Rudston Monolith

Infobox Megalith
Name=Rudston Monolith
Photo=RudstonMonolith(StephenHorncastle)Apr2006.jpg
Caption=Rudston Monolith, almost 26ft high, close to Rudston Parish Church of all Saints. Made from Moor Grit Conglomerate from the Late Neolithic Period, a material that can be found in the Cleveland Hills inland from Whitby.
Type = Standing stone (megalith)
Country = England
County = East Riding of Yorkshire
Nearest Town = Bridlington
Nearest Village = Rudston
Grid_ref_UK = TA098678
Grid_ref_Ireland =
Coor = coord|54.094387|N|0.322599|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title
Condition = 3
Access = 5
References=Megalithic Portal|142The Rudston Monolith at over 25 feet (7.6 metres) is the tallest megalith (Standing stone) in the United Kingdom. It is situated in a churchyard in the village of Rudston in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

The nearest source of stone of the type the monolith is made of is ten miles from the site. There is one other smaller stone, of the same type, in the churchyard, which was once situated near the large stone. The Norman church was almost certainly intentionally built on a site which was already considered sacred, a practice which was common through the country, indeed the name of Rudstan may come from the old English "Rood-stane", meaning "cross-stone", implying that a stone already venerated was adapted for Christian purposes.

Royston ["Old Yorkshire" Vol 1, by William Smith, 1891] stated that in 1861 during leveling of the church yard an additional 5 feet of the monolith was buried. The weight is estimated at 40 tons [ http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=142 ]

Sir William Strickland is reported to have conducted an experiment in the late 1700s determining that there was as much of the stone below ground as is visible above. Strickland found many skulls during his dig and suggests they might have been sacrificial.

The top appears to have broken off the stone. If pointed the stone would originally have been about 28 foot high above the ground. In 1773 the stone was capped in lead, this was later removed, though the stone is capped currently.

Fossilised dinosaur footprints on one side of the stone may have contributed to its importance to those who erected it.

The stone is very slender, with two large flat faces. The flat face of the stone faces the midwinter sunrise in the southeast.

Lines, created by removing soil and grass from above the turf may have been created in the area, and have been linked to the stone. There are many other earthworks in the area, including burial mounds and Cursuses.

ources

* [http://www.thornton1.freeserve.co.uk/rudston1.htm Photos and history of the stone compiled by Mike Thornton]
* [http://www.rudstonnews.supanet.com/page7.html Rudston News' page on the monolith (includes photos)]
* [http://www.eriding.net/media/photos/history/monuments_ancient/rudston/040822_cb_mp_his_rud_monolithplaque.jpgPhoto of descriptive plaque in the churchyard] .
* [http://www.magma.ca/~alnal/stones/rud3.htm Page containing a photo showing the stone from an angle revealing how slender it is.]

References