Historic England research records

Historic England Research Records

Shap Stone Alignment
Hob Uid: 11876
Location : Cumbria Eden Shap Rural, Shap
Grid Ref : NY5598014604
Summary : Shap stone alignment consists of 14 stones and probably dates to the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age (C2500 - 1600 BC). The stone circle measures c24m in diameter and has six fallen rounded pink granite boulders and eleven smaller stones.
More information : [NY 51 NE-55151573] Thunder Stone [NAT] [NY 51 NE-55541528] Stone [NR] [NY 51 NE-55831520] Stone [NR] [NY 51 NE-55921509] Goggleby Stone [NR] (1) [NY 51 SE-56281477] Stone [NR] [NY 51 SE-56601436] Stone [NR] [NY 51 SE-56581426] Stone [NR] [NY 51 SE-56741383] Stone [NR] [NY 51 SE-56801331] Stone Circle [NR] (2) (26). Shap Stones and Circle, on the E. and W. sides of the main road and the village, appear to be the remains of an important megalithic monument. Camden refers to "several huge stones ... standing in a row for nearly a mile" and Stukeley (Itinerarium Curiosum II, p. 42) gives an account of the stones. Burn (Hist. of Westmorland 1777) refers to an area of upwards of 1/2 m. encompassed with large stones and a circle of like stones at the high end. A drawing made by Lady Lowther in 1775 shows a stone avenue. The surviving remains consist of a stone circle on the E. side of the road 1-1/4 m. S.S.E. of the church, four isolated stones, probably part of the avenue, and beginning 550 yards N. of the circle are a further five stones irregularly placed and spaced and extending in a north-westerly direction. These terminate in the Thunder Stone. Starting from the northern end these stones are as follows: (a) The Thunder Stone, 50 yards N. of High Barn, is a rough mass not standing erect but measuring 31 ft. in girth and rising 7 3/4 ft. above the ground; (b) a fallen stone, about 7 1/2 ft. long and partly built into a wall; it is 660 yards S.E. of (a); (c) a stone lying on its side, about 10 ft. long and 18 ft. in girth; on the wider end is a ring-mark 8 1/2 in. in diameter with a cup in the centre; there is a second circular sinking 3 1/2 in. in diameter; this stone is 320 yards E.S.E. of (b); (d) the Goggleby stone is still standing 7 1/4 ft. high with the broadest end uppermost; the girth is about 19 1/2 ft. On the N.E. angle is a cup-shaped sinking 5 1/2 in. in diameter. The stone is 155 yards S.E. of (c); (e) a stone lying on its side, about 8 3/4 ft. long and 19 ft. in girth. It is 530 yards S.E. of (d) and 100 yards W. of the King's Arms Inn. The following four stones presumably belonged to the avenue: (f) on the E. side of the road 75 yards W. of the station, is 7 1/2 ft. long and about 15 ft. in girth; it has fallen; (g) on the W. side of the road, 110 yards S.S.W. of (f) is 6 ft. long and about 12 1/2 ft. in girth; it has fallen; (h) about 265 yards S.S.E. of (g) on the E. side of the road are several smaller stones; their connection with the main series is doubtful; (i) about 270 yards S. of (h), lies on its side; it is 7 1/2 ft. long and about 15 ft. in girth. Two other stones of similar character lie on the opposite bank of Force Beck, immediately to the S. The Circle, now partly covered by the railway embankment, retains six large granite stones, 8-9 ft. long and 16-18 ft. in girth; they have all fallen but indicate a circle of about 80 ft. in diameter. Condition-Fairly good. (3) Description by RCHM generally correct apart from (d) Goggelby Stone - now fallen. (i) destroyed. Published survey (25") revised. See photographs. (4) 'f'. Stone no longer extant. 'h' Two stones only remain. (5) The Goggleby Stone has been re-erected by the DOE in 1975. Excavation of the socket hole by Clare and Laing revealed that the stone had been set in clay and then wedged upright with packing stones. (6) Shap Stone Alignment. It includes 14 unevenly spaced stones of varying height aligned approximately north west/south east over a distance of 2.4 kilometres lying west and north-west of Shap Village. All the stones are of local porphyritic granite. NY 55171592 The northerly stone - the Small Thunder Stone - has fallen and now lies flat. It measures c2.5m by 2m and bears a cup and ring mark decoration. NY 55151574 190m to the south is the largest stone in the alignment - The Thunder Stone. This is a glacial erratic measuring c10m in girth and up to 3m high. NY 55551528 610m south east of The Thunder Stone is a roughly triangular 1m-1.5m high and c3m in circumference now embedded in a drystone wall. NY 55551526 13m to the south-south-east is a fallen smaller rounded stone c1.4m long by 1m broad. NY 55841520 290m to east-south-east, and lying on its side, is a stone 3m long and 5.5.m in girth. On this stone's wider end there is a cup and ring mark carving with a second cup mark close by. NY 55921509 140m to the south-east is the Goggleby Stone which stands 2m high, broad end uppermost, and has a circumference of 6.5m. It has a cup mark carving at its north east angle. NY 56051496 170m to the south-east is a broken stone measuring up to 1.5m high and 3m in circumference embedded in a drystone wall. NY 56301477 310m to the south east is a fallen triangular stone almost 3m long and over 6m in circumference. NY 56611436 520m to the south east, in the garden of Aynfield, is a fallen rounded stone 2.2m high and 5m in circumference. NY 56591425 100m south-south-west is another fallen rounded stone measuring 2m long with a cicumference of 2.5m. NY 56741411 NY 56751410 NY 56761409 NY 56741409 220m to the south-east is the most northerly of a group of four closely spaced smaller rounded stones lying in the gardens of Carleton terrace. It lies in the garden of no. 3. Another lies in the garden of no. 5, and two are in the garden of no. 6. The monument is thought to date from the late Neolithic to the early Bronze Age (c2500 - 1600 BC); scheduled. (7) NY 56801330 Shap large regular stone circle. It measures c24m in diameter and includes six fallen rounded pink granite boulders, measuring between 1.5m - 2m long and 4.8m - 5.4m in width, and eleven smaller rounded granite stones lying between and adjacent to the larger stones. Only the western half of the stone circle is now visible; the eastern half is covered by a railway embankment; scheduled. (8) NY 56292478 Standing stones and stone circle (group of four stones). CU118k is descheduled. (9)

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Source details : 6" 1956
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Source details : 6" 1957
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Source Number : 4
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Source details : F1 BHP 27-JAN-71
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Source Number : 5
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Source details : LS 25" Dec 1971
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Source Number : 6
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Source Number : 7
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Source details : 7.2.93
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Source Number : 9
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Source details : 16.4.93
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Monument Types:

Monument Period Name : Late Neolithic
Display Date : Late Neolithic
Monument End Date : -2200
Monument Start Date : -2900
Monument Type : Stone Circle, Stone Alignment, Standing Stone, Cup And Ring Marked Stone, Cup Marked Stone
Evidence : Structure

Monument Period Name : Early Bronze Age
Display Date : Early Bronze Age
Monument End Date : -1600
Monument Start Date : -2600
Monument Type : Stone Circle, Stone Alignment, Cup And Ring Marked Stone, Cup Marked Stone, Standing Stone
Evidence : Structure

Components and Objects:

Related Records from other datasets:

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118k
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118a
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118b
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118c
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118d
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118e
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118f
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118g
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118h
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118i
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118j
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (National No.)
External Cross Reference Number : 22496
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CU 118l
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (National No.)
External Cross Reference Number : 22498
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : NY 51 SE 1
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :

Related Activities :

Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1971-01-27
End Date : 1971-01-27

Associated Activities :
Activity type : EXCAVATION
Start Date : 1973-01-01
End Date : 1975-12-31

Historic England Research Records

Shap Stone Alignment