datestone

{{redirect|Date stone|the stone found in the centre of the fruit of date palms|Drupe}}

Image:Datestone.jpg

File:Datestone - geograph.org.uk - 220616.jpg

A datestone is typically an embedded stone with the date of engraving and other information carved into it. They are not considered a very reliable source for dating a house, as instances of old houses being destroyed and rebuilt (with the old date stones intact) have been reported, or may in some cases be the date of a renovation or alteration.{{cite book |last= Lindop|first=Roy |date=1975 |title=Stories of Turton Date Stones |publisher=Turton Local History Society |page=2 |isbn=978-1-904974-01-7 }}

Specific locations have often been chosen for datestones, viz.

• corbel
• gable stone
• Gatepost: a large upright piece of (usually) granite, usually set at the entrance to a driveway or a field.
• keystone
• lintel