The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Fonaby Stone

Standing Stone / Menhir

Folklore

St Paulinus was a missionary in the 7th century. One day he was riding his ass along the ancient trackway above Caistor. The ass was more obstinate than usual because it hadn't had any breakfast. St Paulinus saw a man up ahead who was sowing corn. Perhaps he would share some of the grain? He asked the man for some corn from the sack in the field. 'Oh that's not a sack,' replied the farmer. 'That's - a stone.'
A stone, eh. 'Then stone it shall be' retorted St Paulinus. And so it was. Apparently it stayed in place in the field for many generations, and then a farmer decided to move it off his land. It was practically immoveable and took a whole team of horses to shift. After that every misfortune imaginable fell on the farm. The farmer thought he'd better replace the stone. This time an old horse managed to drag it up the slope easily by itself.
It's also said that various other people who've damaged it have come to a sticky end, like one of the builders of the nearby Pelham's Pillar in the 1840s, who chipped a bit off and then mysteriously fell from the pillar and was killed.

The stone is supposed to have a 'gathered' effect like the mouth of a sack. Can anyone track it down??
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
9th May 2002ce
Edited 18th November 2006ce

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