Robin Hood and Little John
Dubious Standing Stones
West of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire  OS Map Ref TL13969840
OS Maps - Landranger 142 (Peterborough), Explorer 227 (Peterborough)

Little John in the foreground with Robin Hood just beyond to the southwest.

Robin Hood seen from above. The stone measures about 35cm by 30cm across with an indentation in the top.

This site consists of a pair of squat standing stones set in long grass close to the River Nene that according to legend were the draughts from arrows shot by Robin Hood and Little John from the church at Alwalton while another story states that they were erected as a tribute to Edmund the Martyr, King of East Anglia who was killed by Danish invaders in 870AD. This might lead us to presume that they are no earlier than the Middle Ages, however as they are close to, and roughly aligned on, the Roman camp of Durobrivae there is the possibility that they could date from this earlier Roman occupation of the area, perhaps marking a crossing point over the river. What is more intriguing though is that the stone circle expert Dr. Aubrey Burl believes that they formed part of a prehistoric stone alignment. While this is a tempting proposition the shape and finishing of the stones would seem to make this unlikely as they both have a very square to rectangular form (measuring about 30-35cm) and both display an indentation on their flat tops. Could it be that they are simply Medieval cross bases, designed to take a wooden cross?

Back to Map | Home | Full Glossary | Links | Email: chriscollyer@stone-circles.org.uk