unfortunately one of the least
Mulfra Quoit is similar in size and construction to Chûn Quoit [available as a downloadable leaflet] but is in a more ruined state. Only three
In 1790 a mound in this field was cleared and the remains of this Quoit were discovered. It consists of a fallen capstone 4.2m (13ft)
Although now in a ruined state, with its huge capstone having fallen off, Zennor Quoit is still an impressive monument. Quoits (also called Dolmens or
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