The Cantlin Stone
The Cantlin Stone is a rough stone approximately two feet across with an inscription recording the death of one Willam Cantlin in the place where it is, and the fact that he was buried at
Bettws. It is accompanied by a cross, and is located only twenty or so yards away from the
Wales–England border.
History
The stone was placed on the hill as a commemoration to a
pedlar named William Cantlin (Originally Cantrell),
["Bettws Y Crwyn; History, Geography, Farming & People." Published 2007.] who mysteriously died on the hill in January 1691. It is said that he was robbed and murdered, but there are also versions of the story in which he dies of
hypothermia or a
heart attack. There was a dispute between
Bettws-y-Crwyn parish and
Kerry parish as to who should bury the body. Bettws buried him in the end, but claimed the ground where he lay.
The incident came to public attention in 1875, when the Clun Forest Enclosure Act was passed, the parish maintained its claim of the ground with proof of the burial and was subsequently awarded "several hundred acres more" to its territory.
Cantrell over time has turned into Cantlin. The name Cantrell is said to be a compound of Can't and Tell, because the parish did not want to bury a nameless man.
The story has been passed down from generation to generation of people in the area.
The new cross in 2010
In 1858, the
Ludlow M.P.
Beriah Botfield
Beriah Botfield (5 March 1807 – 7 August 1863) was a British Member of Parliament representing Ludlow in Shropshire as a Conservative. He was also a noted bibliographer, geologist and botanist.
Life
He was born on 5 March 1807 in Earl's Dit ...
erected a
limestone cross next to the original stone to commemorate the pedlar. This cross fell in 1970, and was left broken in pieces until 2000 when a grant was obtained from
South Shropshire District Council to erect a new cross. The replica cross was carved in
Yorkstone
Yorkstone or York stone is a variety of sandstone, specifically from quarries in Yorkshire that have been worked since the middle ages. Yorkstone is a tight grained, Carboniferous sedimentary rock. The stone consists of quartz, mica, fe ...
by Jonathan Bower Protheroe. The pieces of the old cross were laid across the unmarked grave at Bettws-y-Crwyn church thought to be the pedlar's grave.
Cantlin Stone Free Festival
From 1980 to 1990 a free festival was held at the stone, but was moved to
Llanbister in 1991.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Newcastle on Clun
Newcastle on Clun is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It contains 28 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, two are at Grade II*, the middle of the three grades, and the others are at ...
References
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Monuments and memorials in Shropshire
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