The Westford Knight is alternately perceived as a carving, a natural feature, or a combination of both, found on a glacial boulder in Westford, Massachusetts in the United States. It is notable for being the subject of controversial speculation that it is evidence of exploration of North America by Europeans prior to Christopher Columbus. Such evidence is not currently accepted by many archaelogists and historians.
The rock is located along Depot Road in the town of Westford, just north of the town center. It is inconspicuous, situated along the side of the road and surrounded by a small chain fence. Next to the rock is a small monument commemorating the "inscription".
Description
The rock and carving were discovered in the late 19th century by a local landowner, who cleared the area around the rock. The rock is embedded in the ground and highly eroded. An apparent T-shaped inscription is prominently visible on the rock. Additional scratches and lines cover the rock. Those who advocate the view that it is a human figure claim to see a full figure, resembling a Medieval knight, with a sword and shield.
The common interpretation by those who advocate that the feature on the rock is a human figure is that it commemorates a fallen member of the party of Henry Sinclair, a Scottish knight whom some believe to have made a voyage to the New World in 1398, traveling to Nova Scotia and New England. The existence of such a voyage is not accepted by mainstream archaeologists and historians. Usually it is claimed that the knight is Sir James Gunn , a member of Clan Gunn and a Knight Templar who reportedly traveled with Sinclair. The monument next to the "knight" commemorates this interpretation, stating as fact that Sinclair and his party traveled to present-day Massachusetts. Believers in this theory often cite the Newport Tower in Newport, Rhode Island as further evidence to support their claim.
Such claims are rejected as pseudoarchaeology by many mainstream historians. A recent investigation of the rock by archaeologist David K. Schafer at Harvard University [1] concluded that except for the "sword handle", which is definitely a punch carving, the entire feature consists of naturally-formed scratches caused by glaciation. The local town historian of Westford has claimed that there is evidence that the T-shaped inscription was made in the late 19th century. Furthermore, historians believe that the area around the rock has undergone erosion since the clearing of trees in the 18th century, and that during the time of the alleged voyage by Sinclair, the rock was probably in a hardwood forest covered by 3-4 ft (1-1.3 m) of earth. Moreover, the area of Westford is inland and not easily accessible by water, making it highly improbable that any nautical voyage would venture there.
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