Devil's Arrows

Reach back in time and wonder at the mysterious Devil’s Arrows, three huge standing stones on the western outskirts of Boroughbridge that cast their shadow over the surrounding landscape!

These mighty pillars of rock are among the least understood and most neglected historic monuments in Britain. Just outside the town, they form some of the earliest evidence of occupation in the area and may date back 4000 years to early Bronze Age man – these three standing stones were probably once part of a 5 stone row, the materials for which were originally believe to have been dragged from Plumpton Rocks about 9 miles away.

What their purpose is, who placed them and when, have been matters of conjecture for hundreds of years – and are still today. Local legend, however, tells a story of how the Devil aimed to throw them at the neighbouring village of Aldborough in a fit of rage but missed and they landed instead in Boroughbridge.

Update 2026

This year a team of scientists announced the results of detailed analysis of the stones, and we now know these rocks were transported all the way from Brimham Rocks, in Nidderdale.  The lost fourth stone is now known to have been carved into a commemorative cross in the nearby village of Aldborough.