This is a carving into a large flat stone. It’s on Hathersage Moor, SK 2532 8173, about 150m NNE of the sheepfold. Where the track forks -- left into a two-wheel track down to the road, right towards Higger Tor -- take the right fork. The stone is a few metres after the path crosses a ditch. The carving is in the middle of the path, and quite clear. It’s about 50cm in diameter. I can’t vouch for its prehistoric quality -- is there a modern explanation?
Image credit: Copyright obscureed 2007
It would be a lot of effort to manhandle it, but not impossible -- at a guess, it's 1.5m by 0.7m, at least, and I don't know how thick (it's set into the ground). Thanks for the comment.
It could possibly be a quarrymans boundary marker....similar types of carvings can be found around Gardom's Edge.
Think I might have something of interest : In the c.17th a.d., the royal family was trying to get its finances in order. They did a number of land surveys, primarily to establish boundaries and to ascertain what rents were owed. John Norden's survey of the manor of Easingwold and Huby, to the north-east of York, was conducted on behalf of Prince Charles (soon to be King Charles 1) on "the 30 day of Auguste and other dayes" in 1617.
"...then turne north easte as another olde plowgh goeth unto the south ende of Hesell dike and so along the sayde dike unto a crosse in the grounde at the north side of the same where a bounder stone hath bene that divideth the sayde manor of Sutton from the sayd meerescugh..."
This survey mentions crosses 'in the ground' four times. Whilst on the North York Moors, boundaries were commonly marked by standing crosses, it seems at Easingwold and Huby they marked anything available - at several points, Norden found an "oketree marked with a crosse".
How old? Well, one of the crosses 'in the ground' was described as "newe". So sixteenth or early-seventeenth century a.d. is a reasonable guess.