This is a massive quartz block 2m long, 1.2m wide and 1.65m high. The Somerset Historic Environment record says that the farmer of the land gives its local name as 'The Devil's Stone' and that the Devil hurled it from Dunkery Beacon. The field name is "Hour stone" which sounds suspiciously like "Hoar stone" - another quite common name for lone standing stones in England. Apparently in local tradition it was also thought of as a boundary or path stone. It looks as though it's on a direct (and old) path between two villages, and very near to where the path crosses a stream.
Despite all this hopeful folklore pointing at its importance in local consciousness, the record suggests it's probably not prehistoric. I guess it's just big. But you could go and look at it.
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Posted by Rhiannon
13th May 2005ce
Edited 13th May 2005ce
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