Re: Blue stone | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

StoneLifter Jan 6, 2006 07:20:52

Replying to PeterH

I've just been writing about Boundary Stones and the tradition was to blow a horn and to beat both the stone and young lads with sticks on an annual tour of the boundaries. The best known blowing stone is here - http://www.berkshirehistory.com/archaeology/blowing_stone.html - and the sound from it would have surpassed any contemporary ring tone.

In the photographs the bluestone looks blue - it seems the same material (in the picture) as that obtained from the S Wales mountains. (Glacial drift theories must always be vague). And the menhir - reset or originally placed - is set to topple. If its footings were dry it would be ok, but they're not. I wonder if the northernmost moonrise can be seen on the horizon from there ?

fitzcoraldo Jan 6, 2006 10:06:56

Replying to StoneLifter

The stone is described as whinstone so presumably is dolerite which originated from the Whin Sill outcrops. The Sill can be seen in outcrops all over the north and can be seen from Eastern Cumbria to the Northumbrian coast. It is this rock from which the beautiful, group XVIII, axe hammers are made.

PeterH Jan 6, 2006 12:57:09

Replying to StoneLifter

Thanks SL - that nicely confirms my shaky suggestion that horns were blown at boundary stones. Whether this obviously blue stone was blown is not proven of course, but it seems likely in connection with the local folk lore.

fitzcoraldo Jan 6, 2006 14:35:37

Replying to StoneLifter

The beating of the bounds, usually in rogation week is still alive and kicking in a number of places throughtout the country.
We must be posh down our way becuase we have perambulations of the bounds. These perambulations date back into the mists of time. The early perambulation documents are very useful to get hold of as they often mention long lost stones or names of stones that have fallen out of use.
There are tales around our way of stones being moved during the perambulations. One land owner may do a little land-grabbing from his neighbour leading to alsorts of unpleasant happenings.