Pendle |
Brooding over the landscape of
East Lancashire is the great gritstone whaleback of Pendle Hill. Local
tradition says that if you can see Pendle then it is going to rain, and if you
can’t see it, then it is already raining.
When Pendle wears its woolly capThe farmers all may take a nap
Annals and Stories of Colne and
Neighbourhood – James Carr 1878 p.202
Another tradition is that the
mists over Pendle are the tears of the hill, grieving that it is not quite a
mountain (Pendle is 1,827 feet high; the Ordnance Survey use 2,000 feet as
their rough definition of a mountain). The name ‘Pendle Hill’ is a triple
tautology. ‘Pen’ (- penno) is the Cumbric word for a hill – further to the
north, the word becomes ‘Ben’, as with Ben Nevis. ‘Pen’ also appears in the
name of the neighbouring hill Pen-y-Ghent.
Pendle |
When the Anglo Saxons arrived, the
name seemed meaningless, so they added their descriptive ‘hyll’ to the name. As
time went on, another adjectival ‘Hill’ was tacked on, giving the present name
– Pendle Hill (literally ‘hill-hill Hill’) - although, locally, it is known
simply as ‘Pendle’. Other examples of such redundancies are Bredon Hill
(hill-hill Hill), Worcestershire, Artfield Fell (hill-hill-hill), Scotland, and
even a quadruple one, Torpenhow Hill (hill-hill-hill Hill), Cumbria (although
the authenticity of this is disputed).
An old rhyme says,
“Ingleborough, Pendle Hill, and Penygent,Are the highest hills between Scotland and Trent,”
which, of course, is untrue, as many hills are higher than Pendle – Whernside,
Grey Friar, and many more in the Lakes; although another rhyme,
“Pendle Hill, Penygent, and little Ingleborough,Are three such hills as you’ll not find by seeking England thorough,”
is arguably true.
Pendle from Downham |
George Fox, founder of the
Religious Society of Friends (popularly known as the Quakers), at the beginning
of Chapter 6 of his autobiography mentions climbing Pendle: -
As we travelled we came near a very great hill, called Pendle Hill, and I was moved of the Lord to go up to the top of it; which I did with difficulty, it was so very steep and high. When I was come to the top, I saw the sea bordering upon Lancashire. From the top of this hill the Lord let me see in what places he had a great people to be gathered. As I went down, I found a spring of water in the side of the hill, with which I refreshed myself, having eaten or drunk but little for several days before.
The spring that runs down Pendle’s north slope is known as
George Fox’s Well, although some still call it Robin Hood’s Well, with a nod to
the Man in the Green.
Elizabeth Southern (Owd Mother Demdike) and her family
lived at Goldshaw Booth, now called Newchurch in Pendle. This tiny hamlet takes
its name from the ‘New’ church of St Mary’s, built in the seventeenth century
and completed in 1740. A chapel of ease had existed on the site from the early
1200s, and a stone church was built in 1544, of which only the west tower now
remains.
St Mary's Church tower - Newchurch in Pendle |
In the west face of this tower was a small window, from which the
churchwarden could see wedding or funeral parties approaching the church,
(prior to the pathway being moved over to the north-west, and newer houses
being built in the line of sight). This window was filled in at a later date,
and from its appearance is now known as ‘The Eye of God’.
The Eye of God |
In the graveyard,
many of the stones bear the name Nutter (and, by the way, Hartley), and one
grave to the right of the porch was said to be that of Alice Nutter, hanged at
Lancaster as a witch, although this is not the case – a witch would not have
been buried in consecrated ground, and executed ‘criminals’ would have been
disposed of close to the place of execution.
Witches Galore - Newchurch in Pendle |
The only shop in Newchurch village
is Witches Galore, which sells all the expected tourist trophies but also carries
most of the published works currently in print. Worth a visit if you’re in the
area (disclaimer: - I have no connection with the shop, I just like to promote
local shops).
Pendle from Downham - St Leonard's Church porch |
On the other side of Pendle is another tiny village – Downham.
The Queen Mother is reputed to have said the view from the porch of St
Leonard's Church, Downham is the finest in England (some say this was Queen
Mary's opinion – I'll stick with the version I heard).
Blacko Tower seen from Pendle |
Downham is stunningly
beautiful. The post office sells delicious ice cream (but for truly wonderful
ice cream, carry on a mile down the road to Chatburn, and the tiny shop,
Hudsons, where I enjoyed a gooseberry cone, sitting in the sun on a bench
outside the shop. Gooseberry ice cream - hand made and only available
seasonally, it truly does not get any better. Hudson’s ice cream does not
contain any preservatives – it is made on a daily basis and the shop is what
used to be the old tollhouse.
Chatburn Village |
Hudson's - Chatburn |
Downham, if it is known at all, is known for one
of four things; that it was the place of many early Mormon baptisms, that the 2nd
Lord Clitheroe does not allow overhead electricity cables, satellite dishes or
television aerials, that the Lancashire witches lived in these parts, and that
the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind was shot around there.
Downham Stocks |
At the top of
the village are the remains of the stocks – where miscreants would have been
placed in the past. You can’t help but wonder how many wrong-doers lived around
tiny Downham that they needed their own stocks.
This post is dedicated to Mrs Susan McManus, my sister, who drove me round while I took the photos. Thanks Our Susan.
Only just got round to catching up on posts...thanks for the dedication....loved the gooseberry ice-cream. We'll go again when 'lympics are done!!
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