Isle of Oxney

Above image showing the Isle of Oxney stone.

Stone-in-Oxney is situated near the Kent/Sussex border at the southern end of the “Island” of Oxney, which was an historic island, but is now surrounded by farmland. Overlooking Romney Marsh, the ancient parish church of St Mary the Virgin stands on a prominent position with wide-ranging views over the surrounding countryside.

The village of Stone has about 180 houses and, with the neighbouring hamlet of Ebony, makes up the Parish of Stone-cum-Ebony, one of the parishes which form part of the area within Ashford Borough Council.

“Oxney” means island of bulls and it is believed that the church stands on the site of a Roman Mithraic temple. The cult of Mithras involved the sacrifice of bulls. The altar stone from the temple can still be seen at the back of the church and this may be the origin of the name of the village.

Originally the "Black Ox" the premises is now known as the "Ferry Inn" as recently as May 1937, a whole ox was roasted to celebrate the Coronation of King George VI.

The local community magazine is “Outlook on Oxney”, which publishes ten issues a year and contains much additional information about activities in Stone, Ebony and Wittersham.

The "Black Ox" on the Isle of Oxney once possessed a curious stone, which was used for tethering customers' horses. This was actually part of a Roman Mithraic altar, and had a carved representation of a bull on its side. In 1926 the stone was returned to the parish church from whence it was cast two centuries before.

Once local David Horne says the following:- As a boy in the 1950's, living in Stone-in-Oxney, our Sunday School Teacher told us that The Mithras altar had been brought to Stone from "a place near Dover" a few hundred years ago.

I have just added this pub to that list but your help is definitely needed regarding it's history.

As the information is found or sent to me, including photographs, it will be shown here.

Thanks for your co-operation.

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