Devil’s Stone

Shebbear, a small village in Devon, England, has an interesting tradition that takes place once a year on an autumn night. At 8 pm on November 5th, locals gather in the village square, where a one-tonne rock known as the Devil's Stone lies.

According to local tradition, the stone must be turned over yearly to prevent disasters. The story behind the tradition suggests that during a fight with God or the Archangel Michael, the Devil dropped the stone on himself and was flattened beneath it. The reason for turning the stone is that it supposedly takes the Devil a whole year to dig through, and therefore, each year the stone must be flipped again, re-trapping him.

The church bells are rung wildly, dispelling evil spirits and gathering villagers and visitors. A select group of villagers, often the bell ringers, then make their way to the Devil's Stone and, with the aid of crowbars and the cheers of the gathered crowd, turn it, sealing Satan once again.

Beside the Devil's Stone you will find the dent where the stone rested the previous year.