The Old Wife’s Neck – Sneaton Moor

 The Old Wife’s Neck is a short standing stone located on Sneaton Low Moor, 5 miles to the south of Whitby.

  This is another North Yorks Moors location associated with the folklore figure of the ‘Old Wife’ (see also The Old Wife of Lund Ridge). It also continues the Old Wife’s association with prehistoric sites, as this stone is part of an ancient bank and ditch earthwork running across the moor. Four parallel banks run for 750m on an east/west alignment, with several upright stones located along the banks. More stones are said to have existed on the banks in the past but these have since been removed. It has also been suggested that a stone row may have originally stood on the same alignment, and these stones were incorporated into the later earthworks.

Cailleach an Dùdain (Old Woman of the Mill Dust)

The legendary ‘Old Wife‘ figure of the North York Moors seems to have had a sister further north who was known as the ‘Cailleach’ (both their names meaning ‘The Old Woman’), who was celebrated in music, song, and dance. Cailleach an Dùdain (Old Woman of the Mill Dust) is an old tune for pipes or fiddle, which was noted in the Scottish Highlands and Islands in the mid 1700’s. The dance and tune were thought to be long forgotten, however, folk dance researchers (Flett, 1956) were able to record a version of it from an old crofter on Benbecula in 1953. The words to the tune did not survive so well, but some verses were recorded by Alexander Carmichael in his Carmina Gadelica (Carmichael, 1900).

Have a listen, and picture the lively scenes played out in those remote crofts and barns all those years ago…..

This was the tune to which the Dannsa Na Cailleach – the ‘Dance of the Old Woman’ was performed (an interesting topic for another time). The tune being played on the pipes or fiddle, or if an instrument was not available, then someone would sing the tune ‘Purt a Beul’ style.
Although the words to the tune as recorded by Carmichael seem quite simplistic, there are hints that they held a deeper significance for the dancers and for those watching ……

The Hob -Thrush of Over Silton

Over Silton village is located on the edge of the Hambleton Hills, 5 miles to the east of Northallerton.

Hidden in the woods to the north of the village stands a high crag, which was once believed to be the the home of a Hobthrush – a supernatural dwarf-like being. A small cave half way up the crag was called Hobthrush Hall or Hobby’s Hall. The cave is marked on the old OS maps as ‘Hobbrush Hole’, but this is perhaps how the name was recorded from the local accent.

Writing in the mid 1800’s, William Grainge noted that ….

“In the precipitous cliffs, a short distance north-west of the village, called ‘the Scarrs,’ is a cave in the rock, known by the name of Hobthrush Hall, which was formerly the abode of a goblin of somewhat remarkable character, who appears by the stories yet current relating to him, to have been possessed of great agility, as he was in the habit of jumping from the hills above his dwelling to the top of Carlhow Hill, about half amile distant. He was not of the malignant kind. On the contrary he was one of those friendly to man. The Silton goblin was a true and faithful servant to a person named Weighall, who kept the village inn, and rented the land on which his hall was situate. It was Hob’s invariable practice to churn the cream during the night, which was prepared for him the evening before, for which his reward was a large slice of bread and butter, always placed ready for him when the family retired to bed, and always gone in the morning. One night, the cream was put into the churn as usual, but no bread and butter placed beside it. Hob was so disgusted with this piece of base ingratitude, that he never came to churn more, and appears to have entirely left the neighbourhood. His dwelling yet remains, a rugged cave among the rocks, dark, wet, and uncomfortable, but extending a considerable distance underground.”

The Devil’s Missing Arrows

The three large standing stones known as the Devil’s Arrows stand in fields to the west of Boroughbridge. When the antiquarian John Leland visited the town around the year 1540, there was a fourth stone located next to the central one. His description of the stones (from north to south) runs ….

“A little without this town on the west part of Watling Street standith 4 great maine stones wrought above in conum (tapering) by man’s hand. They be set in 3 several fields at this time. The first is a 20 foot by estimation in height, and 18 foot in cumpace. The stone toward the ground is sum-what square, and so up to the middle, and then wrought with certain rude boltells (fluting) in conum. But the very top is broken of 3 or 4 foot by estimation. The other 2 of like shape stand in another field a good bow shot off and the one of them is bigger than the other : and they stand within a 6 or 8 foot one of the other. The fourth standith in a several field a good stone cast from the other 2, and is bigger and higher than any of the other 3. I esteem it to the weight of a 5 wain loads or more.”

The Broxa Spring – Broxa

The hamlet of Broxa is located five miles to the west of Scarborough.

Take a look at any OS map and it will usually mark the location of several wells and springs. Many of these will be unnamed, while a few will have descriptive names such as the ‘Cold Well’, or perhaps refer to the owner e.g. ‘Peggy West’s Well’. Rarer still are those marked as holy wells, or with names referring to some folklore character such as ‘Robin Hood’s Well’. A small number of springs and wells are named after their location or the nearest village, which might not be unexpected, however in some cases the ‘village well’ naming seems to point to the well having some unusual property. The Ebbing and Flowing Well at Giggleswick was referred to in an old document as the ‘Giggleswick Spring’. ‘Redmire well’ was a healing sulphur spring, Cawton spring well is a holy well, Newtondale Spring is an very impressive chalybeate spring. This type of naming seems to point to a ‘special’ spring which the village was known for over a wider local area. When ‘Broxa Spring’ was noted on the OS map it was decided to visit the site and test this theory.