The Giant’s Grave – East Barnby

The hamlet of East Barnby is located four miles to the west of Whitby.

A solitary standing stone known as Wade’s Stone stands in a field to the north of the hamlet. Wade was a legendary giant who lived on the North York Moors, along with his wife Bell – who was also known as the ‘Old Wife’ in local folklore. The Standing stone is located on a low ridge which comes to a slightly raised and rounded end, 50m south of the stone. The stone itself is unusual in that it seems to have been a column of softer sandstone encased in ‘Crow Stone’ – a hard white flint (or Ganister), some of which still clings to the surface.

  The antiquary John Leland, writing in the late 1500’s noted that …

“Mougreve Castelle stondith on upon a craggy hille: and on each side of it is an hille far higher then that whereon the castelle stondith on. The north hille on the toppe of it hath certen stones communely caullid Waddes Grave, whom the people there say to have bene a gigant and owner of Mougreve.”

Buckingham’s Stone – Bilsdale

Buckingham’s Stone is located in Tarn Hole – a large valley on the edge of East Bilsdale Moor, two miles to the south-east of Chop Gate on the North Yorks Moors. (See end note regarding access.)

 The stone is said to be named after George Villiers, the second Duke of Buckingham, who died at Kirbymoorside in 1687, shortly after hunting in this area. The duke was a flamboyant and controversial character in the royal court, but in later life he retired to Helmsley, and formed the Bilsdale Hunt. Officially he died of Pneumonia after catching a chill while out hunting, however a letter from his friend at that time (lord Arran) indicates that he actually died from an infection and gangrene in his ‘private parts’, after falling from his horse.

Raise the Julenek!

(A Yule related post inspired by the Old Wife’s Neck.)

  Our Scandinavian cousins have preserved a Yuletide custom known as the Julenek – a sheaf of grain stalks kept over from the summer harvest, which is then hung up outside on Christmas eve. The custom was apparently condemned in the 1700’s as having pagan origins, but today it is still a popular Christmas decoration in Nordic countries.

  ‘Nek’ is an old Scandinavian word for a harvested sheaf of grain (oats, barley, wheat etc) while Jule / Yule is the week long period around the winter solstice. So the Julenek is the ‘midwinter Sheaf’.

  Today, the purpose of the Julenek is said to provide a food supply for winter birds, and as a symbol of charity and caring for animals at Christmas. A story attached to the Julenek tradition tells how a poor man gave one of his last sheaves to provide food and shelter for the birds on Christmas Eve. The birds prayed that God would help the man, and the following morning the grains of the Julenek were turned to gold. This Christian charity element may have been emphasised to allow the continued use of the Julenek after the accusations that it had pagan overtones.

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 ……