A boundary stone that had been buried for several hundred years is once again standing near its original spot.

The stone dates from the 15th or 16th centuries and once marked the boundary between the parishes of Cropredy and Wardington, in north Oxfordshire.

It was discovered by local farmer Brian Cannon in October 2001 during roadside ditch clearing work by Oxfordshire County Council.

The stone measures 5ft by 6ft by 6ins, and, to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee year, has been placed on the grass verge of Williamscot Road, Cropredy, close to where it was found. Mr Cannon, who farms at Great Bourton, near Banbury, said: "When I first noticed the top of the stone, I realised it might be a parish marker. I consulted old maps and discovered that the stone was found where the Cropredy boundary used to be."

He said: "The ditch clearers went a lot deeper than they had before, and uncovered the top of it."

He contacted Cropredy parish councillor David Cherry who spent days digging the stone out -- a difficult task because the site was below the level of the nearby river, and excavations filled up with water.

Mr Cannon offered an explanation why the stone had been hidden so far below the surface.

He said: "It could be that the river was re-aligned when the water mill south of Cropredy was built hundreds of years ago. A dam was created and the river level and surrounding land raised.

"Before that, the river at Cropredy would have been crossed by a ford and stepping stones, not the bridge that is there now."

Mr Cannon added: "During these works the stone would have been buried."