Devil's Arrows
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox ancient site
The Devil's Arrows are three standing stones or menhirs in an alignment approximately Template:Convert to the east of the A1(M), adjacent to Roecliffe Lane, Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, England, near to where the A1 road now crosses the River Ure (Grid reference Script error: No such module "Ordnance Survey coordinates".). They have been designated as a scheduled monument since 1923.[1]
Site
Erected in prehistoric times and distinctively grooved by millennia of rainfall, the tallest stone is Template:Convert in height, making this the tallest menhir in the United Kingdom after the Template:Convert tall Rudston Monolith in the East Riding of Yorkshire.[2] The other two stones are Template:Convert and Template:Convert tall respectively. It is thought that the alignment originally included up to five stones. William Camden mentions four stones in his Britannia, noting that "one was lately pulled down by some that hoped, though in vain, to find treasure."[3] One was apparently displaced during a failed 'treasure hunt' during the 18th century and later used as the base for a nearby bridge over a river. The stones are composed of millstone grit, the most likely source of which is Plumpton Rocks two miles south of Knaresborough, and about nine miles from where the stones stand today.[4]
The outer stones are Template:Convert away from the central stone and form an almost straight, running NNW–SSE. It is thought that they may have been arranged to align with the southernmost summer moonrise. The stones are part of a wider Neolithic complex on the Ure-Swale plateau which incorporates the Thornborough Henges.
Name
The name is mentioned by John Aubrey who visited and drew the stones in 1687.[5] There is a legend, which goes back to 1721, that says the Devil threw the stones, aiming at the next town of Aldborough. He stood on Howe Hill and shouted, "Borobrigg keep out o' way, for Aldborough town I will ding down!". However, the stones fell short and landed near Boroughbridge instead.[2]
See also
References
External links
- Pages with script errors
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- History of North Yorkshire
- Megalithic monuments in England
- Stone Age sites in England
- Buildings and structures in North Yorkshire
- Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire
- Boroughbridge
- Archaeological sites in North Yorkshire
- Bronze Age sites in North Yorkshire
- Scheduled monuments in North Yorkshire
- Menhirs