The Foulscales Stone

The purpose of this article is to publicise information about the Foulscales Stone, which has been removed from its area of origin, and its exact whereabouts are still unknown.

The story begins with the early Norman rulers of England. Existing land-holdings were given first to blood relatives of William the Conqueror; they in turn gave packages of manors to their lower ranking knights, in exchange for service. The exceptions to this were those who had fought well, and who had invested in the enterprise. Since surnames were unknown at that time, it was customary for the Norman knight to assume the name of his land, as with Elias (Helias) de Knoll, which is Knowlmere near Newton, close to Slaidburn. There is a record of Elias’ coat of arms in Long Preston Church, which is not the same as that of the local Knowles family. He was the first to be associated with the manor of Hellifield and possibly The Peel. Due to eventual female inheritors, all his assets passed to the Hamertons, who moved from Slaidburn to Wigglesworth. There is a link to Castle Pirou on the west coast of Normandy, a visit to which will astound and delight anyone interested in these times. It is an absolute gem, with surprises in store.

The Foulscales Stone was originally photographed on the property of Knowlmere Manor House, near Newton and it has disappeared as recounted below. It is shown on the cover of this Journal. It is unique but there are other similar road, track, boundary or way-marker stones. A connecting feature is the letter T, which invokes the Templars, crusades, Jerusalem, and the cross. The letter can be symbolically inspirational, or a protective blessing (apotropaic) on a journey. Further information on the letter T can be obtained in the ‘Mappa Mundi’ booklet, obtainable from Hereford Cathedral.

Two stones with the T symbol which can be inspected locally are the Templar roadside stone at Penhill near Hawes and the Aiggin Stone on the moors above Todmorden. Coincidentally these stones are near Roman roads. In Lancashire a visit to the Te Deum stone on Studley Pike above Todmorden, known as a resting stone, is also rewarding. It marks the resting point where the dead were placed on their journey for burial. The ancient term ‘resting stone’ has association with the final resting place of burial.

I was introduced to the Foulscales Stone from the walking books written by John and Phillip Dixon. Subsequent photographs and a book by Alice Peel were provided by Helen Wallbank. Alice Peel, a keen historian published her book ‘The Manor of Knowlmere’ in 1913. The cover photograph shows the stone by a roadside and the original picture is marked with height 27 inches, about 12 inches wide, 6 inches thick. Since Alice Peel states that it was in a wall, presumably built around it at a later date, then the photograph could have been taken after its removal. A later photograph is of the stone placed upside down inside the porch of Knowlmere Manor house.

John Peel who was a cotton manufacturer and calico printer who died in 1824 seems a likely person to have built the present Hall. The Hall was used to make the Sherlock Holmes film ‘Silver Blades’ in 1988 and reputedly inspired the Hound of the Baskervilles. At some point in the Peel family history, there arose the situation of three daughters and no male heir. The estate was passed sideways, and the Hall vacated. One of the daughters took the Foulscales Stone with her when she moved to the south of England. Two men were seen lifting the stone into a van. She moved to a home, and is now most probably no longer with us. The estate has now passed to other owners.

The Foulscales Stone is part of our national heritage, and should if possible be returned for all to see, possibly to be mounted in Slaidburn Heritage Centre, along with the returned Angel Stone. If there is anyone with the time and inclination who could track down this stone, then that would be an act of invaluable national and cultural service.