Other wayside features, stones and finger-posts

As well as the main types of waymarker described on other pages, the Milestone Society and its members are interested in many other types of wayside feature.  Needless to say Yorkshire, as befits England’s largest county, has more than its fair share of all these.  For more information, click on the various links below.
Take-on and take-off stones.  If this were an I-Spy book you would get at least 50 points if you were lucky enough to spot one of these.

Right-of-way stones, such as the Marsden packhorse road stones, subject of a court case in the early 20th century.

Sanctuary stones: these relics of a mediaeval legal system can be found in Beverley and Ripon.

Turbary stones: showing peat-digging rights on the moors, found in the Upper Calder Valley and the Dales.

Village signs, originally put up by the Automobile Association, but now almost a new art form.

Wayside and other crosses: from ancient preaching crosses to mediaeval market crosses, including some on the moors to help travellers on their way.  See also: Mastiles Lane and wayside crosses around Malham

Finger posts: these can be found at road junctions throughout the country, though not all have fingers.  Most old ones have been replaced by those in the modern standard style, but enough interesting older ones can still be found.  See also: Cleckheaton finger-posts

See also:

Spur-stones – nothing to do with milestones (also known as jostle-stones).

IWB: 19th century engineer and graffitist: Isaac Watt Boulton, who carved his initials on stones all over the Peak District.

Other interesting features to be found especially in rural areas reflect the history of our highways: these include toll-houses and will be found in our Roads and Travel section.

RWH / updated April 2025