Rollright Stones
A Bronze Age stone circle cursed by a witch who transformed a king and his army to stone, where the petrified soldiers allegedly come alive at midnight.
The Rollright Stones consist of three distinct Bronze Age monuments on the Oxfordshire-Warwickshire border: the King’s Men stone circle (circa 2500 BCE), the King Stone standing alone across the road, and the Whispering Knights burial chamber. However, the site’s fame derives primarily from a medieval legend claiming that a witch transformed a would-be king and his army into stone, cursing them to remain petrified until specific impossible conditions are met. This dark folklore has made the Rollright Stones one of England’s most legendarily haunted prehistoric sites.
According to the witch’s curse, the stones will return to life when Long Compton village (visible from the site) can be seen from the spot, but the witch magically ensured this can never happen. The most persistent legend claims the stones come alive at midnight, particularly on Midsummer’s Eve, and walk down to a nearby stream to drink or dance. Numerous witnesses over the centuries have reported seeing the stones moving or appearing in different positions from previous visits, though attempts to count them always yield different numbers—supposedly another element of the witch’s curse. Local folklore warns against trying to count the stones, claiming misfortune will befall anyone who succeeds.
The paranormal activity at Rollright extends beyond the petrification legend. Visitors frequently report seeing spectral figures moving among the stones—sometimes described as druids in robes, other times as phantom soldiers. The Whispering Knights chamber is particularly active, with witnesses hearing whispered conversations in unknown languages and experiencing intense feelings of unease. Strange lights, orbs, and electromagnetic anomalies are regularly detected, especially during solstices and equinoxes. Some witnesses describe feeling drained of energy after touching certain stones, while others report tingling sensations or altered states of consciousness. Witches and practitioners of modern paganism consider the site extremely powerful for rituals, claiming the stones possess strong earth energies or stand on significant ley lines. Whether the haunting stems from the medieval witch legend, genuine prehistoric spiritual significance, or residual energy from millennia of human ritual activity, the Rollright Stones remain one of Britain’s most mysteriously active ancient monuments.