MSO6885 - Possible standing stone west of Aldermans Barrow (Monument)

An alleged standing stone is of doubtful antiquity but has a letter 'F' on its southwest face, formed by drilled holes infilled with lead pellets. It may have been confused with one of the stones forming Madacombe stone row.

SS 8353 4230 Stone. There is no trace of a stone at SS 833 425, the grid reference originally given in the Somerset SMR. A stone located at SS 8353 4230, some 300 metres to the southeast, is the only stone in the vicinity. It is situated on a slight southwest facing slope covered by heather and rough grassland at about 443 metres Ordnance Datum, some 140 metres almost due west of Aldermans Barrow (MSO6730). It is a loose, though earthfast, fine grained shaley sandstone slab which is 0.25 metres in maximum height, 0.45 metres wide and 0.1 metres thick. Its southwest face has been defaced by several small drilled holes infilled with air gun pellets to form the letter `F'. It is of doubtful antiquity. [1] Fowler's National Grid Reference is incorrect. He applies a number 11 to the stone but subsequently, in his published article, applies 11 and the identical Somerset SMR reference (PRN 34581) to the Madacombe stone row (MSO6883). It is deduced that the stone he was referring to was part of the row, the rest of which had not then been identified. [2] The area was a military range during World War Two. [3] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [4]