The Devil's Arrows are three standing stones or

menhir A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...

s in an alignment approximately to the east of the A1(M), adjacent to Roecliffe Lane, Boroughbridge in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, near to where the A1 road now crosses the

River Ure The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England, is about long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its river. ...

(). They have been designated as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

since 1923.

Site

Erected in prehistoric times and distinctively grooved by millennia of rainfall, the tallest stone is in height, making this the tallest menhir in the United Kingdom after the tall

Rudston Monolith The Rudston Monolith at over is the tallest monolith (standing stone) in the United Kingdom. It is situated in the churchyard in the village of Rudston () in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Description The stone is slender, with two large flat f ...

in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

. The other two stones are and tall respectively. It is thought that the alignment originally included up to five stones.

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland that relates la ...

mentions four stones in his ''Britannia'', noting that "one was lately pulled down by some that hoped, though in vain, to find treasure." One was apparently displaced during a failed 'treasure hunt' during the 18th century and later used as the base for a nearby bridge over a river. The stones are composed of millstone grit, the most likely source of which is Plumpton Rocks two miles south of

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. It is east of Harrogate and was in the Borough of Harrogate until April 2023. History The Knaresborough Hoard, the largest hoard of ...

, and about nine miles from where the stones stand today. The outer stones are away from the central stone and form an almost straight, running NNW–SSE. It is thought that they may have been arranged to align with the southernmost summer moonrise. The stones are part of a wider Neolithic complex on the Ure-Swale plateau which incorporates the Thornborough Henges.

Name

The name is mentioned by

John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He was a pioneer archaeologist, who recorded (often for the first time) numerous megalithic and other field monuments in southern England ...

who visited and drew the stones in 1687.John Aubrey, Bodleian MS Top. Gen. C24 fol. 70r There is a legend, which goes back to 1721, that says the Devil threw the stones, aiming at the next town of Aldborough. He stood on Howe Hill and shouted, "Borobrigg keep out o' way, for Aldborough town I will ding down!". However, the stones fell short and landed near Boroughbridge instead.

References

External links

The Devil's Arrows at Megalithia.com

{{European Standing Stones History of North Yorkshire Megalithic monuments in England Stone Age sites in England Buildings and structures in North Yorkshire Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire Boroughbridge Archaeological sites in North Yorkshire Bronze Age sites in North Yorkshire Scheduled monuments in North Yorkshire Menhirs

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