E.T. Cowling in "Rombalds Way" (1946) describing the Tree of life stone, records that ......
"it is one of the few known to local inhabitants, and marks the site of many May day religious services." Mayday folklore and customs have often been related to promoting fertility in people, animals and the land. Perhaps there is a link to Yorkshires' other carved stone The Fertility Stone
This carving is situated on the east side of Snowdon Carr just before a fieldwall. A low flattish boulder has around 18 cup marks with 11 of them linked with grooves to a central ‘stem’ resembling a leaf or a tree, hence the stones name, with other interlinking grooves around parts of the design.
Although this is quite a long rock, the carving are confined to the eastern end (there are a couple of simple cups on the western end), This could have be due to the view looking in this direction over the Washburn valley with the river curving away to the left and right, and the hill of Norwood Edge straight ahead. This ancient view has been altered in modern times with Swinsty Reservoir now to the left with Menwith Hill’s golfballs beyond it, and a large radio mast on top of Norwood Edge.
GPS Ref - SE17980, 51167
On the northern side of Snowdon Carr and a couple of hundred metres from the rocky edge of Snowdon Crags is this strange carving that can be said to resemble a skull although it reminded me more of Munch’s ‘The Scream’. It consists of an upside down triangle of cup marks with a smaller cup close to the middle. These three larger cups are surrounded by interlinking rings with form the shape of the face, the top 2 cups forming the eyes, the bottom one the mouth and the middle one a nose.
There are several other cup marked rocks close by in a damaged cairn field, one has four deep cups, while another has a large basin – I’m not sure if this is a natural feature or man made
GPS Ref SE17796, 51239
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Posted by faerygirl
Posted by Chris Collyer
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