Friday 7 August 2015

Peter's Stone



Peter's Stone is a mass of limestone which has slipped downhill on a clay layer in Cressbrook Dale.  Once called the Gibbet Stone as the bodies of executed criminals were displayed there. In ancient Greek, a rock was called "petros"; the Bible claims that Jesus called his disciple Simon "The Rock" or literally "Peter" in Greek. It is likely that the change from "Gibbet" to "Peter's" Stone is an example of the 19th century effort to erase barbaric or rude place names when guide books and ordnance maps were compiled. In this case the result is to call the site in effect "stone stone" but to link it to the New Testament.

Information from http://www.peakscan.freeuk.com/faq_s___peak_district.htm
 
Video footage by Nigel Ayers, 1989,

Music from Nocturnal Emissions "Spiritflesh"

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