Title | Bull Stone |
Date | Undated |
Location | Carlton |
Photo ID | SL057 |
Comment | Ancient stone which is situated on Carlton Moor. There are various theories about this monolith, could it be a Roman milestone as it stands in near proximity to the Roman Road? |
Carlton Categories
Bull Stone – 1977
Philomen Slater gives this explanation from folklore “Fastening bulls to it when they were baited by dogs, a custom still known to Carlton farmers”.
A more prosaic thought is that the word bull derives from an obsolete Yorkshire word “bull-steann”, meaning a stone used as a whetstone for sharpening knives and tools.
It is also thought that the bull stone didn’t stand in isolation and could have been part of a line of stones.
Consolidated by Jack Brayshaw. 28 April 2021.
Last Updated: 16 November 2022 – All images updated.