CoralJackz – That History Couple

Alternative Name: Dolmen de Périssac, Tombeau de Mme Gontier.

This Neolithic dolmen is located in the cemetery of the town on Confolens. It was moved here in the 19th century to house the tomb of the wife of the sub-prefect Cecile-Jeanne-Marie Crevelier.
The 10 tonne capstone was transported by a carter from Périssac to Confolens over a distance of several kilometres using 18 horses who struggled for three days to move the block. In 1899 the bulletin of the Archaeological Society reported that the capstone was already broken into two parts, but many believe that it was actually cut for the occasion. This is based on a photo dated from 1883 which supposedly shows the dolmen in it’s original state two years previously.. and the other piece of the capstone lies on the ground a few meters from the pillars with clear chisel marks.

According to Archaeologist Glyn Daniel, this “simple dolmen was bought for 100 francs in 1892 and moved nearly 5 km from Périssac to the town churchyard – as a support for the sarcophagus of a lady much addicted to dolmens”.

It’s said that the sacrilegious entrepreneur who destroyed the megalith was condemned, along with his horses, to wander forever around the ruins where their gallop can be heard as midnight approaches..The children of the country, with sticks, hit the remaining part of the dolmen table and press their ears to it, to hear the gallop of the damned horses.