The Fylingdales Stone

Carving
NZ935008

Nearest town:

Whitby (11km NW)

OS reference:

NZ935008

OS sheet:

Latitude:

54° 23' 37.78 N

Longitude:

0° 33' 35.22 W

Added to TMA by

fitzcoraldo

Images (6)
News (2)
Miscellaneous (1)
Links (1)
Topics (1)

Images

Image of The Fylingdales Stone (Carving) by fitzcoraldo

Replicas of the carved stones found in the cairn on Fylingdales Moor.
These were created for the ‘Fire over Fylingdales’ exhibition which is being held at the Whitby Museum
May 8 – September 30 2007

fitzcoraldo May 23, 2007

fitzcoraldo Jan 17, 2005

Articles

The Fylingdales Stone

Carved stone controversy continues

Rhiannon Jan 4, 2005

Society wants Moors stone to go on display – taken from the article by Julie Hemmings in Yorkshire Post Today
yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=912795

One of the country’s last surviving literary and philosophical societies may challenge the decision to deny it the chance to display an important archaeological discovery.

Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society, which runs the town’s museum, was disappointed to miss out on a significant carved stone, more than 4,000 years old, which was found on the North York Moors near Fylingdales.

The stone was one of thousands of archaeological remains exposed by a major fire on the moors last year and archaeologists believe it is of national importance.

Since the fire in September last year, conservationists have been working to restore the landscape to its original condition. As well as preserving the ecology of the area, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the work is intended to protect the artefacts and earthworks from erosion by the weather. These efforts will continue for some months but the carved stone already has been returned to the earth where it was found. Before this was done archaeologists laser-scanned and photographed it.

Neil Redfern, English Heritage’s inspector of ancient monuments, said the stone had been reburied as it “belongs on the Moors”, adding that putting it in a glass case in a museum would not have made it any more accessible to the public. He said the image scanned from the stone might serve in the making of a replica, which could be touched, unlike the precious original.

However, some historians are arguing the stone should have been put on on public display and are disappointed not to have been consulted about its future. Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society chairman Fred Payne is meeting members next week to discuss the matter. “We feel it should be exposed, rather than buried again,” said Mr Payne.
“It should be on display, and in Yorkshire, if not in Whitby then at the Yorkshire Museum in York.
“To my knowledge, no-one locally was consulted.”

Peter Barfoot, the authority’s head of advisory services, said the laser-scanned image showed more detail on the stone than could be seen with the naked eye.

The Fylingdales Stone

Unique Rock Find Amongst Archaeology Yielded by Moorland Fire

Kammer Dec 20, 2004

From an article by Richard Moss, published on www.24hourmuseum.org.uk on 20th December 2004:

Archaeologists are pondering one of the most intriguing archaeological discoveries for some years after a fire revealed a unique carved stone thought to be 4,000 years old.
The find came to light after a blaze in 2003 at Fylingdales near Whitby consumed two and a half square kilometres of heather moorland before being brought under control by hundreds of fire fighters and a water-dumping helicopter.
However, in the fire’s aftermath archaeologists were astonished to find a vast array of archaeological remains – uncovered by the intensity of the blaze, which burnt away much of the peat.
“The fire had a devastating impact, but it also revealed an astonishing archaeological landscape,” said Neil Redfern, English Heritage Inspector of Ancient Monuments.

Read the full article on the 24 Hour Museum web site or see the BBC article about the same news item.

The Fylingdales Stone

Carving

fitzcoraldo Sep 8, 2008

Firestone

Three thousand springs tombed beneath the peat,
each autumn spreads another blanket
to muffle the curlew’s sobs,
the pipits all.

One feckless fag end thumbed into the wind
and flame rips away your shroud;
leaves you nude staring up
at clouds.

In a carbonised land of blackened ling,
Saxon dykes, Danish tracks, alum roads,
tank ruts, a scatter of roasted adders
and bird silence.

Astonished at the sun, at the lenses, the men
measure your incised lines, the questions:
boundary stone? map to find Orion?
stone speech?

Or just some hide-clad priest’s contraption,
to be unveiled on sacred days to steer
the same old shivering fear safe
into his hands

Harry Nicholson July 2007

From
Voice of the Moors – Magazine of the North York Moors Association.
Issue 90 Autumn-Winter 2007
north-yorkshire-moors.org.uk/voice_magazine/voice_90.pdf