The Fairies Parlour cave – Sutton Bank

 The Fairies Parlour cave is located below the White Mare Crags (Whitestone Cliff) on Sutton Bank, 5 miles to the east of Thirsk.

 In his book Vallis Eboracensis, Thomas Gill described his visit and exploration of this small cave, known locally as the Fairies Parlour.

  “In an almost inaccessible part of the rock is a large cave called “The Fairies’ Parlour.” The place is somewhat difficult of access, but when attained it will amply repay the adventurer for his trouble. The parlour or cave is a natural formation. A large crevice of the rock forms the entrance, after which you descend a rugged cliff of three yards perpendicular rock. Another descent of two yards or so, introduces you to the area of the cave, with a projecting arch of twenty or thirty feet in height, very spacious, and running in a parallel line some twenty or thirty yards, with streaks of light glimmering into it through the narrow fissures of the rock. The mythology of the district declares it to have been the retreat of the giants, ……” (Gill, 1852)

The Lost Stone Circle – Brimham Rocks

 Around the year 1785, the antiquarian Hayman Rooke visited Brimham Rocks in search of ‘Druidic monuments’. As an early archaeologist, Rooke was following the current theory that stone circles, standing stones and other rock features were erected by the ancient Britons and their Druid priests. He presented his findings to the Society of Antiquaries in 1786, and a report appeared in the societies Archaeologia journal. (Rooke, 1787).

 In his report Rooke speculated that some of the naturally eroded crags and boulders at Brimham may have been adapted by the Druids for their religious practices, such as the oddly shaped Idol Rock, the group of Four Rocking Stones, and the Cannon Rocks etc. Amongst his speculations, Rooke also mentions that ….
“About eighty yards S. W. of the oracular stone, or great cannon, is a large tumulus of earth and stones one hundred and fifty feet in circumference : on the west side there seems to have been a little ditch and vallum, which probably enclosed the tumulus, and may have been destroyed for the repair of walls and roads, a thing which too frequently happens to these ancient monuments. About a quarter of a mile farther to the west is a Druid circle, with a vallum of earth and stones, thirty feet diameter. It is exactly of the same construction as those on Stanton Moor, in the Peak of Derbyshire. There are likewise several small tumuli. Thirteen of them are ranged in a kind of circle, the largest not above eighteen feet diameter. They are formed of earth and large stones. Two of these I opened; towards the bottom, the effects of fire appeared on the stones, and ashes were scattered about, but there were no urns to be found.”

God Jul – Good Yule

 These happy little fella’s in a barn with a big bowl of creamy porridge are the Jultomten (Yule Tomten). A bowl of porridge was left out for them on Christmas eve in thanks for their help during the year.  The Tomten of Sweden and the Nisse of Denmark / Norway seem to be relatives of the Hobs of northern England, and probably share a common origin.

The Tomten were originally quite dark and aggressive figures protecting farms and dwellings, but they evolved during the late 1800’s into much more jolly fellows delivering presents at Christmas. This transformation continued with one little chap becoming human sized and dressed all in red – the generic image of Santa Claus that we have today, while the original Tomten became Santa’s little helpers.

These old Christmas cards by the artist Jenny Nyström capture some of the old Scandinavian Yule tide beliefs.

Wassail to all the good folk out there

Image credits Jenny Nyström   http://jennynystromsbilder.kalmarlansmuseum.se/

Boggart Crag – Brimham Rocks

 Brimham Rocks are a large group of weathered crags and outcrops located near Pateley Bridge, 8 miles to the north-west of Harrogate.

 The rocks are spread across a wide hill top on Brimham Moor, which overlooks the Nidd valley to the south. A series of paths link the numerous crags, rock outcrops, and boulders stacks, which cover about 1 square km of the moorland heath on the hill. Some of the rocks have been shaped by nature to resemble various animals and objects, and these have been given names such as the Dancing Bear, Cannon Rocks, and the Yoke of Oxen, etc. Some of these names date back to at least the mid 1700’s when the site began to attract visitors, and local guides started naming the rocks.

 A line of low cliffs and rock outcrops run along the western edge of the site, and towards its northern end, the first edition OS map (1854) marks one outcrop as the ‘Boggart Crag’. The name does not appear on later maps, or in any of the guides to the site, which suggests that it was an earlier name used locally for that particular crag. The oddly shaped rock known as the Druid’s Writing Desk is also located on the top of Boggart Crag, and this rock stands out on the horizon when viewed from the lower ground to the west. The stones prominent position on the skyline may have led to the belief that there was something uncanny about the misshapen rock and the crag that it stands on.

Fairy Cave – Skirethorns

 Skirethorns is a small hamlet, near Grassington, in the Yorkshire Dales.

 To the west of Skirethorns, a narrow lane winds its way up through Skirethorns Wood, and then through a gap in the limestone hills, to reach an area known as The Heights, with Malham Moor continuing further west. On the south side of the lane, a series of limestone scars rise up to form a low hill, which has a large cave opening on its west facing slopes. This is Height Cave or Fairy Cave, and was also known as Calf Hole. The wide entrance to the cave is divided by a limestone pillar, while at the back of the cave, a low passage extends into the hill. After 10m or so this passage becomes blocked with mud and silt, but it is thought to extend further into the hill, possibly connecting to other chambers and passages.