Folklore of Lincolnshire

by Susanna O'Neill

  Another well-known tale13 is that of four boys who were playing at the site of the gallows at Melton Ross in the 1790s. With the thoughtlessness of youth they were playing at ‘hanging’, whereby each one would hang from the gallows with a noose around his neck for as long as possible, then his friends would lift him up and let him breathe again. One of the boys had just started hanging when an injured, three-legged hare was said to have limped past. This caught the attention of the other three who thought they could catch the poor thing. When they went to grab it, however, the hare suddenly ran off into the woods with the boys in hot pursuit, completely forgetting their friend. When they eventually returned after losing the hare in the undergrowth, their friend was dead. Belief was that the hare was in fact the Devil in disguise that fateful day. After all, it was surmised, the Devil is the epitome of evil and desires to destroy anything that is good and pure.

  He was also said to have been seen frolicking round Church Hill at Dorrington one night as a white rabbit, before changing back into the figure of the Devil. Hares and rabbits seem to be a popular form of disguise for witches too, who are said to be the Devil’s handmaidens.

  Manwar Rings, an overgrown grass-topped plateau surrounded by a deep moat, can be found across a farmer’s field over the road in a westerly direction from the old Swineshead Abbey House. Thought to be an old Danish encampment and the resting place of Hubba the Dane, it was also used in the Second World War as an ammunitions depository. Traces of this can still be found in the undergrowth.

  Ghost story writer Polly Howat describes one incident where the Devil rescues a witch from an angry mob of locals intent on killing her. The witch was called Crazy Kate and apparently used to visit the Manwar Rings at Swineshead to commune with her master. There were many unfortunate happenings in the village at that time and the locals began to suspect Kate, especially as she had three cats, which are well known witch familiars. They gave her an ultimatum, to leave town or have her house burnt down, but Kate allegedly cursed them and promised misfortune to any who tried to harm her. More misfortune befell the village and when a baby died there was uproar, even the priest blamed Kate and said more children would die if something was not done. The mob needed no further encouragement and went to Kate’s house to kill her, but she was not there. Eventually they tracked her to Manwar Rings, where she was standing on top of the bank. Just as they were closing in on her, ‘A black cloaked stranger rode up the mound on a powerful black foam-lathered horse, whose hooves thundered and echoed around the encampment.’14 This devilish figure swept her away and she was never seen again.

  The ruins of Crowland Abbey, Peterborough, with the parish church fully intact behind.

  Thoughout history, the Devil seems to know when there are any actions being performed that display human weakness. His evil radar is alerted and he swoops in to help continue the chaos and corruption. One example of this in Lincolnshire was around 869 at the Benedictine abbey at Crowland. The legend goes that the monks had fallen into sinful ways, drinking heavily and behaving in a manner unbefitting their order. It was rumoured that one monk had even sold his soul to Satan, for the secret of everlasting life. One day, after months of dreadful behaviour, there was a terrible rumbling of thunder which shook the very walls of the monastery. A terrifying black cloud grew around the building from which a great figure could be seen to emerge. ‘It was Satan himself … so fearful in countenance, so diabolical in its malignity that all fell cowering before the vision.’15

  Trinity Bridge, Crowland, is another ancient monument worth a look whilst in the town. The wooden version of the structure was first mentioned in a charter of King Edred in 943, and the present stone bridge dates from the fourteenth century. It is an amazing structure, reminding us of the great changes to the surrounding landscape, as there is no water to be seen now. An interesting statue resides there, thought to be either Christ or King Ethelbald.

  It seems that he had been sent to them by God, who was so appalled at their behaviour that he had left them in the Devil’s hands. He told them they were cursed and that within twelve months the abbey would be in ruins. The monks were terrified that they would be damned for all eternity and vowed to be more reverent, but as the months passed and the horror of that night faded from their memories, they began to slip back into their old ways.

  Then one day the monk on lookout saw something in the distance that made the memory come back with full force. He relayed the news to the others and eventually they could all make out the fleet of Viking longboats approaching. The monks fled to the chapel and prayed for deliverance but each could hear the Devil’s knowing laugh reverberating through their heads.

  The Vikings were merciless and slaughtered as many of the monks as they could find, ransacking the abbey and pillaging whatever they could lay their hands on. There was nothing left when they had finished, just as the Devil had predicted, save for a pile of corpses that they set fire to.

  Often when talking of the Devil, dragons are included in the stories. Dragons are age-old mythological creatures that predate any history we have. Whether legend or fact, they have populated stories in every culture throughout time. China uses the symbol of the dragon in much of its mythology as representing strength and power, whereas in western culture dragons are viewed as evil creatures, often connected to the Devil – apart from Wales, which is proud of its dragon connections.

  A depiction of the King’s Lynn coat of arms.

  And war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world – he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.16

  The arms of King’s Lynn, Norfolk, depict a dragon’s head pierced by a cross. The legend behind this involves St Margaret of Antioch, a noble virgin-martyr whom the Devil devoured whilst in the form of a dragon, but the faithful child always wore a cross around her neck and by its power she was able to burst the dragon open and escape, unhurt.

  Treasure is also factored into many local dragon tales, such as the two serpents that guard Cissbury Ring, an Iron Age hill fort, where a wealth of gold and gems is supposedly buried. Also the legend that a flying dragon may still pass overhead between Devon’s Dolbury Hill and Cadbury Hill, guarding each location where it hid riches, and the story of a worm which abides at Gunnarton Castle, also known as Money Hill due to the legends of treasure in the area.

  Turning our attention back to Lincolnshire, there are two boulders of Spilsby sandstone which sit outside the south gateway of St Edith’s Church, known as the Drake Stone. Some folklorists believe ‘drake’ to be a corruption of ‘dragon’. The Drake Stone, always referred to in the singular, has various stories attached to it, including variations as to why it is named thus.

  Folklorist Ethel Rudkin quotes from one traditional account of the stones that she found which referred to them as the ‘Duck and Drake Stones’.17 She goes on to explain that Duckstone was a popular Lincolnshire game at the end of the nineteenth century, which may have given name to these stones, but she thinks actually that Drake is being used in the same sense as the expression ‘fire drake’.

  In Germanic mythology a fire drake was a fire-breathing dragon with a reptilian body and sometimes also with wings. In these German and also Celtic myths the fire drake often lived in caves and guarded some great treasure.

  The story here runs that a local man was ploughing his field, which was known as ‘Drake Stone Close’, when suddenly his horses and plough started disappearing into what seemed like quicksand. He tried with all his might to wrench his horses out of danger, whilst keeping himself on firm ground, but they were steadily sucked under until they disappeared completely. Then, startling the poor man even more, a creature suddenly flew out of the hole and rose into the sky, quacking!

  This
is where the story breaks into two camps. One camp claims it was a drake which flew from the hole, the other of course asserts it was a dragon which flew from the hole, where lay the treasure that it had been guarding.

  A stained-glass window at St Margaret’s Church, King’s Lynn, showing St Margaret of Antioch defeating the dragon.

  Rudkin declares that the farmer returned to the site of the incident the very next day, but the ground was completely firm. There was, however, a large boulder on the spot, which resembled something like a drake’s head, hence the name Drake Stone. Again, we are unsure as to whether this was the bird or a dragon and as the stone has broken into two pieces, it is difficult now to see any shape resembling either. The latter seems perhaps more convincing, especially as the village of Dragonby, near Scunthorpe, is named after a natural outcrop of rock which looks like a dragon.

  The Drake Stone’s final resting place, outside St Edith’s Church, Anwick.

  Naturally, after this event many people tried their hand at retrieving the treasure buried beneath the stone, though none were successful. One man, it is said, chose some particularly strong oxen to help move the boulder, to which he fastened great chains, but even though they pulled with all their might they only managed to move it an inch before the chains broke and the oxen collapsed, exhausted. Then the drake or dragon made another appearance – flying out from under the stone, surveying the scene and then returning to its guardian position.

  After that it was left alone for a while, but it began to annoy the farmer, who constantly had to plough around it when working in his field. Eventually he had a large hole dug next to it and, presumably with the greatest of difficulty, had the boulder rolled in. Rudkin tells us that it was one Reverend Dodsworth, then vicar of Anwick, who didn’t want the stone to be lost, so commissioned a traction engine to haul it to its present place beside the church.

  She finishes by quoting a parishioner of Anwick, from 1931, who stated the Drake Stone came to be thus named because when men went to work in the mornings they would always see two drakes sheltering beneath it. In this instance we should presume drake refers to the bird and not the dragon, and it was such a common sight that the stone became known as the Drake Stone because of it. According to legend, the stone broke into the two parts we now see when it was moved from the field. As for the treasure, it was never known to be found and so one can only assume the dragon guards it still, or some very feisty ducks!

  There is a boulder at Winceby near an area locally known as Slash Hollow, where there is also said to be buried treasure. The legend states that any attempt to move the large stone always failed, and on one occasion a farmer made a great effort with horses and chains. It was said the stone actually began to move and one of the men helping the farmer was supposed to have said ‘Let God or the Devil come now for we have it!’18 at which point a figure appeared, standing on the stone. It was the Devil himself, as summoned, and he left his claw mark in the rock, which can still be seen today. Of course, the men let the stone drop and no one tried again for a long time, knowing the Devil himself was guarding this treasure. The locals are actually said to call it Devil’s Stone and other attempts to move it in the future saw a black mouse run out and frighten the horses away from the stone for good.

  The field here was the site of a terrible battle during the English Civil War and the soldiers would sharpen their blades on the stone. It is said that Slash Hollow ran ankle deep in blood that fateful day as so many were slaughtered, and one legend believes the bodies of the soldiers were buried under the stone with treasure and riches that had been looted – perhaps explaining the presence of Old Nick.

  The Winceby Slash Stone, at the side of the road along Slash Lane, the B1195, between Horncastle and Spilsby.

  The tale of the dragon of Castle Carlton, near Louth, is considerably more detailed than the Anwick tale, with no confusion as to what the beast was. The story runs that one Sir Hugh Barde, in the first year he came into the baronetcy, fought the dragon of Castle Carlton, whose people were being terrorised by a ‘dragon in a lane in the field that venomed men and bestes with his aire’.19

  Marlow describes it as a mighty beast, with a ‘long scaly body, short iron-shod legs, lashing tail, and head, in which was set one blazing eye the size of a basin’.20 It was the terror of the countryside, causing chaos and devastation, devouring anyone it could get its teeth into. Its very breath was poison and even more deadly than the flames it exhaled. The scaly hide was so thick it seemed impenetrable and the people despaired, believing that they would never be able to overcome it.

  The beast had one spot, however, that was vulnerable; a protruding wart on its right thigh that, if pierced, would kill the dragon outright. It guarded this area well and it seemed the beast never slept and so could not be caught off guard.

  The idea of a dragon having a vulnerable spot is a common theme in dragon lore. Ralph Whitlock is something of a dragon expert and likens the Castle Carlton dragon to the Wantley dragon, which had a vulnerable place in the middle of its back and a dragon at Newcastle whose vulnerable spot was its navel.

  Sir Hugh made a pledge to the people that he would slay the Castle Carlton dragon whatever it took, and would take its head to the king. He chose a wedding day, which portended good luck and set out with his sword and shield to hunt the beast down. He found it resting on the beach, after a hearty dinner of seven servants from the castle. Although it seemed asleep, ‘the cunning creature’s eye was ever vigilant. The dragon lay quietly but alert, waiting for its moment to strike.’21

  The brave knight suddenly cried out to St Bartholomew and St Guthlac to aid him in his quest, and as he was praying he heard an answer surround him, a booming voice, which told him, ‘Look for the bright light from heaven which shall blind the dragon – in the instant that light shines, strike hard or thou must perish’.

  At this the dragon rose from its slumber, spreading its wings and flying straight towards its prey with the swiftness of a falcon. At that very moment the sky turned black and a sudden downpour descended in a torrent between Sir Hugh and the dragon. There was a tremendous rumble as thunder shook the sky and then a sudden blinding flash of lightning split the air, illuminating the dragon in all its terrible glory – shining directly upon the exposed wart. Sir Hugh took his opportunity and lifted his great sword, striking down with all his might to cleave the vulnerable mark. The mighty monster’s screech was equal to that of the thunderous storm raging all around them and it was so enraged that it sought to kill Sir Hugh with a vengeance. The saints were still helping him, however, and the dragon became lost and disorientated in the thick clouds billowing around them. All the while its life force was draining away, bleeding out of the fatal wound in its thigh. Eventually the beast dropped onto the sand, defeated, and the clouds cleared to show the prostrate form of the dead dragon lying at Sir Hugh’s feet. With one deft stroke, he sliced the head off and carried it back to the village to announce his victory. The people rejoiced at their freedom from that mighty terror and Sir Hugh became a hero.

  As promised, he took the dragon’s head to King Henry I. The king changed Hugh’s name to Bardolph and as Castle Carlton was the head of the baronetcy, he granted it many privileges, such as freedom from all tolls for Sir Hugh’s tenants and the right to take a horn of salt from every salt cart passing through his domain. Sir Hugh did not forget the help he had been given and made a pilgrimage to the saints’ shrine to lay down treasures and thanks. His deed was talked of widely, as was his bravery and the privileges he bestowed upon his people. The Lincolnshire Magazine states that it was ‘this same valiant knight [who] had lands in Norfolk, his chief seat there being Wormgay, which name again retains the “dragon” tradition’.

  Perhaps he and his ancestors were old hands at confronting dragons. It seems the baron’s crest included the image of a dragon’s head, but when researching Wormgay, the village’s name seems to stem from a family or the followers of a man called Wyrma. I can find no drag
on legend attached to the area. Adrian Gray22 suggests the Castle Carlton dragon may have lived at Walmsgate, near Louth, but that it was then known as Wormsegay. There is a long barrow at Walmsgate, which legend states holds the skeleton of a dragon that was slain in the area. If it is headless, then perhaps we would find our answer.

  Whitlock quotes from a very early source, William Camden, writing in 1586:

  Sir Hugh Bardolfe lived in Castle Carlton in the time of Henry I. It is said in a very old court roll that in the first year that Sir Hugh was lord of the place ther reigned at a toune called Wormesgay a dragon in a lane in a field that venomed men and bestes with his aire; Sir Hugh on a weddings day did fight with thys dragon and slew him, and toke his head, and beare it to the kynge and gave it him, and the kynge for slaying of the dragon put to his name this word dolfe, and did calle him afterwards Bardolfe; for it was before Sir Hugh Barde; and the kynge gave hym in his armes then a dragon in sygne.23

  In old Germanic dolph means ‘famous wolf’ – which could be a champion’s title given for bravery. Whitlock also proposes that Walmsgate may have originally been named Wormsgate.

  Folklorists Gutch and Peacock refer to ‘a tradition, which probably took its rise at an early period, [which] tells of a huge serpent that devastated the village of South Ormsby and was slain at the adjacent hamlet of Walmsgate.’24 This could be either another version of the slaying of the dragon and its burial in the barrow, or the tale of a different dragon, making the area rather unlucky in this respect! One version does suggest that there were actually three dragons in the area; one buried in the barrow, one flying away to settle in Dragon’s Hole in Corringham Scroggs, and the third fatally wounded, crawling away to die at Ormsby.

  Gutch and Peacock state that ormr was the old Norse form of Anglo-Saxon wyrm, and in dragon tradition worm was another name for dragon, just like drake. In many stories of dragons they are depicted as worm-like creatures, with no wings – like the famous Lambton Worm, a legend from the North East of England. South Ormsby, therefore, was apparently named after the dragon incident, as was, we assume, Walmsgate.