The Rock Idols of Dartmoor

Dartmoor Rock Idols

There is currently a modicum of debate in the archaeological world with regards to the question of art and how early it came to Britain. Linked with this discussion there are also those who have found what they consider to be examples of what only could be described as 'prehistoric sculpture'. Or in other words rocks, stones and pebbles that it is claimed have deliberately been fashioned by the hand of early man. There is one website in particular that has been the subject of much lambasting and mirth on the Britarch discussion board. Mainly because the author shows photos of rocks and pebbles that do or could resemble various animals, birds and human faces which it is claimed date back to the Lower Palaeolithic period (500,000 - 130,000 BP). Not only is it claimed they are that early but early man made the 'sculptures', sadly of which there is no contextual evidence of any kind. To be honest I think you may need at bottle or two of whisky to see many of the suggested subjects on the stones. If you want to see for yourself what I am prattling on about you can find the above mentioned website - HERE

Yeah, yeah, so what? Well coincidentally I then received a totally unrelated email from Neil Beattie asking if I had ever heard of the 'Neanderthal Man' on North Hessary Tor and attached to the email was the following photograph:

Photograph courtesy of Neil Beattie

As can be seen there is definately a profile of an early human-like face on the end of the outcrop. I certainly have never noticed it or heard mention of it, so thanks Neil for sending it in. This then brought back a vague recollection of a comment Eric Hemery made in his book High Dartmoor (1987, p. 336) where when discussing Fox Tor he made the following remark:

"... while the southern pile, the point of the triangle, possesses an object of great interest in the fallen summit-rock that bears on its surface two large basins like eye-sockets in the skull of a mammoth..."

Sadly I have lost my photograph of the rock but I clearly remember seeing the 'Mammoth's Skull' and even picking up a letterbox associated with it:

Certainly the early antiquarians saw many of these rock sculptors and suggested that they were fashioned and worshipped by the Druids and named them 'rock idols'. When one thinks of such instances there are quite a few Dartmoor tors and rocks where various people have seen certain likenesses. Some are noted 'rock idols' and others simply good likenesses of animals, birds or everyday objects, for example:

Name	Grid Ref	Name	Grid Ref
BATCH LOAVES, THE	SX 7125 7147	DRUIDS ALTAR, THE	SX 78?? 85??
BEAST OF LONGAFORD	SX 616 779	DRUIDS CHAIR, THE	SX 533 735
BOTTOR'S NOSE	SX 8253 8016	ELEPHANT, THE	SX 67?? 82??
BOWERMAN'S NOSE	SX 7414 8047	FLOCK O' SHEEP	SX 628 907
BRANSCOMBE'S CHEESE	SX 5520 8914	HOBB'S NOSE	SX 6807 6371
BRANSCOMBE'S LOAF	SX 5520 8915	LOW MAN, THE	SX 7570 7705
DEVIL'S CAULDRON, THE	SX 5085 8457	MAMMOTHS' SKULL, THE	SX 62?? 91??
DEVIL'S FRYING PAN	SX 5630 7687	MAMMOTHS' SKULL, THE	SX 626? 698?
DEVIL'S PUNCH BOWL, THE	SX 6420 7995	MRS BRAY'S WASH BASIN	SX 5579 7525
CAMEL, THE	SX 5680 8800	PARSONS BROWN LOAF	SX 7799 8131
CROW TOR	SX 6070 7871	ROUND OF BEEF	SX 7574 8206
CUCKOO ROCK	SX 5848 6871	SPHINX, THE	SX 542 742
CUCKOO ROCK	SX 6383 6014	SPHINX, THE	SX 580 875
CUCKOO STONE, THE	SX 6530 8868	WINNEY'S DOWN FISH	SX 62? 81?

Call them naturally formed or shaped by the hand of man, either way the above have gone into the place-name history of Dartmoor. Dare I suggest that there is now a new one - 'The Neanderthal of North Hessary Tor'. It would be nice to start a collection of such rock features so if anyone has similar examples please send them in and I will start a gallery for the good ones - Many thanks to Sam and Rose Mulligan for starting this off with the 'fish' and the 'beast'.

21/11/2007