Category: Legends

Devil’s Jumps

Three small hills near Churt have been known as the Devils Jumps (or the Devils Three Jumps) since at least 1765. The highest of the three hills is known as Stony Jump. There are a few folk tales attached to these hills which explains their name.

The Unbidden Guest

The following folktale entitled ‘The Unbidden Guest’ was published in ‘Goblin Tales of Lancashire’ by James Bowker (1878). ‘On a little lane leading from the town of Clitheroe there once lived a noted ‘cunning man,’ to whom all sorts of applications were made, not only by the residents, but also by people from distant places, for the fame of the wizard had spread over the whole country side.

Uffington Castle

Uffington Castle is an early Iron Age hill fort covering about 32,000 square metres. It was once protected by timber walls on top of the surviving banks and ditches, and faced with sarcen stones. It is likely that the tribe who created the White Horse once lived within this hill fort.

Liddington Castle

Liddington Castle is an early Iron Age hill fort covering roughly 7.5 acres and 909 ft above sea level. Though there is no archaeological evidence to support the fact, it has been argued that Liddington Castle could be the probable site for the Battle of Badon (aka Siege of Mount Badon), first mentioned by Gildas in the 6th Century.

Devil’s Punchbowl

The Devil’s Punchbowl is a large hollow, which according to legend , the Devil disappeared within after ploughing Grim’s Ditch (or Devil’s Ditch) across the Berkshire Downs.

Hangman’s Stone, Upper Lambourn

There is a legend associated with the Hangman’s Stone found at a junction of tracks 1.5Km north of Upper Lambourn. Possibly a boundary stone or perhaps marking a site of an old gibbet, the story relates to a sheep stealer. One day a man with a stolen sheep over his shoulder rested at the stone and fell asleep. The sheep which had is legs tied began to struggle.