Hurl Stone

Within the grounds of Lilburn Tower sits a curious item called the Hurl Stone.

The name Hurl Stone has a number of possible origins with the most plausible being that it is a corruption of Earl's Stone. Others believed that giants once roamed the last and one of them hurled the stone into place. Another story is that the devil stood on top of The Cheviot and hurled the stone at St Cuthbert.

Whichever story you believe, the Hurl Stone is a 4m high sandstone shaft which is thought to be a headless Anglian cross-shaft with a portion of it having been struck off by lightning. Carved onto the face of the shaft is a date of 1838 which is rumoured to be when it was set into its current socket.

The Hurl Stone is on the Lilburn Tower estate and lines up with the nearby Hurlstone Tower and the Lilburn Tower mansion house. All of these are on private land, however we asked for permission to visit as part of an open day. Here you can see the Hurlstone Tower lining up with the stone with the mansion house further behind over the park.

You can get a sight of it from the road if you are passing.

Back to the myths and it has been said that the Hurl Stone was a favourite haunt of the fairies. George Tate wrote an article in 1863 stating that “as explorers were passing along a passage and under the Hurl Stone, they heard fairy harp music and the pattering of tiny feet dancing, and shrill sweet voices chanting:”

Wind about and turn again,

And thrice around the Hurl Stane.

Round about and wind again,

And thrice around the Hurl Stane.