Folklore

The last felon to be gibbeted in Derbyshire

22nd November 2017 by

In March 1815, Anthony Lingard of Litton was convicted at Derby Assises of the murder of Hannah Oliver, tollhouse keeper at Wardlow Mires. He was hanged at Derby Jail, and by order of the judge, Sir John Bailey, his body was gibbeted (hung on public display) here at Peter’s Stone in Cressbrookdale, half a mile from his home – and less than half a mile from the scene of his crime. This was the last gibbeting to take place in Derbyshire, and gave Peter’s Stone a new nickname – Gibbet Rock.

The gibbeting attracted many sightseers – booths and stalls were put up in order to accommodate them.

Anthony’s motive for murder was that in addition to being poor he had a pregnant girlfriend. Instrumental to his arrest and conviction was the pair of red shoes he’d stolen from his victim. The cordwainer who had made them, Samuel Marsden of Stoney Middleton, was able to identify them during the trial as Mrs Oliver’s.

The Peter Stone from the lane between Wardlow Mires and Litton

A Peak District Mermaid

15th November 2017 by

Blake Mere, high on Morridge a little over a mile from Longnor, is said to be bottomless. If you gaze upon its surface, especially around midnight, a mermaid will rise from the depths, combing her hair. She will call to you, but you’d be ill advised to walk to the water’s edge and approach her. There’s an old local rhyme:

She calls on you to greet her,

Combing her dripping crown,

And if you go to meet her,

She ups and drags you down.

There have been many unexplained deaths at Blake Mere. Of course, you might not see the mermaid. Even at midnight, you might only see an arm rising from the middle of the water, beckoning you slowly and hypnotically.

The Nine Ladies of Stanton Moor

15th November 2017 by

One Saturday evening in May, a young woman chose to celebrate her betrothal by taking eight of her friends from Stanton to dance in a clearing on the moor. A fiddler arrived and agreed to play for them. Their merrymaking continued after sunset and into the hours of darkness, and the nine ladies and the fiddler paid no heed when the church clock chimed midnight. But dancing on Sunday was a sin, so as the nine ladies danced around in a circle they were turned to stone, and there they stand today. Ninety feet away from the circle is another stone, which people call The Fiddler.

For more about this story (and other traditional Peak District folktales) see:

Mark P. Henderson, Folktales of the Peak District, Amberley Publishing, 2011.

Stone Sisters

13th November 2017 by

On Stanton Moor is a circle of small stones, which according to legend are petrified dancers. The women had been celebrating a wedding in the village one Saturday, and after the ceremony a mysterious fiddler offered to play for them on the edge of the moor while they continued to dance. The fiddler was so hypnotically gifted that the ladies were carried away in their enjoyment – to the extent that they failed to notice when midnight arrived. They were duly punished for dancing on the Sabbath.

Some distance from the circle is another stone, called the king stone or the fiddler – the petrified ghost of the musician.

Dovedale Family Trail: Lover’s Leap

23rd August 2016 by

This area is known as Lover’s Leap. Read out loud to your group and tell them how this spot got its name.

Lover’s Leap is said to named after an accident that happened here nearly 300 years ago during the Napoleonic Wars. A young woman heard that her boyfriend had been killed. She was so upset that she climbed to the top of Lover’s Leap and threw herself off. Luckily, she survived the fall.

What do you think saved her? Ask your group.

a) Her billowing skirt got caught in the branches

b) Her long hair got caught on a rock

c) She landed at the bottom on her feet

If you’re using a mobile device, press ‘Tell Me More’ to see the answer.

Folklore

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