From Drainage to Divination: The Cheshire Stone’s Secrets

I recently stumbled upon the theory that a stone – the Cheshire, or perhaps the Cheddar Stone as some insist on calling it – perched on on the edge of Urra Moor, has a natural basin which has been carefully modified in prehistoric times by the addition of a notch to channel the water outflow towards Garfit Gap and the Wainstones. As if that were not enough, the authors of this intriguing theory assert that the whole thing aligns perfectly with the Summer Solstice sunset. How convenient. One could almost imagine some ancient surveyor squinting through the haze, ensuring his drainage system was also a celestial event¹Smith, Brain A. & Walker Alan. A. “Rock Art and Ritual”. Pages 67, 129. The History Press. 2011. .

Garfit Gap, they postulate, with its prehistoric rock art, is apparently where the land and sky are in a cosmic balance, a place of deep significance for those early farmers. The choice of stones there, they suggest, reveals something profound about their cosmology. I must confess, I feel no stirring of belief at these grand proclamations. An interesting aside for sure, but surely, such a neat alignment is more a stroke of luck than design. Yet, perhaps one fine evening on the Solstice I shall trot up there, squint at the horizon, and find myself suddenly awash in ancient wisdom.

What does fascinate me, however, is the name: Cheshire or Cheddar Stone. Cheese, naturally, comes to mind. A foodstuff long cloaked in mystery. The medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen, that font of sage advice, likened cheesemaking to the miracle of life itself, and the early modern world flirted with the notion that the universe might be a curdled creation. Cheese, of course, had other magical properties. The art of ‘tyromancy’ – yes, divination by cheese – was once popular, while blessed cheese could unmask thieves, as guilty parties were said to choke on it. Witches, too, had their way with cheese, using it for mischievous spells, transforming their victims or, heaven forbid, spoiling milk²Stanmore, Tabitha. 2021. ‘The Spellbinding History of Cheese and Witchcraft’, The Conversation <https://theconversation.com/the-spellbinding-history-of-cheese-and-witchcraft-153221> [accessed 4 October 2024].

So, could this sandstone boulder have once been linked to such enchanted dairy products? Probably not. A connection between cheese and cosmic significance is perhaps too much of a stretch. Maybe the Wainstones were not the intersection of two cosmic realms after all, but the perfect spot for a morsel of Camembert to commune with the heavens.

• 1
  Smith, Brain A. & Walker Alan. A. “Rock Art and Ritual”. Pages 67, 129. The History Press. 2011.
• 2
  Stanmore, Tabitha. 2021. ‘The Spellbinding History of Cheese and Witchcraft’, The Conversation <https://theconversation.com/the-spellbinding-history-of-cheese-and-witchcraft-153221> [accessed 4 October 2024]