Barmishaw Stone
Crag, Rock And Cairn In Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire
Prehistoric rock art with some of Ilkley Moor's speciality carvings.
The Barmishaw Stone is another fantastic prehistoric wonder on Ilkley Moor and takes a bit more of an effort to find than its impressive neighbour the Badger Stone. The Barmishaw Stone is smaller and flatter than the Badger Stone and partially hidden amongst ferns and bracken depending on what time of year you visit. We've given a vague location as to the stones whereabouts, but half the fun is in finding it yourself, so our map shows an approximate position.
Like the Badger Stone, this rock is covered in cups, rings and grooves, however there are some unique markings on this stone which are only found on Ilkley Moor. We were lucky with the light here when we visited and many of the unique markings were clearly visible. The first mark that I noticed was something that looked like a drawing of a shoe; a long curved shape, with a ladder and a cup and ring mark in the centre. I found some research online from the Modern Antiquarian which proposes that the ladder could be a religious symbol, suggesting an ascent to heaven. There are at least three of these unusual shapes on the stone, a further 24 cups, some with rings and grooves linking up the patterns.
Always important to have a foot for scale!
The stone is the same age as the Badger Stone, which both date back to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age, around 4,000-5,000 years ago. It is a fine gritstone and the marks would have been created by 'picking' the stone with a material harder than the rock itself, such as whinstone or andesite and hit with a mallet. I did wonder at one point whether rock art may have been coloured when it was originally created, but my hopes were dashed when I read 'Prehistoric Rock Art in Northumberland' by Stan Beckensall who stated:
'So far there is no evidence that the motifs were coloured in. Any 'colour' produced would have come from the contrast made by the removal of flakes from the weathered surface of the parent rock'.
There is some folklore surrounding the stone, and its name is thought to derive from the Old English phrase 'barm i't' shaw' meaning 'spirit in the wood' after several otherworldly sightings here of faeries and UFOs. Though we didn't see anything out of the ordinary, I always find the rock art fascinating to see and we were spoilt for choice on which ones to discover on the moors. Find our more about Ilkley Moors treasures here: Ilkley Moor
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How To Find Barmishaw Stone
Where Is Barmishaw Stone?
Lat / Long
53.913823, -1.831158
What three words
Where To Park For Barmishaw Stone?
Lat / Long
53.903986, -1.847047
What three words
Parking is at a premium, so we opted to park on Keighley Road and the stone is around a 2km walk away.
Contributed by Sandra Clemens
I love the great outdoors and have been a National Trust & English Heritage member for years. I also love going off the beaten track and finding places like Sharp's Folly or Rothley Castle which are hidden gems in Northumberland. My favourite recent hike was climbing Red Screes in the Lake District on a whim, not fully grasping how high 776m was. It was still an achievement to conquer a Wainwright walk and I hope to do more one day.
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Join Our Facebook GroupBarmishaw Stone was listed in Crag, Rock And Cairn // West Yorkshire // Ilkley Moor