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Whitby Abbey can be seen in the distance about 1.4 miles away on the headland . The stone on this side of the fence has engraved around the top Little John Close and is in Little John field as named on the OS map. The stone on the other side of the fence has engraved around the top Robin Hood Close and is in Robin Hood field as named on the OS map . These fields are just to the west of Manor House Farm and are at OS Grid Reference NZ 91733 09518. In manuscripts dating from 1713 the fields where known as Little John Closes and Robin Hood Closes so that’s why the stones are so named.
Folklore has it that while Robin Hood and Little John where staying at Whitby Abbey they had an archery contest and the two stones mark where the arrows landed. The stones are not original they were erected in 1903 as replacements for the originals which were probably bronze age standing stones which had been removed. One was removed because it got in the way of farm machinery.
The original stone in Robin Hood field was 1ft square and 4ft high whilst the one in Little John field was cylindrical and 2.5ft high. This stone was last seen in 1937 being used as a field roller at Summerfield Farm just over half a mile to the south .
The photo taken in the second week of June 2013