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(13) At Long Preston Vicarage is a stone believed to have come from the 'High Grounds' on Langber Glebe," i.e. on the old Skipton-Settle Road

To Skipton, 7 M.

10 miles
ΙΟ

....

To Settle, 3 M.

[15 statute miles]

(14) On the Skipton-Barnoldswick Road, where it is joined by a road to West Marton and Clitheroe, is a stone

Clitheroe, 8 miles

[About 12 statute miles]

(15) On the Moors behind Embsay (crossed by the "White Doe of Rylstone") is an old pack-horse road and a stone still

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(16) In the Settle district there is a stone between Armitstead and Eldroth, on the old Lancaster Road

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(17) In the other direction from Settle, at Grains Bridge,

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And at Annel Cross, on the slopes of Pendle Hill

Clitheroe, 5. Gisburn, 5

Colne, 6. Burnley, 7

All statute

measure.

(W. Anderton Brigg.)

(18) In the Hodder Valley, between Whalley and Slaidburn,

is a very fine dated stone on a much-frequented road

Lancaster, 16 M.
3 M.

Whalley,

Preston,

IO M.

Gisburn, 8 M.

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Near Sedbergh, on the borders of Yorkshire and Westmorland, I have found two stones. The distances are given in words instead of figures.

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(20) On the main road, Sedbergh to Kirkby Stephen, where the lane to Dowbiggin joins it:

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The moorlands and rough pasture lands lying north of Otley and the Wharfe valley were crossed by pack-horse roads, which have been superseded by good roads that take routes less direct than the old ones. On the old tracks are many old milestones. (21) At Hill Top, on the old Otley-Knaresborough Road, between Farnley and Beckwithshaw

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(22) At the cross-roads east of Red House on Penny Pot Lane, the old road from Skipton to Knaresborough, corresponding roughly with the Roman Road from Ilkley to Aldborough— To Knaresborough, 4 m. [5 statute miles]. (W. Anderton Brigg.)

....

(23) On the Ilkley-Beamsley Road, near the golf links and in the valley, is a well-cut stone, now removed a few yards and used as a gate-post

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(24) This stone is possibly at one end of a track whose other end comes out on the Otley-Blubberhouses Road, where there is a very rough stone—

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? X M.. [4 statute miles] Beamsley Beacon, and near

Wards End Farm, is a stone, now prostrate

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This stone is on an old track called Badger's Gate (Badger= "a trader in corn"-Skeat), and is presumably on the old track from Skipton to the corn-growing districts of Knaresborough and Ripon.

(26) On the Otley-Pateley Bridge Road, at a point marked 575 on the I in. ordnance map, is a stone

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A paved pack-horse track runs here for a short distance.

On the same road, but nearer Otley, is a stone with statute

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The traveller from Otley must have been very much cheered to find that in going 1 miles from a stone marked "Paitley II miles," he had diminished the distance to 6 miles according to the next stone.

A good example of an old pack-horse trade-route is that from Keighley in Airedale to Ripon - following pretty closely the Roman way to Aldborough. The following old milestones occur along its course :

(27) At High Ash, above West Morton, is a stone which formerly stood at the junction of the lane with the BingleySilsden Road

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(28) The old road is completely lost on Morton Moor, and the next stone appears standing in a marshy place in the Moor in the Great Allotment

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(29) Perhaps these cross-roads have been connected laterally with an almost obliterated cross-roads on Hawksworth Moor,

where is a carefully-executed stone still standing. Some of the distances seem to be customary miles and others guesses at statute miles

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Note the colloquial "mile " for "miles."

(30) There is a stone near the top of Alma Hill, above East Morton, where the road enters what was formerly unenclosed moorland

JOHRK, 28 M

....

[from 32 to 34 statute miles to " York "] (31) On the Keighley-Ilkley Road, across Rombalds Moor, below "Weary Hill," is a stone with the figures nearly obliterated—

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(32) Crossing the Wharfe by Ilkley Old Bridge, and ascending past Middleton Lodge, we find a rudely-carved stone

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(33) Following the line of the Roman Road northwards, at the point called Hunger Hill, where we enter Middleton Moor, we cross the old Skipton-Otley track (see No. 24), where is a stone

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The 6 in. ordnance map shows a track running hence northnorth-east across the moor, but it is practically obliterated, and the following three stones on the line of it are all prostrate(34) Bracken Ridge

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The designer of this stone appears to have thought that the letters should read in the direction they refer to rather a Chinese form of reasoning.

There is here a considerable length of track laid with large flat stones.

1 (?) Altered from 5 to 7.

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The wayfarer on this track coming from Keighley would travel 3 miles to the High Ash stone-the stone would say he had travelled 2 miles from Keighley.

Thence, after passing the milestones in the Great Allotment and at Weary Hill, the Middleton Lodge stone (7 miles from Keighley) tells him that he has come only 5 miles from his starting point. The Middleton Lodge stone says that it is 15 miles to Ripon (20 statute miles). Thence to the Hunger Hill stone is I mile, the stone says 12 miles to Ripon (20 statute miles). Thence to the Bracken Ridge stone is 1 miles, the stone says 13 miles to Ripon (18 statute miles). Thence to the Cliffords Bent stone is mile, the stone says II miles to Ripon (18 statute miles), always supposing that the traveller can read backwards.

the inscription

Thence he travelsmile further to Gawk Hall Ridge, and finds that he has lost ground, for the distance to "Rippon" by milestone is still 12 miles (really 18).

There is nothing to show that these stones were not all in position at one time, and they must have been very puzzling. The wayfaring man, though no fool, might have erred therein. Travellers on the Continent are often surprised at the accuracy with which the peasants will give the distance of any place in hours, while ours are often quite at sea as to the distance in miles. Can we wonder when for five or six generations they have been brought up on a system of milestones like the one described above?

There must be many other stones like those recorded above, and I shall be grateful for any information about them before they disappear.

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