Researchers have confirmed that the stones forming the Devil's Arrows, Britain's tallest standing stone alignment near Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, were deliberately transported by Neolithic people rather than carried by glaciers. Isotopic analysis published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A traced the stones to Brimham Rocks, roughly 18 kilometres (11 miles) away, rather than the closer Plumpton Rocks, settling a long-standing question about the monument's origins. The finding adds to a growing body of evidence, including recent work on Stonehenge, showing that prehistoric communities were capable of moving multi-tonne stones across considerable distances as part of elaborate ceremonial undertakings.

The Devil's Arrows consist of three surviving stones, the tallest standing 6.85 metres (22.5 feet), and are thought to have been positioned to align with the southernmost summer moonrise. Researchers, including co-author Jim Leary of the University of York, note that each stone weighed around 25 tonnes. Additional evidence, such as a 2025 geophysical survey revealing magnetic disturbances and possible stone sockets, suggests the alignment may once have extended further north, possibly serving as markers along the ancient Great North Route, with historical records mentioning a fourth stone that had toppled by the early 1600s.