Have you ever spotted the Devil’s Toenail?

Image: @haartbedford on Instagram

There are loads of historic sites all over the county of Bedfordshire, from the steps at Luton Hoo where Winston Churchill gave speeches in war time to the collection that can be seen at Shuttleworth and the former home of Catherine of Aragon after her exile from Henry VIII’s court, history is everywhere here. One piece of history you might not have noticed however is the Devil’s Toenail.

The Devil’s Toenail is very well hidden, so it is no surprise if you’ve not stumbled across it. If you head to the village of Marston Moretaine, visit St Mary’s Church and explore the village, you might just spot a small Neolithic standing stone. The stone, known locally as the Devil’s Toenail is a bit of a mystery, firstly, standing stones are traditionally thought of as being Celtic, so finding one in this region is unusual, secondly, there is just the one stone rather than a collection like you might find elsewhere.

The stone is believed to be from the Neolithic period, dating back to around 4,500 BC and measures around half a meter high. It is actually part of the Listed Building Register and is listed as being a Grade II listed monument. Local historians have suggested that rather than being part of a stone circle, like you might spot at Stonehenge, it is likely the remains of a medieval cross, so where does the name come from? Well, that might be something to do with the various local stories about the Devil and his fascination with the village of Marston Moretaine.

Earlier, we mentioned St Mary’s Church, which is next to where the stone can be found. The church rather unusually has a bell tower that is separate from the church. The reason for this features in another story of the devil being in Marston Moretaine. The tale goes that the devil tried to take the church tower, but found it too heavy and dropped it which is why it is separate to the main building. Just south of the village is the Devil’s Jumps, another stone which has links back to the devil appearing in Marston Moretaine. According to the story, the owner of the field broke the Sabbath by playing a game similar to leap-frog known as ‘jumps’. It is said that the Devil leapt from the church tower to the stone pounced on him and took him to hell, this in turn could have inspired the name of an inn that once stood in the area which was named The Jumps.

The village of Marston Moretaine is actually very picturesque, so we’re not sure what use the devil could have found for it, but there you go! Should you want something spooky to do this autumn, head to the village and hunt for the Devil’s Toenail!