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Issue 135 – September 2017
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PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES By Stephen Guy, West Derby Society
MYSTERIOUS stones hint of long-forgotten events and communities – they often stand in places that have changed beyond recognition over many centuries. Some, such as Stonehenge, have a timelessness about them as if defying change or progress. Old boundary stones can often still be seen along old cross-country routes as well as in urban areas. They remind us of a time when life was slower and there were few modern aids to travel. Apart from asking the locals, milestones and signposts were virtually the only help for people passing through unfamiliar surroundings. Things became easier about 200 years ago when reliable local maps became generally available. Liverpool’s oldest man-made monoliths are the Calder Stones dating back about 4,500 years. Etched with mysterious markings, many have speculated about why
they were created. Old prints and drawings sometimes depict wayside objects that have long since disappeared. I recently acquired an old Victorian print showing a cross carved into a large stone on a rocky outcrop. It is captioned Burial Stone, West Derby. I have been unable to find any other references to such a landmark. The Sanctuary Stone by the Town Hall in Castle Street is believed to be the only surviving surface monument from the city’s medieval past. It may be as old as the 13th or 14th century and was one of the boundary markers for the town’s fairs. The ground-level stone is a relic of the area where people attending the fair were free from arrest – hence the name. Disputes arising within the fair were also dealt with alongside the stone. Roby has a similar stone but there is more to see. The pillar is
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WHAT’S ON known as Roby Cross (pictured) but this refers to only one theory about its origin. A modern sign reads: “The medieval remains of this cross are set on a square sandstone base. “The cross was formerly situated by the junction of Roby Road and Carr Lane. “In 1304 Robert de Latham had a charter for a market at his manor in ‘Robeye’ and it
is suggested this could be the market cross. “The name Roby could come from the Old Norse ‘Ra’ and ‘Byr’ which translates as ‘near a boundary’ which may suggest that the cross was a boundary stone.” n Join the West Derby Society at its next meeting 7.30pm on Wednesday 20 September at Lowlands, 13 Haymans Green, Liverpool L12 7JG.
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STRANGE TALES by Anton Valdemart
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