Great Stone of Fourstones

The Great Stone of Fourstones
The Great Stone of Fourstones
The Big Stone
	The Great Stone of Fourstones
	Location in the Forest of BowlandShow map of the Forest of BowlandShow map of the City of Lancaster districtShow map of North YorkshireShow all
Location	Near Bentham, North Yorkshire
OS grid	SD669663
Coordinates	54°05′29″N 2°30′23″W / 54.0915°N 2.5064°WCoordinates: 54°05′29″N 2°30′23″W / 54.0915°N 2.5064°W

The Great Stone, with Ingleborough in the background

The Great Stone of Fourstones, or the "Big Stone" as it is known locally, is a glacial deposit on the moorlands of , England, straddling the county border^[1] between North Yorkshire and Lancashire, 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 sharpening stones,^[2] 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 for the Lancashire–Yorkshire boundary between Tatham and Bentham parishes.^[3]

A local myth tells of how the stone was dropped by the devil, on his way to build Devil's Bridge at nearby Kirkby Lonsdale.^[4]

The stone has 15 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.

References[]

^ Ordnance Survey Map at MARIO, accessed 28 July 2018
^ "Text on Geograph record". Geograph.org.uk. 2005-08-03. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
^ Winchester, Angus J. L. (2000). Discovering Parish Boundaries (2nd ed.). Shire Publications. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7478-0470-3.
^ Lofthouse, Jessica (1976). North-country folklore in Lancashire, Cumbria and the Pennine Dales. Robert Hale. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7091-5345-0.

External links[]

Media related to Great Stone of Fourstones at Wikimedia Commons

This Craven location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

This Lancashire location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

This article about a specific United Kingdom geological feature is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[1] Ordnance Survey Map at MARIO, accessed 28 July 2018

[2] "Text on Geograph record". Geograph.org.uk. 2005-08-03. Retrieved 2014-01-16.

[3] Winchester, Angus J. L. (2000). Discovering Parish Boundaries (2nd ed.). Shire Publications. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7478-0470-3.

[4] Lofthouse, Jessica (1976). North-country folklore in Lancashire, Cumbria and the Pennine Dales. Robert Hale. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7091-5345-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

The Great Stone of Fourstones
The Big Stone
The Great Stone of Fourstones
Location in the Forest of Bowland Location in the City of Lancaster district Location in North Yorkshire Show map of the Forest of BowlandShow map of the City of Lancaster districtShow map of North YorkshireShow all
Location	Near Bentham, North Yorkshire
OS grid	SD669663
Coordinates	54°05′29″N 2°30′23″W / 54.0915°N 2.5064°W / 54.0915; -2.5064Coordinates: 54°05′29″N 2°30′23″W / 54.0915°N 2.5064°W / 54.0915; -2.5064