Friday, July 17, 2020

The Judith Stone near East Farndon


The Judith Stone stands, or squats, in a field near East Farndon, a Northamptonshire village to the south of Market Harborough in peril of being absorbed into Market Harborough. They call it Little Bowden Syndrome.

Geologists maintain that it is a glacial erratic - a stone differing in size and type from those found in the area because a retreating glacier left it there when the Ice Age went out of fashion.

Historians say Judith was a niece of William the Conqueror and was granted land hereabouts. And. as a local landmark, the stone was used as a boundary marker.

I visited it decades ago and was back there again today. I found the East Farndon Psychogeographical Society (Ovine Division) holding a meeting when I arrived. 

Could I arrange for Iain Sinclair to come and address them? they asked. Or maybe John Rogers?

I also found that some joker had left a slice of  a quartzite rock next to it.


2 comments:

Melvyn Forman said...

The 'quartzite' stone is a salt-mineral lick for the sheep!

Jonathan Calder said...

So it was the sheep. Thanks.