Of the same ilk as the mysteriously twirling Hunter’s Stone featured in the chapter concerning ‘Military Manifestations & Ghostly Soldiers’ and the Nichol Stone commemorating a roadside murder committed in 1826, the haunting attributes of which are described in ‘Haunted Highways’, another roadside stone with a dark reputation is the ‘Plague Cross’ situated a mile and a quarter from Bedale on the Crakehall road.
A round stone socket supporting a portion of a plain stone shaft, also known as the ‘White Cross’ this verge monument is said to have marked the spot where neighbouring villagers would meet to exchange goods during the time of the Black Death. Leaving money in a bowl of vinegar, as it was believed that this would disinfect the coins and help prevent the spread of infection, the Plague Cross has also been associated with an alternate market site for Bedale during an outbreak of cattle disease in the Mediaeval period. Whatever supposition is true, the stone certainly holds some past sinister connotations and a reminder of bleaker times.