peak district local history, customs, wildlife, transport

Animal memorials: these commemorate a dog with a baffling message, dearly-loved pets, a curious cat, and two horses which ended up in the river.

Bull rings: a reminder of the days when bull baiting was offered as ‘entertainment’. The bulls were tethered by the nose in rings like those at Eyam, Foolow, Bonsall and Snitterton.

Crantsies: also known as Maidens’ Garlands, they were carried at the funerals of young unmarried women. Examples survive at Ashford in the Water, Matlock and Ilam.

Dog whip: Baslow church still has its old dog whip. It dates from the days when a parish dog-whipper was paid to keep stray animals out of church.

Font, pulpit and chair: all carved from massive boulders on the windy summit of Harborough Rocks near Brassington. You can actually sit in the chair.

Garderobe: but you can’t use this. It’s a very old lavatory in Bakewell Old House Museum. The waste used to drop down a chute to the ground outside.

Hermitage: at the base of Cratcliffe Rocks, near Birchover, is a hermit’s cave. Inside is a carved crucifix and a niche, probably for a lamp.

Jacob’s Ladder: a man-made staircase on a long-distance footpath over Kinder Scout.

Kiosk: Chelmorton telephone kiosk is unique. It was built to blend in with its surroundings and has a step to keep out the infamous Chelmorton snows.

Lutudarum: a lead mining puzzle. The Latin abbreviation LUT or LUTUD appears on pigs of lead. But nobody knows the exact whereabouts of Lutudarum.

Milestone: a milestone dated 1801 stands in Matlock Bath’s thermal fishpond. If you stand with your back to the road you can see it built into the right-hand wall. It stood above the water level until the pond was re-designed.

Nelson’s Monument: a gritstone obelisk on Birchen Edge near Baslow. It is one of a number of high monuments commemorating famous men.

Pinfolds: stray sheep and cattle used to be penned in these enclosures. Owners had to pay a fine to get them back. A number of pinfold are kept in good repair, with good examples at Biggin and Curbar.

Quiet Woman: a pub at Earl Sterndale. One yarn tells that the landlady’s head was cut off to stop her talking. She even used to chatter in her sleep. The inn sign depicts a headless woman.

Robin Hood’s Picking Rods: a pair of stone pillars. The story goes that they were used to bend archers’ bows while being strung. The name of Robin Hood is given to a number of features around the Peak.

Stocks: every English town was supposed to have a set of stocks. They were mainly used for confining drunks, nuisances and minor lawbreakers. The use of stocks has never been abolished by law. Surviving examples include those at Upper Town near Birchover, Chapel en le Frith, Litton, Wormhill and Warslow.

T’Owd Mon (The Old Man): a strange figment of lead mining lore. Miners regarded T’Owd Mon as both the collective spirit of earlier miners and of the mines themselves. The quaint carving of a lead miner in Wirksworth church is nicknamed T’Owd Mon.

Urn memorial: Archaeologist Thomas Bateman excavated many prehistoric graves containing clay urns. A stone replica of an urn stands on his tomb in a field at Middleton by Youlgreave.

Viator’s Bridge: a narrow packhorse bridge over the river Dove. Its name originated in a book written by Charles Cotton. ‘Viator’ was a traveller who was reluctant to cross such a miniature bridge.

Well Dressings: the Peak’s favourite floral custom. From spring to autumn our wells and springs are decorated with beautiful large pictures. After months of planning and preparations the well dressings are at their best for only about a week.

Youlgreave Fountain: the old collecting tank of Youlgreave’s unique private water supply. For six pence a year householders could bring their buckets to the Fountain for fresh water. It saved a long climb back from the river on washdays!

Want to know more?
The Peakland Abecedary, Julie Bunting. Hall & Sons 1993. ISBN 0-946404-13-5