England – Page 3

Gazing Stone, Steeton, West Yorkshire

29/09/202530/09/2025 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone: OS Grid Reference – SE 03420 43572

Getting Here

In Steeton, walk up the High Street and after a hundred yards or so, turn right to go up to Quarry House (opposite Falcon Cliffe), up past Quarry Cottages to the end where it turns into a track. Follow the track for 200 yards, where it bends left, then immediately right go into the field, following the wall along for 450 yards where you’ll go through a gate to another rocky steep hill-slope. Walk up by the side of the walling here, at the edge of the trees and, once at the top, bear right and a few yards along keep your eyes peeled. You’re virtually on top of it!

Archaeology & History

Not previously recorded, this is an unusual design: unusual in more ways than one. Firstly, it’s not entirely ‘ancient’; and secondly, the linearity in some of the carved lines around the cup-marks is unusual. It reminded me a little of the Hanging Stones above Ilkley, with its deeply cut lines, swerving around cup-marks, whose lack of ‘ancient’ guise is somewhat betrayed by the fact that Victorian quarry operations uncovered them—much like happened here…

It was first noticed in 2024 by Collette Walsh during a petroglyphic foray in the area. She noticed the distinct cup-marks on the rock surface, but then when she noticed a distinct quarrying mark, she dropped the idea that it was prehistoric. But this distinct quarry or stone-mason mark—executed sometime in the 19th century when the Industrialists were working here—shouldn’t take our attention away from the cup-marks; nor indeed all aspects of the other carved lines that swing round the edges of the deepest of the three cups, which is surrounded by a long curved triangle, some of which was carved into a natural crack, highlighting it more. The single outlying cup looked, from some angles when wet, that it may have had a partial ring around it—but we were unsure and it may have just been a trick of the light, along with our desire to see more than there actually is. Anyhow, it’s worth seeing. But we could do with a stonemason to check it out, enabling us a better assessment of which bits of this design are old and which are not-so-old.

Acknowledgements: To Collette Walsh for uncovering this design; and to Tom Cleland for showing me where it lives!

St Agnes’ Well, St. Agnes, Cornwall

27/09/202528/09/2025 megalithix

Holy Well (destroyed): OS Grid Reference – SW 7202 5073

Archaeology & History

Not to be confused with another St. Agnes’ Well near the coast just 1½ miles southwest of here, this ‘holy well’ was found in the middle of the town itself. It was first described sometime between 1710 and 1720 by a certain Thomas Tonkin who penned lengthy notes about the history of the parish of St Agnes and, therein, mentioned this Well which was, he said, located “by the Cross before the Church.” But it had already been drained and “cut off”, as he put it, some years prior to him writing his notes.

More than two hundred years later, on 3 December 1931, the West Briton & Cornwall Advertiser reported on an excavation that took place of the nave of St Agnes church. The vicar, a Rev W.H. Browne, said that,

“On the west side there was evidence of water, which might have been a spring and possibly the holy well. We shall have to preserve it if it turns out to be what we anticipate it is. How this is to be done, I do not know, but we cannot allow it to be covered in again without doing something. It is creating tremendous interest, and will cause a great fight among the experts.”

Several years later, the great Cornish hagiographer Gilbert Dobie (1940) also mentioned the excavation, noting the wet area which they believed was the location of the well, also noting, “at the same time…the finding of remains of an earlier chapel.”

References:

Doble, Gilbert H., History of St Piran, 1940.
Tonkin, Thomas, “The Parish of St Agnes,” in Journal royal Institute Cornwall (eds. P.A.S. Pool & H.S Douch), volume 7 (2nd series), 1975.

Wishing Well, Ecclesall, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

20/09/202521/09/2025 megalithix

Sacred Well (lost): OS Grid Reference – SK 30 84

Archaeology & History

The location of this site has proved troublesome. Even when Rob Wilson (1991) did his local survey of holy wells he was unable to locate it—but it looks as if it shouldn’t be too troublesome to find, as the area in which it flowed is still very much a mix of open countryside and maintained landscapes. Described briefly as the “Wishing Well near Whiteley Wood” in Sidney Addy’s (1893) fine work, he makes a rather hopeful attempt to derive the word ‘wishing’ from German mythology, where “one of the names of the god Wuotan or Odin was Wunsch or Wish.” But – well – you just never know…..

In the landscape at Whiteley Wood there is a Priest’s Hill, so if this Well was found there, it may indeed have had an authentic ‘holy’ designation. But there were a couple of ponds in the area too, which may be fed by this spring. So, first, we need to find the well!

References:

Addy, Sidney Oldall, The Hall of Waltheof, William Townsend: Sheffield 1893.
Wilson, Rob, Holy Wells and Spas of South Yorkshire, Northern Arts: Sheffield 1991.

Wishing Well, Castley, Huby, North Yorkshire

20/09/202521/09/2025 megalithix

Sacred Well: OS Grid Reference – SE 2718 4572

Archaeology & History

An important water source for local folk in Castley hamlet in previous centuries, this was one of several so-called ‘Wishing Wells’ above the higher banks of the River Wharfe a few miles from each other. It’s a title which, to be honest, was afforded the place when its original local name was removed. It was quite obviously a sacred well in earlier times, as it’s found beneath the slope of Chapel Hill, looking eastwards towards the rising sun, when the waters here (as at countless others) had their greatest remedial or magickal powers. Tradition told there was once a small chapel above the well itself. The spring was highlighted on early Ordnance Survey maps, but all that seems left here today is an occasional boggy mass in the trees at the bottom of the sloping hill.

The old folklorist and antiquarian Edmund Bogg (1904) wrote the following about it:

‘Wishing’ Well on 1888 map

“On the terraced bank near the garden, ’neath an overhanging hawthorn, is a beautiful spring of clear sparkling water, which is locally known as Castley ‘wishing-well.’ More than once we have heard the women-folk declare how, in their maidenhood, they loitered down the bank to the well, usually at eventide, when the birds were warbling their vesper song, and placed their offerings there in silence, yet breathing, as it were, the mute longing of their heart’s desire. It is a natural grotto fit habitation of fairies or the traditional elves. The bank, in which the well is situated, is known as ‘Snake Bank.’”

References:

Edmund Bogg, Higher Wharfeland, James Miles: Leeds 1904.

Acknowledgements: Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.

Craven Hall Hill (2), Hawksworth Moor, West Yorkshire

11/09/202513/09/2025 megalithix

Ring Cairn: OS Grid Reference – SE 14442 44281

Getting Here

Your best starting point is from the Great Skirtful of Stones giant cairn. From here follow the fencing that runs down the slope to your left (south-east) for roughly 160 yards (148m) – past the Great Skirtful Ring – until you reach the gate. Go through it and keep walking down the same fence-line for 300 yards then walk south onto the moorland proper (there are no paths here). You’ll pass over several undulations in the heather (some of these are the edges of ancient trackways) and 55-60 yards south from the fencing you’ll walk over and into this overgrown prehistoric ring. It’s very difficult to see when the vegetation is deep, so persevere!

Archaeology & History

This is an interesting site. Marked on the 1851 Ordnance Survey map as a “barrow” (right), it is shown with trackways on either side of it to the north and south, and with an opening or entrance on its northwestern side. Yet since that date, very little archaeological attention has been given to it and the site remains unexcavated, despite its location being repeated on all subsequent maps since then. The designation of the site as a barrow or burial site, without being excavated, was educated guesswork at the time as the place seems to be what we today define as a ring cairn. And whilst this seems likely, there are some oddities here.

Measuring roughly 25 yards (SE – NW) by 21 yards (NE – SW), this overgrown oval ‘ring’ is a similar architectural structure to the more famous Roms Law circle more than half-a-mile northwest of here—but bigger! And, unlilke Roms Law, this overgrown circle seems to have been untouched for many centuries. The oval surrounding ‘ring’ itself is composed of thousands of small packing stones between, seemingly, a number of much larger upright stones, reaching a maximum height of more than three feet high at the northernmost edge. The ‘ring’ ostensibly looks like a wide surrounding wall which measures two yards across all round the structure.

Internally, there seems little evidence of a burial — although our recent visits here, as the photos indicate, took place when the moorland vegetation was deep and covered almost the entire site. The outline of the site is obviously visible, even in deep heather, but the smaller details remain hidden. But in addition to the main ring, another very distinct ingredient here is the existence of an extended length of man-made parallel walling, probably a trackway, that runs into the circle from the southeast all the way through the circle and out the other side and then continuing northwest heading roughly towards the Great Skirtful giant cairn on the horizon 500 yards to the northwest.

Due to the landscape being so overgrown, it’s difficult to ascertain where this ‘trackway’ begins and ends. Added to this, we find that there are additional ‘trackways’ that run roughly parallel to the one that runs through the circle—and these ‘trackways’ are very old indeed, some of them likely have their origins way back in prehistory. The one that runs through the middle of this ring cairn may be a ceremonial pathway along which, perhaps, our ancestors carried their dead. If we follow it out from here and keep walking along the track 300 yards to the southeast, we eventually run right to the edge of the Craven Hall (3) circle. Parallel to this is another ancient trackway that runs northwest to the edge of the Roms Law circle. It seems very much as if we have ceremonial trackways linking sites to each other: ancestral pathways, so to speak.

Have a gander at this when you’re next in the area. There are many other sites nearby that are off the archaeological radar. In recent years, a number of northern antiquarians wandering over this landscape are finding more and more ancient remains: walling, circles, cairns, trackways. It’s a superb arena—but sadly, most of it is hidden beneath deep moorland vegetation.

References:

Faull, M.L. & Moorhouse, S.A. (eds.), West Yorkshire: An Archaeological Guide to AD 1500 – volume 1, WYMCC: Wakefield 1981.

Acknowledgements: Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.

Jenny Lane, Baildon, West Yorkshire

07/09/202507/09/2025 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone (removed): OS Grid Reference – SE 1579 3995

Archaeology & History

A small, seemingly broken cup-marked stone that may have once been part of a prehistoric tomb, found itself being included in an old wall at some time in the not-too-distant past: in the south-facing wall of the cricket ground at the top end of town. No one seemed to know it was there until it was noticed in the 1950s by a local man who brought it to the attention of Sidney Jackson (1958), editor of the local Bradford archaeology mag at the time. Jackson visited the site and thankfully did a sketch of what it looked like, before it was removed at a later date. He wrote:

“The small rectangular stone bearing four cup-shaped hollows…is another of Mr George Pritchard’s finds. It forms part of the high wall which bounds the Baildon Cricket Club’s ground in Jenny Lane… Its appearance suggests that it is part of a Bronze age cup-marked rock which was split to make building stones.”

Following its removal more than twenty years ago, it ended up in the hands of a dude from Cononley called Gerald Wright. I’m not sure whether it still lives over there or has subsequently found a new abode. Does anyone know what’s become of it…?

Folklore

Although there’s nothing specific to this carving, the place where it was found, on Jenny Lane, was where a phantom black dog used to be seen in bygone years. It was renowned as the harbinger od death.

References:

Jackson, Sidney, “Cup-Marked Stone in Jenny Lane, Baildon,” in Cartwright Hall Archaeology Group Bulletin, volume 3, part 10, 1958.

Shipley Glen (136), Baildon, West Yorkshire

03/09/202520/05/2026 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone: OS Grid Reference – SE 13266 38928

Also Known as:

Carving BM14 (Hedges)
Carving no.136 (Boughey & Vickerman)

Getting Here

Once you’ve got yourself to the start of Shipley Glen, from the Old Glen House pub, from the car-park outside walk up the road for 60 yards (if you reach the next small car-parking spot, you’ve gone too far) then step off-road into the vegetation on your left and you’ll see the large flat fractured section of earthfast rock. Get low down and seek out the cup-mark first!

Archaeology & History

This is a very faded and quite basic design and unless you get decent low sunlight, it can be very difficult to discern. On my most recent visit here, conditions weren’t too good, as the photos here indicate.

The main feature is a single cup-mark surrounded by a very wide ‘square’ ring (if y’ get mi drift). It’s possible that this carving was first described and illustrated by the great Yorkshire genealogist J. Horsfall Turner (1894) in conjunction with the missing Brackenhall Green carving — although he did tell that they were, since June 1889, “both now destroyed”. But the carving here does bear a distinct similarity to the one he illustrated and so it may have just been covered in turf (or am I grasping at straws here?!). And despite this resemblance, one or two features in his description aren’t found in the carving that we see today. When John Hedges (1986) added the carving to his survey, he described it simply as:

“Striated, pitted bedrock with crack down centre, in grass and amongst other rocks and bedrock. Carving, centre and W end: enclosure type angular grooves and two cups.”

One of the two cups is presently beneath some shallow vegetation (easily removed if anyone’s passing), but the main feature of the large enclosing square and its central cup is presently exposed and can be seen when your eyes eventually adjust. Interestingly, Hedges shows the existence of a faint ring around the central cup inside of the larger square enclosure. If someone is able to capture a photo of this, please add it on our Facebook page. 🙂

It must also be emphasized that somewhere, not too far from this carving, was once found a very similar design known as the Brackenhall Green carving that possessed the same curious squared-ring feature that we find on this stone.

References:

Boughey, Keith & Vickerman, E.A., Prehistoric Rock Art of the West Riding, WYAS: Wakefield 2003.
Hedges, John (ed.), The Carved Rocks on Rombalds Moor, WYMCC: Wakefield 1986.
Turner, J. Horsfall, ‘Cup Marks, Shipley Glen,’ in Yorkshire County Magazine – volume 4, J.E. Watmough: Idel 1894.

Brackenhall Green, Baildon, West Yorkshire

01/09/202503/09/2025 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone (destroyed): OS Grid Reference – SE 133 389

Archaeology & History

The lost carving of Brackenhall, in 1888

I first came across a description of this lovely-looking cup-and-ring carving during some research I was doing in the archives at Bradford Central Library in the 1980s—and decided there and then that I had to find it! It was described and illustrated for the first time by William Glossop (1888) when he made a short survey of some of the prehistoric sites on Baildon Hill and Shipley Glen. He told that it was one amidst “a cluster of rocks on Bracken Hall Green”—but was seemingly destroyed not too long after he wrote about it. There was some discussion in the late-1980s that it may have been a petroglyph that was cataloged by John Hedges as carving ‘BM14’ (at SE 13272 38924), due to it possessing a similar ‘artistic’ element (or motif, as some like to call it) and which is also along the Brackenhall plateau by the roadside about 160 yards below the entrance to the Brackenhall centre—but it turned out not to be the case.

A few years after Mr Glossop uncovered this carving, a short note by J.H. Turner (1894) described two cup-marked stones, “both now destroyed” that could be seen in the same area just as you entered “the plateau where the Easter fair is now held”. And his description closely fitted Glossop’s sketch. Turner wrote:

“The cups were three inches in diameter, and one inch deep, in an oblong 18 by 12 inches, with line 6 feet long towards the east. The second oblong, same size, had also an eastern pointer and one cup in the centre. These have both disappeared since June, 1889; I fear by wanton mischief.”

This would seem to be the same carving illustrated by Glossop, although it’s still difficult to say with any accuracy where it was located. The great historian W.Paley Baildon (1913) thought it may have been the same carving which Harry Speight (aka Johnnie Gray) described at the Glen Gate—and it does sound similar, but until we are able to ascertain (i) where Glen Gate was; and (ii) whether it coincided with the location of “where the Easter fair” was held, we must err on the side of caution. Tis an intriguing mystery… (Note: the grid-reference given for this site profile is an educated guesstimate!)

References:

Baildon, W. Paley, Baildon and the Baildons – volume 1, Adelphi: London 1913.
Glossop, William, ‘Ancient British Remains on Baildon Moor,’ in Bradford Antiquary, no.1, 1888.
Gray, Johnnie, Through Airedale from Goole to Malham, Walker & Laycock: Leeds 1891.
Turner, J. Horsfall, ‘Cup Marks, Shipley Glen,’ in Yorkshire County Magazine – volume 4, J.E. Watmough: Idel 1894.

Slinger Stone, Rivock, Silsden, West Yorkshire

19/08/202519/08/2025 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone: OS Grid Reference – SE 07540 44730

Getting Here

A real pain-in-the-arse to find this one, and even describing how to get there is troublesome—but I’ll try my best! I think the best starting point would be from the track that runs through Rivock plantation. Follow directions to reach the Ripple Stone carving, then walk 35-40 yards east to the ornate multiple-ringed stones of Rivock (067) and company. Now comes the tricky bit. From here walk, zigzag fashion (it’s the only way y’ can do it!) up the slope ever-so-slightly east of due south until you reach the top of the slope, where the land levels out. If you walked in a dead straight line from the triple-ringed Rivock (66) carving, it is almost bang on 100 yards. Anyhow, now you’re on top of the slope, zigzag about and look for the large flat oval-shaped stone. Take your time—you’re gonna need it!

Archaeology & History

Laid amongst the dense mass of cheap crappy pine trees that plagues some of our upland countryside depriving the land of necessary nutrients for animals, flowers and other trees, this impressive multiple cup-and-ringed marked rock lies sleeping. It was rediscovered in 2017 by local hunter Chris Slinger during one of his many ventures through the undergrowth. I’m informed that one of his compatriots reckons that he already knew about it some forty years prior to Chris claiming it—but as yet we have no way of knowing that for sure, so the name of the carving goes to Mr Slinger. And it’s a beauty—one helluva beauty!

This large, flat, ovoid-shaped stone, roughly 10 feet by 7 feet across, is virtually covered from head to foot in large and not-so-large cup-and-rings at varying levels of erosion. The carving appears to have been partitioned, so to speak, into two sections that are clearly defined by a carved line that runs the breadth of the stone. On the top, larger section above this main line are about 30 cup-marks, with perhaps a dozen of them having rings around them—some complete, some incomplete—scattered about in the usual non-linear manner. One or two of the cup-and-rings may have double-rings, but due to dark conditions in here none of us could be sure. On one visit, a local lady (Liz of Fell Edge if I remember rightly) noticed that the largest cluster of cup-and-rings near one quarter of the stone seemed to be arranged in a similar form to the Swastika Stone, 1.9 miles northeast of here!

On the lower smaller section of the carving, beneath the main line if you like, there’s not quite as much going on. At least twelve cup-marks are apparent here, at least five of which have rings around them. The main little bunch of these are pushed right up against the long carved line, seemingly communicating with other rings on the top-side of it. In some photos it looks as if, in this section of the stone, carved lines link the cup-and-rings on each side of the main dividing line (if y’ get mi drift). There’s a lot going on here. It’s a pretty complex carving as you can see: one of the best in the Rivock cluster and one that I’d like to spend more time with, if only to get a complete picture of what the carving looks like in full as we’ve not yet got to the outer edges of the stone itself, meaning that there may be more of it beneath the vegetation.

I was hoping to get some much better photos of this site and clear back more of the covering foliage, but as the carving is now all but covered in dense forestry, we may have seen the last of it for a few decades. Even worse, there’s the great possibility that the carving will be destroyed when the forestry lads come to cut down the trees—through no fault of their own—as they’ll have no idea that it’s directly beneath their machinery. It would be good if some local volunteers could perhaps completely clear and protect this stone to avert such a likely disaster a few decades from now. A small metal fence with a little notice-board would do the trick!

Acknowledgements: Firstly, to Chris Slinger for rediscovering the carving; then to the modern stone-fondlers Rod ‘Koot’ Chambers and Sean Dillon for beginning the cleaning process, and for their photographs in this site profile; and then to Sarah Walker, Sarah Jackson and Marianna, for helping to bring the entire stone into view.

Maiden Cross, Mereclough, Burnley, Lancashire

02/07/202502/07/2025 megalithix

Cross (replaced): OS Grid Reference – SD 8936 2883

Archaeology & History

Highlighted on the 1848 Ordnance Survey map, the original stone ‘cross’ has apparently been moved from its location up against the walling 30-40 yards away and placed by the roadside, just as you’re going into where the windmills are, right at the very crown of the hill, across from the car-park. I’m not so sure it’s the original one to be honest—but I may be wrong. Clifford Byrne (1974) certainly thought this is the original stone. He may be wright. Byrne told that “the Marquis of Colne had a photograph of the stump of the cross in situ,” which would be good to compare. It’s nowt special to look at, but at least the site has been remembered, so to speak.

The Maiden Cross was one in a series of wayside crosses along this ancient high road—known as the Long Causeway—not only marking it out when the snows covered it in the old Winters that we used to get, but also possessing religious importance to travellers. It was first moved sometime in the 19th century and “utilised as a gatepost into Maiden Cross colliery”—itself long gone.

Folklore

The name given to the ‘cross’ comes from a story that’s found at a number of other ‘maiden’ place-names. There may be an element of truth in it. It was told to the great historian and folklorist T.T. Wilkinson by his grandfather in 1766 and, according to him, his grandfather before that! J.A. Waddington (1884) subsequently wrote down the tale that Wilkinson told him:

“During the time of the great rebellion, this was the trysting-place of a young shepherd with his lady love. Often did they meet to pledge their simple vows at this lonely place, until one day a messenger came from Towneley to collect as many young men as he could get to swell the ranks of Rupert when he passed through this part to join the Royal forces at York, a march which ended with the disastrous fight at Marston Moor, on whose bloody sod lay stretched the chivalrous Towneley, and a many of his followers, including this young man, the victims of a tyrannical and ambitious king. For many a long year after this tragical event the poor demented maiden would repair to this hallowed spot, repeating with a sorrowful voice his promise to return.”

This was curiously described by Ormerod (1906) as “a pathetic tradition”! He much preferred the simple idea of this (and the other crosses along the road) as merely serving “the capacity of guideposts to the traveller (overtaken in a mist or by the swiftly lowering shades of light) who might be traversing these lonely roads”, as Waddington put it. Ormerod cited a conversation he had with “an old road mender” which for him confirmed the idea:

“Asked if he had heard what was the object of these crosses, he said, that “Joonas Lee said as they were put up 250 yer sin, for guideposts for’t pack horses, between Halifax and Brunshaw” (Burnley), adding, as if to give more weight to the authority he had quoted: “An he wur a far larned chap wur Joonas—he wur a preycher.”’

Walter Bennett (1941) meanwhile, thought its name derived from the Virgin Mary and this cross, at least, possessed religious importance.

References:

Bennett, W., The History of Burnley – volume 1, Burnley County Council 1946.
Byrne, Clifford, A Survey of the Ancient Wayside Crosses in North-East Lancashire, privately printed 1974.
Holden, Joshua, A History of Todmorden, Manchester University Press 1912.
Ormerod, T., Calderdale, Lupton Bros: Burnley 1906.
Waddington, J. Arthur, ‘The Crosses in and Around Burnley’, in Transactions Burnley Literary & Scientific Club, volume 1, 1884.

Acknowledgements: Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.