The Great Stone of Fourstones, Near High Bentham - geograph

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 the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

and

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, 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 ( ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor m ...

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 boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in direction of a boundary. There are several other ty ...

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 *Agnes Clara Tatham (1893–1972), English artist * Alisha Tatham (born 1986), Canadian basketball player * Arthur Tatham ...

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

devil A devil is the 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 conceptions of t ...

, 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 unusua ...

at nearby

Kirkby Lonsdale Kirkby Lonsdale () is a town and civil parish in the South Lakeland 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 2001 ...

. 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 York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

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 to ...

and

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. The principal purpose of the estate is to provide a source of independent income to the sovereign. The estate consists of ...

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

Lonsdale Hundred The Lonsdale Hundred is an 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 aro ...

. 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. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Slaidburn lies near the head of ...

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

External links

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 {{UK-geology-stub