Hawk Stone

The Hawk Stone is a neolithic standing stone just north of the hamlet of Dean, Oxfordshire, England.

Hawk Stone
Shown within Oxfordshire
LocationDean, Oxfordshire
Coordinates51.90901°N 1.50861°W / 51.90901; -1.50861
TypeStanding stone
History
PeriodsNeolithic

Name

The name either derives from its shape, being like a hawk, or is a corruption of the word 'hoar' meaning 'old'.[1]

Description

The Hawk Stone stands on Spelsbury Down, 900 metres west of Spelsburydown Farm.[2] The stone stands to a height of 2.6 metres, and it has a width of approximately 1 metre by 0.9 metres at its base and tapers to 0.9 metres at the apex.[2] It is made from oolitic limestone.[2] A concave hollow in its upper face is known to have been worn over time by people rubbing the stone for luck, although it may originally have been natural in origin.[2]

In legend

Local tradition has it that the cleft in the top of the stone was made by the chains of witches who were tied to the stone and burnt alive.[3]

References
  1. E Corbett, A History of Spelsbury, Cheney and Sons, Banbury, 1962, p5.
  2. HAWK STONE, Pastscape, retrieved 8 November 2013
  3. E Corbett, A History of Spelsbury, Cheney and Sons, Banbury, 1962, p4.


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