31 March 2017

Le Trepied Dolmen, Perelle Bay, Guernsey

A prehistoric passage grave built between around 4000 and 2500 BC, and in use until about 1000 BC. Excavations by F. C. Lukis began in 1840. The site is frequently mentioned in seventeenth century witch trials.

Inside the dolmen.

Close to the dolmen, the Mont Chinchon Battery, one of over sixty, was built as a defence against possible invasion by France. The cannons were cast between 1760 and 1820. It was also known as the Druids Altar Battery due to its closeness to the Trepied dolmen.
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4 comments:

  1. swittle8 January 2020 at 22:49

    Dear Dr Shaw,
    Having seen the dolmen referred to in a blog on a running/athletics site, I am interested in the derivation of the name, Trepied. My first thoughts were 'three feet' or supporting columns. Could you please enlighten me?
    Regards
    Steve Whittle
    Liverpool, UK

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dr Tony Shaw9 January 2020 at 13:10

    Hi Steve
    I never discovered the answer to that, and it certainly has more 'feet' than three, so I can only assume that the name was coined because it has an essentially triangular structure. Cheers, Tony

    ReplyDelete
  3. swittle10 January 2020 at 11:35

    Hi, Tony.

    Thank you for your reply. I seized on what seemed to be the derivation 'of best fit'. Other searches online revealed a connection with witchcraft and irregular burials.

    The forum member who posted the photo of the dolmen reminded me of the Pendle witch trials in the early C17th, in Lancashire.

    Regards,

    Steve

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dr Tony Shaw10 January 2020 at 12:45

    Thanks for this Steve. It's just occurred to me that the word might be a corruption of 'trépas', meaning 'death'. Also of course, 'trépied' can mean a piece of furniture, such as a table - with three feet - but I suppose it's possible that the idea of number got lost here! Cheers, Tony

    ReplyDelete