Hawk Stone
 | |
  Shown within Oxfordshire | |
| Location | Dean, Oxfordshire |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°54′32″N 1°30′31″W / 51.90901°N 1.50861°W |
| Type | Standing stone |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic |
The Hawk Stone is a neolithic standing stone just north of the hamlet of Dean, Oxfordshire, England near Diddly Squat Farm belonging to Jeremy Clarkson. He has since named a lager made by him and the Cotswolds Brew Co. after the stone standing near to the fields where the barley is grown for the lager.
Name
[edit]The name either derives from its shape, being like a hawk, or is a corruption of the word 'hoar' meaning 'old'.[1]
Description
[edit]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]
It has been argued that the stone was once part of a larger burial chamber, although there is little evidence to support this.[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
[edit]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]
Hawkstone Lager
[edit]In 2022, Jeremy Clarkson launched his new lager. He named the lager after the Hawk stone.
References
[edit]- ^ E. Corbett, A History of Spelsbury, Cheney and Sons, Banbury, 1962, p. 5.
- ^ a b c d e Historic England. "HAWK STONE (334989)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ^ E. Corbett, A History of Spelsbury, Cheney and Sons, Banbury, 1962, p. 4.