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.”
Although it is not clear from the OS maps, the crags face west, and are now totally hidden by trees on the slopes below. The towering rock face is fractured into large hanging blocks of stone which look a little daunting, but it is possible to clamber up to the cave. The cave itself is only small (Hob sized?), nor does it extend a ‘considerable distance underground’ as noted by Grainge, but this may have been part of the folklore attached to the site. There is a second cave higher up the rock face, and this may be larger, or extend further into the crags, but it was not possible to climb up to it safely. The old OS maps show that the slopes below the crags were less densely wooded in the past, and this would enable extensive views from the cave, looking out over the Vale of Mowbray and across to the Yorkshire Dales.
The Over Silton Hobthrush folklore has the typical elements found in other Hob stories, where the short but strong little man is attached to one particular farm and its owner. Here he helps out with jobs on the farm – usually at night, and often using his great strength to perform the tasks. The Hob’s usual reward was a bowl of cream, and when this is neglected, he disappears. Churning the cream was the Hob’s main task at Over Silton, and it is interesting to see the name of the farm owner mentioned. Records show that the Weighell’s were a large family in Over Silton during the mid 1700’s, so there may be an element of ‘truth’ to the story. It should be remembered that in the past there was a real belief in the existence of Faeries and other supernatural beings, so it may have been believed locally that the Weighell’s did have a supernatural helper.
The origin of these Hob-thrush beings is a whole topic in itself, but they may well stem from the beliefs brought to this region by Anglo-Scandinavian settlers. Very similar folklore can be found in Germanic and Scandinavian countries, which does suggest a common origin. The Hob appears to have evolved from the beliefs connected with earlier supernatural beings, for example, the belief in guardian spirits – often an ancestor, who established a farmstead and was buried in a grave mound on the land. He became a guardian watching over his descendants, and with his help the farm prospered. However if he was not treated with respect he would leave, and the farm would have no ‘luck’. The ‘Thrush’ part of the Hobthrush name has also been traced back to ‘Thurs’ – an old Norse word for a Jotun or giant. This might seem a little at odds with the short stature of the Hob, however, the Thurs name seems to have been used as an old reference to a characteristic of the Jotuns, as mentioned in the Norse Edda’s …
“In Tholley dwells that Thurs, that dog-wise Jotun, of all rock-dwellers the worst ….”
This suggests that the Hob-thrush name preserved the meaning of a rock dwelling spirit, such as the cave at Over Silton, or a stony burial cairn at other sites, etc. Folklore of this type possibly reflects an older belief that spirits existed within the actual rock at some locations.
Another attribute adopted by the Over Silton Hob would seem to be the “jumping from the hills above his dwelling to the top of Carlhow Hill, about half a mile distant”. That half mile distance would indicate the hill ridge to the north of Over Silton village, and this is likely confirmed by its high point being called “The Hoppings”. In Scotland, this leaping from hill to hill is a characteristic of the Cailleach (Gaelic for ‘Old Woman’) – an ancient and legendary figure with magical powers, who could take the form of a giantess. In the North York Moors region a similar legendary figure was called the Old Wife or the Carling, both meaning the ‘Old Woman’. There is a Carling How and a Carling Well near Guisborough, and so the Carlhow Hill name may hint at another site once connected with her. The Old Wife giantess is also strongly identified with her cow, which she would milk at various locations on the moors. In this respect it is also worth noting that alongside Carlhow Hill there is a smaller ‘Milking Hill’, while on the slopes below ‘The hoppings’ there is a spring called the Cow Keld. These are perhaps hints that other stories once existing around Over Silton, with the Hobthrush overlaying and absorbing elements of dwarf, rock dwelling giants, and the Old wife/Carling folklore.
William Grainge noted that the Hob stories were still current in Over Silton in 1850’s, but this was a time when such superstitions were being openly ridiculed, and so the older generation were reluctant to pass the stories on. If there had been more writers like Grainge noting down the village folklore at that time, and in more detail, we would have a a much richer folklore heritage.
As the 1890 Bulmers Directory noted …. “Hob has vanished before our modern enlightenment”
Reference
Grainge, W. (1859) The Vale of Mowbray.