Welcome..
Hello. I offer you a warm welcome to my site! I’m a one man (and dog) project working to keep the traditions of the humble Whitby snakestone alive. I work day to day as a fossil preparator for a local Whitby fossil shop located on the stunning North Yorkshire coast in England. The seaside town of Whitby is known for many things (Dracula, fish & chips and Whitby Abbey), but being the geological hotspot of this Jurassic stretch of coastline is a major draw for thousands of visitors each year. It is the abundance of Jurassic aged fossils that make this area a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and a World Heritage site. Local fossil ammonites and the famous Whitby Abbey have been traditionally linked for over a thousand years. I use various mechanical tools to carve snake heads onto ammonites - keeping this iconic local legend alive..
Folklore..
The legend of the Whitby snakestone dates back to the 7th century and the story of the Saxon Abbess Saint Hilda (614-680). St Hilda was charged with founding and building an Abbey on the top of a cliff in Whitby. The area however, was infested with many, many snakes. During early Saxon times, Christians feared snakes as they associated them with the Devil. Before the sacred abbey could be built, the snakes had to be removed. St Hilda cast a spell upon the snakes turning them to stone, throwing them from the cliff top to the beach bellow. She was then able to build Whitby Abbey.
The Victorian era during the 19th century saw a huge boom in tourism in Whitby. Enterprising locals would carve snakeheads onto ammonites and sell them as souvenirs to tourists - helping to spread the myth.
This tale of local folklore has been a part of Whitby history ever since.