The Barmishaw Stone
The cache, a camo-taped sample tube, is hidden about 70m north-east of this ancient stone on the upper edge of Barmishaw Wood.
It was placed in recognition of an earlier cache near this site - Skipton Stimulator's well-appreciated GC7TJEZ Barmishaw..... which was hidden some 50m to the east on 13-07-18 and archived on 19-11-20 after 31 finds and garnering 12 FPs including mine!
In its description he advised that 'Barmishaw is an area of Ilkley Moor, which is renowned for strange spirits, sightings of green men, and is a place which is not frequented a lot '. So stay aware in case you spot or sense something out of the ordinary.
To reach the cache location (15-20 mins): park in the small lay-by @ N 53 54.977 W 1 50.090 on the Keighley Road track which traverses the moor west of White Wells. After securing your cachemobile, take the footpath crossing Spicey Gill and follow this as it heads east towards Barmishaw Woods. Continue around the northern end of the woods and then upwards towards the cache location.
Although it is flat and only very low, the stone is a reasonable size and can be seen in a clearing in the undergrowth. Given its exposure to the weather and the feet of passing livestock and humans, the fact that the carvings survive at all is remarkable.
The stone is a (legally protected) Scheduled Monument first listed in 1930. Its Historic England entry states . . .
'Rombalds Moor is an eastern outlier of the main Pennine range lying between the valleys of the Wharfe and the Aire. The bulk of this area of 90 sq km of rough moorland lies over 200m above sea level. The moor is particularly rich in remains of prehistoric activity. The most numerous relics are the rock carvings which can be found on many of the boulders and outcrops scattered across the moor. Burial monuments, stone circles and a range of enclosed settlements are also known.
Prehistoric rock carving is found on rock outcrops in several parts of upland Britain with one of the densest concentrations on Rombalds Moor. The most common form of decoration is the `cup and ring' mark in which expanses of small cup-like hollows, which may be surrounded by one or more 'rings', made by chipping away at the surface of the stone with a tool of some description – reindeer horn, flint, or other pointed stone. Other shapes and patterns, including some dominated by grooves or lines, are also known.
Carvings may occur singly or in small groups, or may cover extensive areas of rock surface. Whilst it is impossible to date the rocks on exposed ground accurately, archaeologists tend to agree that the carvings were made by Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age people between c.2800-500 BC and provide one of our most important insights into prehistoric 'art'. Dating is done by looking at the extent of the weathering and comparison with other types of prehistoric specifically-dated objects and decorations found nearby or elsewhere.
The exact meaning of the designs remains unknown, but they have been interpreted as sacred or religious symbols. Frequently they are found close to contemporary burial monuments. All positively identified prehistoric rock carving sites exhibiting a significant group of designs have been identified as nationally important'.
Regarding this specific stone . . . located on Open Access Land, it is a medium-sized (206cm x 150cm x 40cm) flat-topped, fine gritstone rock, situated on flat land above Barmishaw Wood. It is covered with complex carvings, consisting of around 24 cups - including 9 with rings, arcs and 6 unusual ladder designs.
Another source which records and describes 'Stone Circles, Chambered Tombs, Prehistoric Rock Art, Cursus Monuments, Holy Wells' provides a detailed description of the archaeology & history of the stone and its markings, and fascinating interpretations of associated folklore.
From this we learn that the Barmishaw Stone is one of only a few rocks which have a sort of ‘ladder’ design or linear pattern within the overall carving - which is also seen on the nearby Willie Hall Wood carving, the Piper Stone, and the Panorama Stones. These patterns are unique to Rombalds Moor.
The patterns on the Barmishaw Stone are very eroded and difficult to see during the daytime - the best time to pick them out is around sunrise or sunset, especially if the rock wet as this helps to highlight the rock surface.
The ladder motif central to this carving may have related to early religious and ritual events here. Across the world, indigenous cultures commonly relate the ‘ladder’ to be a symbol of ascension, both by shamans, mystics and during rites of passage. The symbol represents the journey of the soul to and from supernatural realms.
Folklore: the stone probably derives its name from the old dialect words 'barm i’ t’ shaw', meaning 'ghost in the wood'. Whatever guise the attendant spirit of this rock may have had has long since been forgotten; though spectral accounts from the beginning of the C19 until modern times may give us clues. There have been several reports of green-coloured elemental creatures around the area between here and the White Wells sacred spring a short distance to the east. The most recent account, from 1987, took on the modern mythic form of a little green man from space, with attendant UFO to boot! The Barmishaw Hole nearby was a place where faerie-folk used to live. Excesses of geological faulting and water makes the magickal nature of this place particularly potent. Listen to the story of the Unexplained Creature of Ilkley Moor here.
See here for a fascinating account of a visit to the stone under the influence of a a mescaline-related psychedelic drug.
See here for details of Ilkley Moor Petroglyph Walk (including a map and grid references) on the moor featuring 8 interesting stones including the Barmishaw Stone.
See here for a short video on the stones and rock art of Rombalds Moor.