The Great Stone of Fourstones, or the Big Stone as it is known locally, is a

glacial deposit image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...

on the moorlands of Tatham Fells, England, straddling the county border between

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 ...

and

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, near Bentham in the District of Craven. The name suggests that there were once four stones, but now there is only one. The other three were possibly broken up for

scythe A scythe (, rhyming with ''writhe'') is an agriculture, agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It was historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains before they underwent the process of ...

sharpening stones, or building stone, centuries ago. Large stones such as this were useful as boundary markers in the open countryside, and this one was used as a

boundary marker A boundary marker, border marker, boundary stone, or border stone is a robust physical marker that identifies the start of a land Border, boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in direction of a boundary. There are several ...

for the Lancashire–Yorkshire boundary between

Tatham Tatham is an English surname, and a place name. It may refer to: People * Tatham family, the first residents of Hipping Hall#The Tatham family, Hipping Hall *Agnes Clara Tatham (1893–1972), English artist *Alisha Tatham (born 1986), Canadian bask ...

and Bentham parishes. A local myth tells of how the stone was dropped by the

devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

, on his way to build

Devil's Bridge Devil's Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement in ancient architecture. Due to their unusu ...

at nearby

Kirkby Lonsdale Kirkby Lonsdale () is a town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England, on the River Lune. Historically in Westmorland, it lies south-east of Kendal on the A65. The parish recorded a population of 1,771 in ...

. The stone has 14 steps carved into the side of it to allow access to the top. It is not known when they were carved, but they are well worn from years of use. In John Cary's New and Correct English Atlas published in 1793 The Great Stone of Four Stones is shown on the map In 1822 Joseph Ashton of Manchester wrote The Lancashire Gazette The Second Edition in it The Great Stone of Four Stones is listed as being "a

boundary stone A boundary marker, border marker, boundary stone, or border stone is a robust physical marker that identifies the start of a land boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in direction of a boundary. There are several other t ...

between the counties of York and Lancaster. 2 miles S. of Bentham." In 1840 The Rural Life of England by William Howitt, Thomas Bewick and Samuel Williams The Great Stone is mentioned in chapter three, Nooks In The World: Life in the Dales of Lancashire and Yorkshire. In 1863 Edward Baines Esq. M.P in the History of the

County Palatine In England, Wales and Ireland a county palatine or palatinate was an area ruled by a hereditary nobleman enjoying special authority and autonomy from the rest of a kingdom. The name derives from the Latin adjective ''palātīnus'', "relating t ...

and

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...

makes note of The Great Stone of Four Stones under the Tatham Parish, Part of the

Lonsdale Hundred The Lonsdale Hundred is a historic hundred of Lancashire, England. Although named after the dale or valley of the River Lune, which runs through the city of Lancaster, for centuries it covered most of the north-western part of Lancashire arou ...

. In 1873 in The Parliamentary Papers, Volume 23 by By Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons The Great Stone is listed as being on the boundary that divides the parish of Bentham and the county of Lancashire. In 1904 in Volume 21 of The Transactions of the

Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society The Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society is a historical society and registered charity founded, on 21 March 1883, for the study of any aspects of the area covered by the Palatine Counties of Lancashire and Cheshire (and succeeding local ...

, again notes "the Great Stone of Four Stones" as bring a boundary stone also called "The Big Stone" is about 30 yards west to the road from Bentham to

Slaidburn Slaidburn () is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. The parish covers just over 5,000 acres of the Forest of Bowland. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, ...

and about 12 miles North-East by East from Lancaster. This book also reports the rock having 14 steps and that on the top are two circular holes that are 2 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep.

References

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External links

{{Commons category-inline, Great Stone of Fourstones Geology of North Yorkshire Landforms of North Yorkshire Forest of Bowland Glacial erratics of Great Britain Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire Rock formations of England Tourist attractions in Lancashire Landforms of Lancashire Geography of the City of Lancaster Individual rocks Bentham, North Yorkshire

See also

References

External links