62540 The Drake Stone is a piece of sedimentary rock which was moved to five locations around the church. It is a possible glacial erratic. The original site of the Drake Stone was half a mile to the north west of the church, but it was moved by a nineteenth century vicar. {1} There is a long standing tradition that this stone has formed part of a chambered tomb. Indeed, although no evidence survives in ths stone itself, or at its find site, both the stone's name (meaning dragon) and the stories that it marked the site of buried treasure suggest that it may have come from a burial mound. Dragons in folklore are the guardians of treasure which was commonly thought to be in these mounds. It is also suggested that it may have been the focus for a second barrow cemetery in Anwick. {2} There are a number of stories regarding this stone (or stones - it appears to have been one glacial boulder which split in two at some point). One tells of a man who lost his plough and horses to quicksand which had appeared in his field. A drake (male duck) flew out of the hole where the team had disappeared and flew away quacking. The next morning the field was back to normal but for a slight depression with a boulder in the middle of it which was shaped like a drake's head, hence the stone was called the Drake Stone. Anther story tells of treasure to be found under the stone and of the exceptional bad luck encountered by anyone trying to find it. A drake (male duck?) was seen flying from the stone during the treasure-hunting attempts. In this account, the drake is the guardian-spirit of the stone. Another story tells that after the stone was moved to its present location by the church, it was noticed that every morning two drakes (male ducks) could be seen sheltering beneath it, and so it became known as the Drake Stone. These stories suggest that the name refers to a drake ie male duck rather than a dragon, and in one account it is referred to as the 'Duck and Drake Stones'. {4} The stone was moved to its present location in the 1920s by the Rev. Dodsworth, vicar of Anwick, who had it unearthed after it had been buried to prevent it being an obstruction to ploughing. There are several photographs of the stone being dug up and moved. {4}