<< Our Photo Pages >> The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge) - Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature in England in Herefordshire

Submitted by hanterman on Monday, 22 September 2008  Page Views: 17212

Natural PlacesSite Name: The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge)
Country: England County: Herefordshire Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature
Nearest Town: Kington
Map Ref: SO26055680
Latitude: 52.204444N  Longitude: 3.083534W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 2 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 4

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The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge)
The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge) submitted by TimPrevett : Text from Hanterman: This is not a standing stone as such but a large (2.0m by 1.8m) lump of stone, probably naturaly deposited. From its position atop Hergest Ridge it aquires the most magnificent views to all the known Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in the Walton Basin and Barrows on the surrounding hillsides. though distant some may be. It has many folk tales attached to it from down the centur... (Vote or comment on this photo)
Natural Stone in Herefordshire. This is not a standing stone as such but a large (2.0m by 1.8m) lump of stone, probably naturaly deposited. From its position atop Hergest Ridge it aquires the most magnificent views to all the known Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in the Walton Basin and Barrows on the surrounding hillsides. though distant some may be.

It has many folk tales attached to it from down the centuries. My reason for its inclusion is its alignment with other standing stones on Hergest Ridge and across the Held Valley on Bradnor Hill and Cold Harbour at the Rackway. As its name suggests a place for the sharpening of metal and stone tools no evidence of this is visible. a photo will follow.

Note: See set of photos...
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The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge)
The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge) submitted by TimPrevett : Text from Hanterman: This is not a standing stone as such but a large (2.0m by 1.8m) lump of stone, probably naturaly deposited. From its position atop Hergest Ridge it aquires the most magnificent views to all the known Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in the Walton Basin and Barrows on the surrounding hillsides. though distant some may be. It has many folk tales attached to it from down the centur... (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge)
The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge) submitted by TimPrevett (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge)
The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge) submitted by TimPrevett (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge)
The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge) submitted by TimPrevett (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge)
The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge) submitted by TimPrevett

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 1.0km ENE 64° Yeld Wood Stone Row / Alignment (SO26995724)
 2.5km NNW 334° Old Radnor Church* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO24995909)
 2.6km NE 45° Bradnor Hill 1 Stone Row / Alignment (SO27945860)
 3.0km N 2° Walton Cursus Cursus (SO26195978)
 3.1km N 8° Walton Green Cursus (SO26525989)
 3.3km NNW 345° Walton Palisaded Enclosure* Timber Circle (SO25235996)
 3.3km NNE 13° Walton Cursus Cursus (SO26826001)
 3.5km NNW 334° Knapp Mount Barrow* Barrow Cemetery (SO2458659975)
 3.7km NNW 329° Harpton Round Barrows* Round Barrow(s) (SO24225998)
 3.9km N 349° Hindwell Farm 1* Round Barrow(s) (SO25376064)
 4.0km N 350° Hindwell Enclosure* Timber Circle (SO2544560720)
 4.0km NNW 336° Hindwell Cursus* Cursus (SO24496052)
 4.1km NNW 343° Hindwell Cursus* Cursus (SO24926074)
 4.1km N 2° Hindwell Causewayed Enclosure* Causewayed Enclosure (SO26246092)
 4.2km NNW 348° Hindwell Farm 2* Round Barrow(s) (SO25226091)
 4.3km NNW 339° Four Stones (Powys)* Stone Circle (SO24576080)
 4.3km NNW 344° The Hindwell Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO24916093)
 4.3km N 355° Hindwell Ash* Round Barrow(s) (SO25706111)
 4.4km NNW 340° Four Stones Barrow Cemetary* Barrow Cemetery (SO24596091)
 4.5km N 2° Knobley Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO26296132)
 4.6km NNW 347° Upper Ninepence barrow and Neolithic enclosure Round Barrow(s) (SO251613)
 4.8km NE 39° St Michael's Churchyard Cross (Knill)* Ancient Cross (SO2911860448)
 4.9km NNE 29° Burfa Camp* Hillfort (SO285610)
 5.9km NNW 342° Crossfield Lane Barrow (Kinnerton)* Round Barrow(s) (SO24356243)
 6.1km NNW 345° Kinnerton* Standing Stones (SO24566274)
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"The Whet Stone (Hergest Ridge)" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
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Re: Bradnor Hill and Hergest Ridge by Anonymous on Saturday, 12 March 2022
Hi. I'm a local to this area. I am aware of one peice of folklore which gives us the origin of its name. At the time of the plague, farmers that lived and worked outside of the town used the stone to trade their goods with the infected towns folk so as not to get infected themselves. There was a certain amount of trust involved with the transaction. Fresh produce would be left by farmers then collected by towns folk. Money would be left at the stone as payment. Nobody would need to make contact. If money was not left, no food would be there the following day/week. The majority of the produce left at the stone was wheat. Over time the word wheat has lost the 'a' which gives us the word 'Whet'.
Hergest is most definitely pronounced Har-guest.
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Re: Bradnor Hill and Hergest Ridge by MattEU on Monday, 29 September 2008
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The Seat of Judgement stone found in Leighton Bromswold is is also flat and found on the Bromswold ridge. The official info about the stone states it was used as a place to collect taxes and criminals were brought to it for judgement.

Similar in idea to the "LA TABLE DES MARTHES" in Jersey. This ancient flat stone was used by locals for signing contracts.

It would appear that these, and maybe other flat stones, are not "Glacial Erratics" but Law or Folklore(Folkloric) Stones.

Maybe a review of other Stones and their locations will reveal similar features or "myths"?

I notice that the Whet Stone has flat sides and appears to be on its on earth plinth in a hollowed area? There appears to be rock beneath it, is that local rock?

Does anyone know more of the tales/myths associated with this stone? Maybe that it was deposited by a God or Giant in a battle or something like that?
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Re: Bradnor Hill and Hergest Ridge by TimPrevett on Monday, 22 September 2008
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This sits just inside the NW arc of the old racetrack atop the ridge
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Re: Bradnor Hill and Hergest Ridge by hanterman on Sunday, 17 February 2008
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Hi shropshire traveller. By local if you take a cut of point of say 35 years, people who are born here over 35 with family going back etc etc pronounce Hergest as HAR-GUEST Incoming people tend to use the HAR-JIST option so being a 47 year old 6th generation local i use the former. By the way i,m well impressed with your commitmant and photos on the website. I have many new stones, cairns, barrows etc to come but the spare time is spent reducing the size of my photos (pixels) for them to be acceptable on the website.
paul
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Re: Bradnor Hill and Hergest Ridge by TimPrevett on Monday, 26 February 2007
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"So if you feel a little glum, to Hergest Ridge you should come" (Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn). Look forward to hearing more on this area, already something of a shrine for me as a Mike Oldfield fan. Incidentally, having stopped there last summer, locals told me it is pronounced har-jist ridge, not her-guest... do you know for sure how it said?
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    Re: Bradnor Hill and Hergest Ridge by Anonymous on Tuesday, 25 November 2014
    Har-gist Ridge
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