Where is Cumberland?
In our fourteenth and fifty-third episodes, we referred to loads of interesting Cumberland-based things - and promised links and photos, so here they are:
Widecombe Fair
A lovely rendition of the folk song referring Widecombe Fair, taking place on the second Tuesday in September.
Lake Windermere
Windermere in the Lake District is England's largest lake at 10.5 miles long, that's just over 18 km. At its deepest point is 219 feet, that's 66.7 m.
Windermere is also the name of a small town, which lies just over a mile from the lake shore. It's separate from the town of Bowness-on-Windermere, which is one of the busiest place along the shoreline and the main jetties for cruise boats.
Windermere and the surrounding area is arguably the most famous and popular area in the whole of the Lake District. There are a range of activities, attractions, places of interest and things to do around the lake, and on it!
HMS Cumberland
HMS Cumberland was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was launched in 1986 and commissioned on 10 June 1989. The frigate was on station during the First Gulf War and was part of the Devonport Flotilla based at Devonport Dockyard. Cumberland was decommissioned on 23 June 2011.
Whitehaven
The maritime port of Whitehaven was once the third-largest in the UK with trade links all over the world. The town’s prosperity was built on coal, developed by the wealthy Lowther family who also laid out the elegant Georgian town. The wealth of Georgian architecture led to Whitehaven being listed as a ‘gem town.’
The historic 17th century harbour, enhanced by nautical sculptures, dramatic lighting effects and a brand new marina, is the focus for spectacular maritime events and activities including the occasional visit of tall sailing ships.
In the mid 18th century, Whitehaven was used as a template for the expansion of New York.
Until the early 17th century Whitehaven was a small coastal village that lived off fishing, farming and salt-making. Then the wealthy Lowther family began to capitalise on the rich seams of coal in the area – pits were dug and pretty soon the ‘black gold’ was being extracted at mammoth rates: in some cases, the coal seams were dug to a distance of five miles under the Irish Sea. The Whitehaven mines were among the most dangerous in the world for pit explosions - one of the worst was in May 1910, when 136 miners lost their lives at Wellington Pit. The first quay was built in 1634 to export coal to Ireland but a growth in shipping between Europe, Africa, America and the West Indies necessitated the building of additional quays, or tongues, to cope with the burgeoning trade. By 1750 Whitehaven was the third most important port in the country after London and Bristol, and plans were underway to create a gracious town with elegant Georgian houses, wide thoroughfares and new churches to reflect the town's wealth.
Whitehaven Castle
There has been a building on this site, known as the Flatt, since at least 1692. The property was bought by Sir John Lowther on 1st October 1675, and has been known as ‘The Castle’ since the beginning of the 18th Century. It remained in Lowther Family hands until 1920. In 1926 it became the Whitehaven Infirmary, which continued until 1964 when the new West Cumberland Hospital was built. The building stayed as a geriatric hospital until closure in the mid 1980’s.
The remaining shell suggests that it was a good house, which is hardly supprising as it was designed by Robert Adam, the most fashionable architect of his period. His drawings of it are in the Soane Museum, in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London.
After a long period remaining empty and decaying, the building has been converted to private accommodation, and is not open to the public.
Cumberland Rum Butter and Cumberland Rum Nicky
Ingredients
225g Dark Brown Sugar
145 ml Dark Rum
225g Butter
1/2 tsp Grated Nutmeg
Method
Put the sugar in a bowl and add the rum and mix, then leave to soak in.
Melt the butter slowly and do not allow it to foam.
Pour the butter into the sugar mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
Add the nutmeg and stir again.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer to ramekin(s) or a small bowl and cover with cling film and refrigerate or freeze.
Ingredients
For the filling
225g/8oz dates, coarsely chopped
100g/3½oz dried apricots, coarsely chopped
50g/2oz stem ginger in syrup, drained and finely chopped
50ml/2fl oz dark rum
50g/1¾oz soft dark brown sugar
50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, cut into 1–2cm/½-¾in cubes
For the sweet shortcrust pastry
200g/7oz plain flour
2 tbsp icing sugar
100g/3½oz unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1cm/½in cubes
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon juice
For the rum butter
100g/3½oz unsalted butter, softened
225g/8oz soft light brown sugar
75ml/2½fl oz dark rum
Method
Start by mixing all the filling ingredients, except the butter, together in a bowl. Set aside to soak while you make the pastry.
For the sweet shortcrust pastry, mix the flour and icing sugar together in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and rub it in lightly with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, do this in a food processor or a mixer and then transfer to a bowl.
Mix the egg with the lemon juice and two tablespoons of cold water. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Using a table knife, work the liquid into the flour to bring the pastry together. If it seems too dry, add a splash more water. When the dough begins to stick together, use your hands to gently knead it into a ball. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Once the dough has rested, cut it into two pieces, roughly one-third and two-thirds. Roll out the larger piece on a lightly floured work surface. Line a 20cm/8in pie dish with the pastry, leaving any excess pastry hanging over the edge. Spread the filling in the pastry case and dot with the butter.
Roll out the remaining pastry and cut it into eight long strips, roughly 1cm/½in wide. On a sheet of baking parchment, use the pastry strips to create a lattice with four strips going each way, passing them under and over each other.
Dampen the edge of the pastry in the tin with water, then invert the lattice from the paper onto the tart. Press the ends of the strips to the pastry base to secure.
Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160C/325F/Gas 3 and cook for a further 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the rum butter, beat together the butter and sugar, then gradually beat in the rum. Refrigerate until needed.
Serve the tart warm or cold, with a spoonful of rum butter.
St Bee's Priory
St Bees Priory is the parish church of St Bees, Cumbria, in England. There is evidence for a pre-Norman religious site, and on this a Benedictine priory was founded by the first Norman Lord of Egremont William Meschin, and was dedicated by Archbishop Thurstan of York, sometime between 1120 and 1135.
From sculptural and charter evidence, the site was a principal centre of religious influence in the west of the county, and an extensive parish grew up with detached portions covering much of the Western Lakes.
The Priory was dissolved in 1539, and since then, the buildings have been the Anglican church of St Bees parish, and is now a Grade I listed building.
Millom Castle
Millom castle was built by Godard de Boyvil who was in possession of the first manor of Millom. The Lordship of Millom at this time, was such a senior position, that it had complete jurisdictional independence, meaning that sheriff of the county could not enter the castle uninvited!
The castle later passed to the Huddleston family after the last de Boyvil died with no male heir. The castle saw action during the English Civil War, and was badly damaged in a one canon attack in 1648.
The castle is in a pretty poor state of repair, with not much of the interior still standing, and only ruinous walls remaining. The central pele tower stood to a grand 4 storeys, with walls around 7 feet thick in places.
Licence to crennelate was granted in 1335. The remains now incorporate a 16th century farm house in the centre of the ruins. The castle is a moated site, with only slight remains of these earthworks to two sides of the remains. The castle backs onto the 12th century Holy Trinity Church.
Muncaster Castle
The Castle, nestled in Cumbria, believed to be standing on Roman remains, is a key part of the region’s history. Whilst the Pennington family have recorded evidence of this historic house as being their home since 1208 when lands were granted to Alan de Penitone, some records go back further suggesting that the family have been here since at least 1026.
A castle was built in the later 13th century and enlarged in the 14th when a pele tower was erected on Roman foundations (which would date back to 79AD), part of its fabric being incorporated in the south-west tower. A coin from the time of Emperor Theodosius (AD380) has been found, and there is also a Victor ring.
It was the fifth Baronet, created first Baron Muncaster who carried out far-reaching renovations inside and out including planting most of the large hardwood trees and founding the library, and his great-nephew Gamel Augustus, fourth Lord Muncaster who shortly before his death in 1862 instructed Anthony Salvin, whose main interest was military architecture and who was very fashionable, to update the house.
Salvin covered the courtyard, built by first Lord Muncaster, converting it into the present Drawing Room, with its much-admired barrel ceiling which was the work of two Italian plasterers. It was redecorated in 1958 by Lady Pennington-Ramsden.
The fifth and last Lord Muncaster, Gamel’s brother, died in 1917 and the Muncaster estate passed to his mother’s family, the Ramsdens, who carried out extensive works in the gardens and brought many of their possessions, including the Ramsden family portraits, to Muncaster. In those days the estate still extended to 23,000 acres.
Muncaster Castle is a fine example of one of the Lake District and Cumbria’s favourite historic houses.
Storrs Hall
Storrs Hall and boathouse was built in the 1790s by the Yorkshire landowner Sir John Legard. He selected the most advantageous and peaceful spot on the shores of Lake Windermere, as a permanent replacement for his holiday home on the Swiss lakes. It sits in the heart of the Lake District, on the shores of England’s largest lake, in one of the most scenic and peaceful regions of the British Isles – now designated both a National Park and a Unesco World Heritage Site. It’s that beautiful.
This spectacular stretch of water, fringed by remnants of temperate rainforest and dotted with islands has stirred some of the masters of lyrical English language. Lakeland poets, William Wordsworth and Robert Southey, were among the guests in the Hall’s heyday of private ownership. Wordsworth notes enjoying parties here. There is also a print of a boating party he attended where empty wine bottles dot the lake’s surface.
In 1808 Storrs was bought by John Bolton, an Ulverston born, Liverpool based merchant, whose fortune was derived from his activities as a slave trader.
Benedict of Nursia
Often known as Saint Benedict, Benedict of Nursia founded twelve communities for monks but his main achievement was his Rule of Saint Benedict, a set of rules for monks which became one of the most influential religious texts in Western Christendom.
His Prayer of St Benedict is also a pretty good one, as these things go, as Martin mentioned:
O Lord, I place myself in your hands and dedicate myself to You.
I pledge myself to do your will in all things:
To love the Lord God with all my heart, all my soul, all my strength.
Not to kill. Not to steal. Not to covet. Not to bear false witness.
To honour all persons. Not to do to another what I would not wish done to myself.
To chastise the body. Not to seek after pleasures. To love fasting.
To relieve the poor. To clothe the naked. To visit the sick. To bury the dead.
To help in trouble. To console the sorrowing.
To hold myself aloof from worldly ways.
To prefer nothing to the love of Christ.
Not to give way to anger. Not to foster a desire for revenge.
Not to entertain deceit in the heart. Not to make a false peace.
Not to forsake charity. Not to swear, lest I swear falsely.
To speak the truth with heart and tongue.
Not to return evil for evil. To do no injury: yea, even to bear patiently any injury done to me.
To love my enemies. Not to curse those who curse me, but rather to bless them.
To bear persecution for justice’ sake.
Not to be proud. Not to be given to intoxicating drink.
Not to be an over-eater. Not to be lazy. Not to be slothful. Not to be a murmurer.
Not to be a detractor. To put my trust in God. To refer the good I see in myself to God.
To refer any evil in myself to myself. To fear the Day of Judgment. To be in dread of hell.
To desire eternal life with spiritual longing.
To keep death before my eyes daily.
To keep constant watch over my actions.
To remember that God sees me everywhere.
To call upon Christ for defence against evil thoughts that arises in my heart.
To guard my tongue against wicked speech. To avoid much speaking. To avoid idle talk.
To read only what is good to read. To look at only what is good to see.
To pray often. To ask forgiveness daily for my sins, and to seek ways to amend my life.
To obey my superiors in all things rightful.
Not to desire to be thought holy, but to seek holiness.
To fulfil the commandments of God by good works.
To love chastity. To hate no one. Not to be jealous or envious of anyone.
Not to love strife. Not to love pride. To honour the aged. To pray for my enemies.
To make peace after a quarrel, before the setting of the sun.
Never to despair of your mercy, O God of Mercy. Amen.
The Kingmoor Ring
The Kingmoor Ring is a 10th–12th century Viking finger ring, bearing a magical runic inscription to ward off fever and leprosy. Found in June 1817 at Greymoor Hill, Kingmoor, Carlisle, the ring now resides in the British Museum.
J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of The Rings was a philologist and university professor of Anglo-Saxon history at Oxford.
His undoubted involvement with this archaeological discovery and knowledge of runic rings and amulets played a large part in his epic creation, The Lord of the Rings, which has become one of the most popular and influential works in 20th Century literature.
Carlisle Castle
For 500 years, until the English and Scottish crowns were united in 1603, Carlisle Castle was the principal fortress of England’s north-western border with Scotland.
A mighty stronghold in the frequent conflict between the two countries, and the base of the lord wardens attempting to control an unruly frontier, it has endured more sieges than any other castle in England.
Unlike most medieval castles, it has been continuously occupied since its foundation by William II in 1092.
From the 18th century to the 1960s it was the headquarters of the Border Regiment, one of the oldest in the British army.
The Giant's Grave
These stones are said to have been placed over the burial site of Owain Caesarius, legendary and heroic king of Cumbria during the early 10th century, who was said to have been a giant of a man.
Some historians have argued that Owain or Ewan was, actually, Owain ap Urien the son of king Urien of Rheged in the 6th century AD, who was probably of Welsh/Irish descent.
Rheged was a part of the old north country, known to the bards as Hen Ogledd, which covered a large part of northern England and southern Scotland.
The Pennines
The Pennines, also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of mountains and hills in England.
They separate North West England from Yorkshire and North East England. The Pennines also straddle several city-region economies; Leeds, Greater Manchester, Sheffield, Lancashire, Hull and the North East.
Often described as the “backbone of England”, the Pennine Hills form a continuous mountain range stretching northwards from the Peak District in the northern Midlands, through the South Pennines, Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines up to the Tyne Gap, which separates the range from the Cheviot Hills. Their total length is about 250 miles (402 km).
The name Pennines is believed to come from the Celtic ‘pennioroches’, meaning “hill”, although the earliest written reference to the name dates only from the 18th century.
The Cumberland Sausage
Perhaps the most famous of British sausages is the Cumberland sausage, which has been a local speciality in the County of Cumberland for more than 500 years.
The Cumberland sausage has a distinct taste because of the meat being chopped rather than minced, giving it a meaty texture.
The Lake District
The Lake District is relatively young as a tourist attraction. Before the hordes of visitors arrived, drawn to the poetic picture created by William Wordsworth and others, these rugged lands were primarily used for farming, mining, and defence.
Tourists began to visit the Lake District at the turn of the 19th century, thanks in part to the works of local poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who extolled the beauty of the landscapes.
Egremont Castle
Egremont Castle, which stands above the River Ehen, was founded by William de Meschines in around 1130-1140. The barony of Copeland had been granted to William by King Henry I in 1120.
The title and estates passed to the FitzDuncan family through the marriage of Ranulph's sister and heiress, Alice, to William Fitz Duncan, a cousin of David I, King of Scots. No surviving male heir was produced by the marriage, leading to the barony passing to the de Lucy's, through the marriage of Alice's eldest daughter, Amabel, it became the property of her eldest son, Richard de Lucy.
Legend states that Richard de Lucy's wife, Grunwild, was savaged by a wolf on a hunting trip, leading to her death. The tale is recounted in the poem "The Woeful Chase".
Richard died without an heir, which lead to the birth of the superstitious legend that no male heir should ever inherit Egremont castle because of the conduct of previous members of the family.
The castle was granted its royal charter by Henry III in 1267.
Hadrian's Wall
Marching 73 miles from coast to coast, Hadrian’s Wall was built to guard the wild north-west frontier of the Roman Empire.
Hadrian’s Wall was a rich and vibrant place. It was a border, but it was also a place where borders were crossed. Here, soldiers and civilians from across Europe and North Africa met, traded and served together at the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire.
Many settled in this wild, foreign place across the sea and adopted local customs, worshipping native gods even while preserving their own traditions.
Ravenglass Roman Bath House and Muncaster Castle
The remains of the bath house of Ravenglass Roman fort, established in AD 130, are among the tallest Roman structures surviving in northern Britain - the walls stand almost four metres high.
The fort at Ravenglass (whose earthworks can be seen near the bath house) guarded what was probably a useful harbour, and there is evidence that soldiers stationed here served in Hadrian's fleet.
The Castle, believed to be standing on Roman remains, is a key part of the region’s history.
The castle was first built in the later 13th century and enlarged in the 14th when a pele tower was erected on Roman foundations (which would date back to 79AD), part of its fabric being incorporated in the south-west tower.
A coin from the time of Emperor Theodosius has been found, and a Victor ring, and it is also reputedly one of the most haunted buildings in the UK.
Despite regular research since 1992, scientists are still unable to explain many of the strange occurrences reported there.
Hardknott Roman Fort
One of the most remote and dramatically sited Roman forts in Britain, the small fort at Hardknott enjoyed command of the Eskdale Valley and the Roman road to Ravenglass.
The fort at Hardknott was established early in the 2nd century AD. A fragmentary inscription, dating from the reign of the Emperor Hadrian (117–38), from the south gate records the garrison as the Fourth Cohort of Dalmatians, from the Balkans.
The fort was demilitarised in the late 130s AD, when the Romans reoccupied southern Scotland, but was regarrisoned under Marcus Aurelius in the 160s. It was finally abandoned very early in the 3rd century.
Objects found around the fort suggest that thereafter its ruins offered temporary shelter to passing patrols and travellers.
Carlisle Cathedral
Carlisle Cathedral has a long and turbulent history. It started life as a Norman Priory Church in 1122, becoming a cathedral in 1133.
Notable features include figurative stone carving, wonky Norman arches, a set of medieval choir stalls and the largest window in the 'flowing decorated Gothic' style in England.
Furness Abbey, Lanercost Priory and Weatheral Gatehouse
The ruins of Furness Abbey
By the end of the 12th century Cumbria had been apportioned among several temporal and ecclesiastic feudal landlords.
The monasteries established granges (abbey farms) and started large-scale upland sheep pasturage. The monks also initiated iron mining and smelting (using bloom furnaces) in Furness with the resulting large-scale de-forestation necessary for the production of charcoal.
What remains of Lanercost Priory
By the early 1500s large areas of Cumbria had been enclosed by the major landowners as sheep runs or deer parks and smaller areas were enclosed by tenant farmers.
After the dissolution of the monasteries (1536-1540), the monastic estates passed into private hands and trade which previously had been reserved to the monks was released to the market towns.
Weatheral Priory Gatehouse
Bownessie
Deep in the waters of Windermere is said to dwell a creature that is becoming a Legend of the Lake District.
As Loch Ness in Scotland is famous for its mysterious monster, attracting sightseers from far and wide, and known affectionately as ‘Nessie’, Cumbria has ‘Bownessie’ who resides in England’s largest lake, Windermere, in Bowness-on-Windermere
There have been sightings by a number of independent witnesses… and even a few close encounters… but the phenomenon remains an enticing enigma.
Tizzie-Whizies
Shy, water-loving creatures, Tizzie-Whizies are reputed to have the body of a hedgehog, the tail of a squirrel or fox and a pair of bee-like wings.
This one was captured in 1906. Struggling and squealing, it was rushed to Louis Herbert's Photographic Studio, opposite St Martin's Church. Having calmed it down with some warm milk and morsels of ginger biscuit he took this immortal portrait of the Tizzie Whizie, before it jumped off his table and flew out of the window to regain its freedom.
It had a very faint cry, which could just be heard if you had your ear at water level.
Many thousands of postcards were sold from this one photograph.
The Crier of Claife
A long time ago, a monk from Furness Abbey, whose job was to save the souls of immoral women, fell for one of his clients. He followed her back to Claife Heights on the western shores of Windermere, but she rejected him. He took this badly, spent a lot of time wailing, and finally dropped dead. But didn’t stop wailing.
The ferrymen who operated the Windermere boat service from Ferry Nab to Sawrey learned to ignore calls for transport from the western side of the lake after dark, as it was probably just the monk complaining again.
Then one day a new recruit decided this was bunkum and crossed the lake to pick up the fare.
The new ferryman returned the following morning, stark raving mad, and died a couple of days later without telling anyone what he’d seen.
Now this was a tad upsetting for the boatmen, so they called on the monks who lived on Lady Holme, an island on Windermere. The monk popped on-shore with his bell and bible, and confined the spook to the old quarry at Claife Heights, ‘until men should walk dryshod across the lake’.
He’s still there, and still wailing. Or so you’ll be told if you visit the Claife Crier Bar, or take a pint of Claife Crier beer…
The Fairy Hills of Cumbria
The Hardknott Pass - part of the old Roman road from Ravenglass to Ambleside - is a steep and narrow road with hairpin bends which connects Eskdale with central Lakeland.
Local tradition holds that a fairy rath stands within the site, where King Eveling holds court.
Opinions vary as to the identity and nature of this king. There is some apparent overlap of place associations between him and King Arthur elsewhere in Cumbria, but it has been alternatively suggested that he was a fairy or perhaps elfish ruler, based on the possible derivation of his name from the Old Norse for elf.
Whatever the truth, the link between Eveling and Cumbria is a long established one and well documented by William Camden in his book Britannia, published in 1607.
Some 18 miles north of the Fort at Hardknott Pass lies Bassenthwaite Lake and two reputed fairy sites.
The first, a fairy castle or howe, stands just off the main A66, on the banks of the lake itself but the second - Elva Hill - is by far the more impressive.
The hill itself is locally reputed to be a fairy hill and, according to some, hides a secret gateway into the otherworld, which only opens at certain times of the year.
The Beast of Cumbria
One of the most famous and commonly sighted of England's big cats is known as the "Beast of Cumbria."
Said to be a giant panther like creature that roams the Lake District and kills livestock at its will, you can definitely understand why it has a reputation with the locals.
Additionally, it has been sighted well over 50 times, much more than any other supposed big cat.
The Girt Dog of Ennerdale
Between the first reports of a dog-like creature killing sheep and its eventual death in the cold waters of the River Ehen, the ‘girt dog’ killed between 300 and 400 sheep. Frequently, corpses would be found drained of blood, the bulk of the meat untouched but soft organs such as the liver having been consumed.
Farmers began patrolling at night in pursuit of the creature, however its killing spree continued, averaging around eight dead sheep per night. With many others badly mauled but left alive, the animal appeared to be killing for sport in many cases. Despite a £10 reward offered for any man that could kill or capture the girt dog it continued to evade hunters, fueling speculation that the creature was supernatural in nature.
Eventually, the creature’s luck and cunning ran out as a hunter managed to clip it with a blast of buckshot. Badly injured, the animal was ran down by the hounds and killed.
The animal was stuffed and put on display at Keswick Museum but was thrown out by an overzealous museum employee around 70 years ago, leaving the exact identity of the girt dog a mystery.
Hagg Worms
According to legend, Haggs Wood near Silverdale was home to giant hairy worms which were large enough to swallow small birds.
One young boy reputedly saw one fly right past him and land high in a tree. When he ran home and told the village what he’d seen a group of locals set out and burned down the tree, presumably killing the Hagg Worm.
The Renwick Cockatrice
'Cockatrice' is an Anglo-French synonym for 'basilisk', a fabulous monster, part bird, part reptile, hatched from an egg laid by a male bird and fertilised by a serpent. It was reputed to be able to slay by looking at, or breathing on, its victim.
William Hutchinson's 'History of the County of Cumberland', published in 1794, which contains agricultural footnotes written by a surveyor called John Housman, is the earliest known record of this legend.
The inhabitants of Renwick were pulling down the village church when a large winged creature emerged from the ruin. They fled in panic, so John Tallentire took a rowan bough and killed it - for which he and his heirs were exempted from tithes.
The Vampire of Croglin Grange
Croglin village today
Croglin Low Hall, or ‘Croglin Grange’ as it is often referred to in this folktale, sits about 15 miles south-east of Carlisle. The name ‘Croglin’ may derive from the Brittonic ‘crug’ (isolated hill), and ‘linn’ (pool).
Croglin Grange had been rented to a young woman named Amelia Cranswell, and her two brothers, Edward and Michael. During one particularly humid summer’s evening, Amelia was trying to desperately sleep, when a strange creature appeared at her window.
It began picking out the lead surrounding a windowpane with its long fingernail. Removing the glass, it put its hand through the gap to undo the latch and it let itself in. The creature was described as having human features, a brown face, and flaming eyes.
Terrified, Amelia froze, allowing the creature to grab her and bite her throat. Screaming awoke her brothers, but by the time they came into the room, her assailant was gone.
After a trip to Switzerland, the three returned to Croglin Grange and the creature appeared as before. This time, Edward shot it in the leg and the brothers were able to track it down to a burial vault in the local cemetery. They waited until morning to enter the vault, where they found the vampire, with a fresh wound to the leg, sleeping inside a coffin.
They set fire to the coffin, burning its occupant, dead!
Adam Bell
Adam Bell had two Merrie Men, William of Cloudsley and Clym the Clough, who were outlawed to the Forest of Inglewood, by Hutton-in-the-Forest, north of Penrith, for stealing game.
After an audacious adventure at Carlisle, the outlaws were captured. The King agreed to pardon Adam and the Merrie Men if Adam could shoot an apple on his young son’s head at a distance of 120 paces.
Adam, a master longbow man, did just this and earned his pardon.
Long Meg and her Daughters
One of the finest stone circles in the north of England, Long Meg and Her Daughters stone circle has a diameter of about 350 feet, the second biggest in the country.
Long Meg is the tallest of the 69 stones, about 12 feet high, with three mysterious symbols, its four corners facing the points of the compass and standing some 60 feet outside the circle.
The stones probably date from about 1500 BC, and it was likely to have been used as a meeting place or for some form of religious ritual.
Long Meg is made of local red sandstone, whereas the daughters are boulders of rhyolite, a form of granite.
The Wizard Michael Scot
Michael Scot was a Scottish mathematician and scholar in the Middle Ages. He was educated at Oxford and Paris, and worked in Bologna and Toledo, where he learned Arabic. His patron was Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire and Scot served as science adviser and court astrologer to him.
Scot translated Averroes and was the greatest public intellectual of his day. The second version of Fibonacci's famous book on mathematics, Liber Abaci, was dedicated to him in 1227 and it has been suggested that Scot played a part in Fibonacci's presentation of the Fibonacci sequence.
A recent study of a passage written by Michael Scot on multiple rainbows, a phenomenon understood only by modern physics and recent observations, suggests that Michael Scot may have had contact with the Tuareg people in the Sahara desert.
The legendary Michael Scot used to feast his friends with dishes brought by spirits from the royal kitchens of France and Spain and other lands. He is also said to have turned to stone a coven of witches, which have become the stone circle of Long Meg and her Daughters in Cumbria.
Scot's reputation as a magician had already become fixed in the age immediately following his own. He appears in Dante's Divine Comedy, the only Scot to do so, in the fourth bolgia located in the Eighth Circle of Hell, reserved for sorcerers, astrologers, and false prophets.
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