The Humber Stone

[poliphilo]

The Humber stone is a prehistoric monolith on the outskirts of Leicester. It used to stand over nine foot high, but an 18th c. farmer broke it or buried it (maybe both) and this is all that can be seen of it today. According to tradition the farmer never prospered after. It stands in a grassy enclosure, next to a roundabout between Thurmaston Lane and Hamilton Way near the village of Humberstone, which is named after it.

Comments

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

It is documented as being broken/buried in the 18th century?
Interesting!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Farmers did of lot of "stone-killing" in the 17th and 18th centuries. Before then I presume they were held back by superstition.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

The Avebury 'barber' was earlier, was he not? I think he was medieval. And squashed beneath the monolith he tried to topple...

[sovay]

It used to stand over nine foot high, but an 18th c. farmer broke it or buried it (maybe both) and this is all that can be seen of it today.

What was in it that he didn't like?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I expect it got in the way of his plough. It took up land and land is money.

Also he may have seen it as a useful source of building material.

A third possibility is he was a fervent Christian and regarded it as a heathen idol.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Looks like a torso, or a face!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It does. There's a distinct resemblance to the Venus of Willendorf

[michaleen.livejournal.com]

I suspected this would be the stone in question. When I looked, I didn't find that many menhirs listed in Leicester. Many thanks. Looks very pink.