Every 5th November, the village of Shebbear in Devon performs a remarkable ancient tradition known as “Turning the Devil’s Stone”. At 8pm, the bell ringers gather to perform the ceremony. They first ring a deliberately discordant peal of bells, believed to frighten away evil spirits. Then, using crowbars, they physically turn the six-foot-long stone.
The legend of turning the Devil’s Stone is steeped in multiple fascinating folklore traditions. Local mythology offers several explanations for the stone’s origin: the Devil dropped it from his pocket while falling from Heaven, St. Michael cast it down during a celestial battle, or it was an altar stone from a pre-Christian religious site.
Villagers firmly believe the Devil is trapped beneath the massive one-ton stone, and that turning it annually prevents misfortune and keeps evil spirits at bay. According to local tradition, the stone takes a full year for the Devil to burrow away from its weight, making the annual turning crucial. If the stone is not turned, disaster is believed to befall the community.
The ritual has profound historical significance. During both World Wars, when the stone was not turned due to most able-bodied men being away, villagers believed immediate misfortune followed. This reinforced the importance of maintaining the annual tradition, which has been passed down through generations, typically from father to son.
The local vicar often recounts the legend or says a prayer, and Morris dancers sometimes perform, adding to the ceremonial atmosphere. This tradition, potentially dating back to pagan times, represents one of the oldest continuous local customs in Northern Europe, symbolising the community’s collective effort to ward off supernatural threats.
The stone itself is a geological curiosity – a glacial erratic made of a type of quartz not found in the local area, measuring approximately six feet by four feet and weighing about a ton. It rests in the village square, beneath an ancient oak tree, waiting for its annual turning.