Stone circles and stone sources

Callanish (Calanais) stone circle -- part of a larger stone setting of stones all "gathered" from the immediate neighbourhood.

Over on Sarsen-org our old friend Tim Daw continues his futile campaign to demonstrate that the stones in stone circles have almost always been carefully selected and "fetched" from somewhere else, preferably involving quarrying. He publishes a list of twenty stone circles across the UK, and says: "I have started investigating the sources of their megaliths. For most there are just assumptions, but where there has been research it seems that the stones are very deliberately chosen and brought to the site."  

This statement is carefully calculated to mislead;  it is also hilarious, implying that where researchers have spoken of stones being used where found (ie in the vast majority of cases) they are just making assumptions, whereas when proper research is done, the stones can be shown to have been carefully chosen and carried to their final positions.

That is absurd, and Tim knows it. According to the evidence that he himself cites, the builders of stone circles always used stones more or less where found.  At Gors Fawr, for example, there is no evidence of spotted dolerites being "sourced" by the builders in the nearby Preseli Mountains; but the stones are clearly glacial erratics, just like hundreds of other boulders of spotted dolerite scattered about in the vicinity.

https://www.sarsen.org/2024/07/the-twenty-most-notable-stone-circles.html

We may take it that Tim has indeed heard of glacial transport.  He does mention glacial erratics, but appears to have no interest whatsoever in checking on local ice direction records, and his default position always seems to be that our ancient ancestors just loved looking for rather ordinary stones and transporting them over great distances.  Nice idea.  Pity about the lack of evidence.