Datestone
Embedded stone with date carved into it
A datestone is typically an embedded stone with the date of engraving and other information carved into it. They are not considered a very reliable source for dating a house, as instances of old houses being destroyed and rebuilt with the old date stones intact have been reported, or may in some cases be the date of a renovation or alteration.
Specific locations have often been chosen for datestones, viz.
- corbel
- gable stone
- gatepost, a large upright piece of (usually) granite, usually set at the entrance to a driveway or a field
- keystone
- lintel
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Datestone”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Datestone - geograph.org.uk - 220616.jpg by Neil Lewin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
