Popping Stone
Encyclopedia
The Popping Stone is a group of three rounded boulders in the Irthing Gorge near the town of Gilsland
. It was not always this shape, however, and photographs from before 1870 show a single, much larger stone that must have been drastically altered soon after this date. Nearly all written references to the Popping Stone mention various traditions associated with courtship and marriage proposals, and usually repeat the legend of (Sir) Walter Scott
's proposal to Margaret Carpenter there in 1797. Close to the Popping Stone was an ancient, gnarled Hawthorn
tree named the Kissing Bush, but Aln noted that in the early 1940s that this has been cut down.
Gilsland
Gilsland is a village in northern England about west of Hexham, and about east of Carlisle, which straddles the border between Cumbria and Northumberland...
. It was not always this shape, however, and photographs from before 1870 show a single, much larger stone that must have been drastically altered soon after this date. Nearly all written references to the Popping Stone mention various traditions associated with courtship and marriage proposals, and usually repeat the legend of (Sir) Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
's proposal to Margaret Carpenter there in 1797. Close to the Popping Stone was an ancient, gnarled Hawthorn
Common Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna, known as common hawthorn or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of hawthorn native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia. It has been introduced in many other parts of the world where it is an invasive weed...
tree named the Kissing Bush, but Aln noted that in the early 1940s that this has been cut down.