The Old Stones of Elmet by Paul Bennett
Submitted by DavidRaven on Tuesday, 27 January 2004 Page Views: 17888
Reviews
Review of The Old Stones of Elmet by Paul Bennett. The subtitle says 'A total guide to the archaeology, folklore & geomancy of the ritual stone sites in an old Yorkshire kingdom'. In the words of the advert 'It does exactly what it says on the tin'!It's a revised and updated version of his earlier booklet about the circles, stones and legendary rocks of West Yorkshire, though in this new edition he' s expanded the geographical scope by using the larger ancient region of Elmet. The extent of this Celtic kingdom covered an area bounded by the towns of Knaresborough in the north to Pontefract in the south, Ilkley in the west to York in the east. It's an approximate definition and the author sneaks in Calderdale as the western extreme.
The book is well-researched, drawing on a vast array of sources, both recent and antiquarian. There is an extensive gazetteer of detailed and fascinating entries for individual sites and stones, making it easy to locate a particular place. Preceding this are a couple of thought provoking chapters discussing earth mysteries, the shamanic interpretations of folklore and the ways in which we experience sacred sites.
The only fault I can find with the book is the poor quality of the photographs. Surely the publishers would have realised that a few well-chosen, clear images would serve to enhance the text and increase sales? Still, that would push the price even higher and it's only a minor niggle.
The attraction of the volume for me lies in the way many different strands of enquiry are woven into a coherent and holistic approach, in an attempt to capture and convey the nature of each place. It's not a dry textbook of archaeological sites, it's not a survey of alignments, it's not a chronicle of the area's history or a compendium of folklore. It's all of these and more. From the inspiring little circles of the Yorkshire moorland via the eerie outcrops of haunted gritstone, to the lost and forgotten menhirs that are now just mere memories, all are recorded and presented with Paul Bennett 's engaging enthusiasm.
In places humorous and irreverent, the prose is obviously the musings and ideas of a man with no precious 'reputation' to prevent him from discussing more 'exotic' theories. Or from pondering the relevance of the sacred sites he describes to our modern-day (missing?) spirituality. It's written with a passionate appreciation of the region's megalithic heritage and a love of the northern landscape that makes me want to stick the book in my backpack and go spend time out there. Now.
Get your copy - and get your walking boots on.
Review by David Raven
The Old Stones of Elmet by Paul Bennett.
Foreword by Aubrey Burl.
272 pages, paperback. £13:95.
Capall Bann Publishing 2001.
ISBN 1861631340
A few copies of Paul's original "Circles, Standing Stones and Legendary Rocks of West Yorkshire" are available at £4.95 in our online shop)
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