 In 1857 , the antiquarian J. M. <unk> excavated at the site with the help of the Reverend <unk> , providing a report of their findings to the Central Committee of the British Archaeological Association . Describing the monument as a stone circle , they asserted that they discovered Anglo @-@ Saxon pottery at the site , and noted that as well as being called the Coldrum Stones , the monument also had the name of the <unk> Stones , which <unk> believed originated with the Old English word for funeral pile , ad . In August 1863 , the Archaeological Institute , who were then holding their week @-@ long meeting in Rochester , took a tour to visit the site , guided by the <unk> Charles <unk> Smith . That year , the monument was described in a copy of Gentleman 's Magazine by Yorkshire <unk> Charles Moore <unk> , who believed it to be a " Celtic " stone circle . 
