Murder stones are historic markers found in the countryside of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. They were most popular during the 1820s, being erected at the site of infamous murders. They mostly serve to commemorate the life of the victim or to warn of the consequences of committing such acts, while at least one warns women to take more care to avoid becoming a victim. Many of the stones are now regarded as local landmarks and some have been granted protection as listed structures.

Description

Murder stones are engraved stone monuments placed at or nearby the scene of a murder, often where crimes had caused particular shock or outrage within a community. The majority of stones known today were erected within a hundred year period, with the majority placed in the 1820s. One stone, a rough-cut boulder with the simple inscription "murder", near

Ardwell Ardwell (from Gaelic ''Àrd Bhaile'' meaning "high town", pronounced as "Ardwell") is a village in the Scottish unitary council area of Dumfries and Galloway. It lies on the shores of Luce Bay in the southern part of the Rhins of Galloway. The A ...

in Scotland is traditionally dated to 1551 and associated with the murder of the

Laird Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...

Castle Clanyard A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

by a member of

Clan McCulloch The origins of Clan MacCulloch are unknown, but there is a consensus that the family was one of the most ancient families of Galloway, Scotland, and a leading medieval family in that region. Despite the obscurity of the early history of the c ...

though historians believe that it too is of 19th-century origin. All of the stones known today are in countryside areas, with none in cities. They are relatively widespread in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

but only a handful are known in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, one being at Cadoxton, and the Ardwell stone is the only one documented in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Most stones mark the scene of crimes where the perpetrator was detected and brought to justice, but some mark unsolved killings. They seem to have been erected by prominent local people; religious leaders, landowners and

justices of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

are among those known to have commissioned murder stones. Their purpose varies with many simply commemorating the life of the victim. Others warn unknown perpetrators or those who might consider similar crimes of the consequences of their actions - either at the hands of the courts or by divine judgement. The stone at Cadoxton is said to have been placed to face the house of the chief suspect for the crime, who was not brought to justice, and warned: "Although the savage murderer escaped for a season the detection of man yet God hath set his mark upon him either for time or eternity, and the cry of blood will assuredly pursue him to certain and terrible righteous judgement". One at

Akebar Akebar is a township and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, about eight miles south of Richmond. It consists of a caravan site, as well as several farm houses, a public house and folly. The civil parish as a whole consists of several fa ...

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 ...

simply carries the date of the killing and the words "do no murder". Another stone, dated 1817, lays part of the blame with the female victim for having "incautiously repaired to a scene of amusement, without proper protection".

Legacy

Many of the stones are now local landmarks and some have been granted the protection of a

listed structure In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. One of the more famous stones is that to the

Unknown Sailor The Unknown Sailor was an anonymous seafarer murdered in September 1786 at Hindhead in Surrey, England. His murderers were hanged in chains on Gibbet Hill, Hindhead the following year. Murder The Unknown Sailor is first recorded as visiting the ...

, an unidentified man murdered at

Hindhead Hindhead is a village in Surrey, England. It is the highest village in Surrey, with buildings at between 185 and 253 metres above sea level. It is best known as the location of the Devil's Punch Bowl, a beauty spot and site of special scientific ...

in Surrey in 1786. The stone was mentioned by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

in his 1838–39 work ''

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...

''. Dickens has the principal character of his work come across the stone at the

Devil's Punch Bowl The Devil's Punch Bowl is a visitor attraction and biological Site of Special Scientific Interest situated just to the east of the village of Hindhead in the England, English county of Surrey. It is part of the Wealden Heaths Phase II Special P ...

during his journey to London.

References

{{reflist Stone monuments and memorials Monuments and memorials in the United Kingdom Murder in the United Kingdom