| Rudston Monolith | |
|---|---|
 Rudston Monolith, almost 26ft high, close to Rudston Parish Church of all Saints. Made from Moor Grit Conglomerate from the Late Neolithic Period, a material that can be found in the Cleveland Hills inland from Whitby. |
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| Type: | Standing stone (megalith) |
| Country: | England |
| County: | East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Nearest Town: | Bridlington |
| Nearest Village: | Rudston |
| OS grid reference: | TA098678 |
| Coordinates: | 54°05′40″N 0°19′21″W / 54.094387°N 0.322599°WCoordinates: 54°05′40″N 0°19′21″W / 54.094387°N 0.322599°W |
| Condition (out of 5): | 3 |
| Access (out of 5): | 5 |
| References: | Megalithic Portal |
The Rudston Monolith at over 7.6 metres (25 ft) is the tallest megalith (Standing stone) in the United Kingdom. It is situated in a churchyard in the village of Rudston in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The nearest source (Cayton or Cornelian Bay) of stone of the type the monolith is made of is 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of the site. It was probably erected around 1600 BC.[1] There is one other smaller stone, of the same type, in the churchyard, which was once situated near the large stone. The Norman church was almost certainly intentionally built on a site which was already considered sacred, a practice which was common through the country, indeed the name of Rudstan may come from the old English "Rood-stane", meaning "cross-stone", implying that a stone already venerated was adapted for Christian purposes.
Royston [2] stated that in 1861 during leveling of the church yard an additional 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) of the monolith was buried. The weight is estimated at 40 tons (~40,000 kg).[1]
Sir William Strickland is reported to have conducted an experiment in the late 1700s determining that there was as much of the stone below ground as is visible above. Strickland found many skulls during his dig and suggests they might have been sacrificial.
The top appears to have broken off the stone. If pointed, the stone would originally have stood about 8.5 metres (28 ft). In 1773 the stone was capped in lead, this was later removed, though the stone is capped currently.
Fossilised dinosaur footprints on one side of the stone may have contributed to its importance to those who erected it.
The stone is very slender, with two large flat faces. The flat face of the stone faces the midwinter sunrise in the southeast.
Lines, created by removing soil and grass from above the turf may have been created in the area, and have been linked to the stone. There are many other earthworks in the area, including burial mounds and Cursuses.
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   | Photos and history of the stone compiled by Mike Thornton - The tallest standing stone in Britain |
| | Page containing a photo showing the stone from an angle reveling how slender it is. - The Rudston Prehistoric Community |
| | The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map: Rudston Monolith Standing Stone (Menhir) - The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map: Rudston Monolith Standing Stone (Menhir) |
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