Devon / Westcountry Weather lore - sweating stones

"The sweating of stone pillars denotes rain."

Hewett 1900

Madge Figgy's Chair

Tol-Pedn-Penwith - By Jim Champion (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

"The fine rocks of Tol-Pedn-Penwith have on the top of them a stone, which is called "The Chair." Here it is said a famous witch and wrecker named Madge Figgy used to sit and practise her magic arts to raise storms and wreck vessels. That she caused several wrecks by the display of false and misleading lights, there is no doubt."

Valentine (undated)

Map - Tol-Pedn-Penwith

Monks Stone - Okehampton

"At the East end of the church [All Saints, Okehampton] is a coffin-shaped stone, locally known as the Monks' stone, a relic of the former building."

Cresswell 1921

Map - All-Saints, Okehampton

Ladywell, Sticklepath

"As we enter [Sticklepath] we see the Lady Well and inscribed stone on the hillside.  A large cotoneaster drapes the well, on the front of which is inscribed

Lady Well

Drink and be thankful.

The inscribed stone is just above it. It bares a Latin cross on one side, and on another some curious twisted markings, which have been described by Crossing"

Cresswell 1921

Map - Lady Well, Sticklepath

Morva Crick Stone

"IF any one suffering from a "crick in the back" can pass through this forked rock, on the borders of Zennor and Morva, without touching the stone, he is certain of being cured. This is but a substitute for the holed stone, which, it is admitted, has much more virtue than the forked stone."

Hunt 1903

Map - Morva

Mên-an-Tol

From Wikipedia

Information from Wikipedia Oct.2010, paraphrased for this website (I think this makes it legal - if it does not, comment and I shall remove it) -

A simmiller cure to Hunt 1903 is that a child passed naked through the holed stone at Mên-an-Tol nine times will be cured of rickets - this is reflected in the local name of the "Crick Stone".

A second legend is given on Wikipedia (a "local legend") is that if a woman passed backwards through the hole seven times on a full moon she will soon fall pregnant.  It is not stated whether backwards means bum first or head or feat first!

It is also told that Mên-an-Tol has a Piskie or Fairy guardian who has the power to affect miraculous cures.  Once a 'changeling' baby was passed through the hole by its mother in order to retrieve the real child, who had been stolen by "evil" Piskies.

Text from here.

Map - Men-an-tol

Men-an-tol

Men-an-Tol, image from Wikipedia © Tom Corser 2009 Creative Commons license

"Beyond the village of Lanyon, on a "furzy down," stands the Mên-an-tol, or the "holed stone." For some purpose--it is in vain to speculate on it now--the bardic priesthood employed this stone, and probably the superstition which attaches to it may indicate its ancient uses.

If scrofulous children are passed naked through the Men-an-tol three times, and then drawn on the grass three times against the sun, it is felt by the faithful that much has been done towards insuring a speedy cure. Even men and women who have been afflicted with spinal diseases, or who have suffered from scrofulous taint, have been drawn through this magic stone, which all declare still retains its ancient virtues.

If two brass pins are carefully laid across each other on the top edge of this stone, any question put to the rock will be answered, by the pins acquiring, through some unknown agency, a peculiar motion."

Hunt 1903

Map - Men-an-tol

Cromlechs and Druid's stones - part 2

Dartmoor - through a weathered joint in a Tor - Watern Tor?

"...The result, however, of my own observations, made with much curiosity and considerable care, has been to convince me, that in by far the greatest number of instances the disintegration, though general around the line of a "bed-way" or horizontal joint, has gone on rapidly on the side exposed to the beat of the weather, while the opposite extremity has been but slightly worn; consequently, the stones have a tendency to be depressed on the sheltered side. With a little labour man could correct this natural defect, and with a little skill make a poised stone. We have incontrovertible evidence that certain poised stones have been regarded, through long periods of time, as of a sacred character. Whether these stones were used by the Druids, or merely that the ignorant people supposed them to have some peculiar virtue, I care not. The earliest inhabitants of Cornwall, probably Celts, ["A Celtic race, however, continues to occupy the primeval districts of Cornwall, and preserved, almost to our own day, a distinct dialect of the Celtic tongue."--Prehistoric Annals a Scotland, p. 195 DANIEL WILSON. See Appendix N, 'in, Celts.] were possessed with some idea that these stones were connected with the mysteries of existence; and from father to son, for centuries, notwithstanding the introduction of Christianity, these stones have maintained their sacred character. Therefore, may we not infer that the leaders of the people availed themselves of this feeling; and finding many rocks of a gigantic size, upon which nature had begun the work, they completed them, and used the mighty moving masses to impress with terror--the principle by which they ruled--the untaught, but poetically constituted, minds of the people. Dr Borlase has been laughed at for finding rock-basins, the works of the Druids, in every granitic mass. At the same time, those who laugh have failed to examine those rock-masses with unprejudiced care, and hence they have erred as wildly as did the Cornish antiquary, but in a contrary direction. Hundreds of depressions are being formed by the winds and rains upon the faces of the granite rocks. With these no Druid ever perplexed himself or his people. But there are numerous hollows to be found in large flat rocks which have unmistakably been formed, if not entirely, partly by the hands of man. The Sacrificing Rock, or Cam Brea, is a remarkable example. The larger hollows on the Men-rock, in Constantine, several basins in the Logan Rock group, and at Cam Boscawen, may be referred to as other examples. With these remarks, I proceed to notice a few of the most remarkable rock-masses with which tradition has associated some tale."

Kestor - Dartmoor, associated in the past with the Druids

Hunt 1903

Map - Carn Brea
Map - Constantine
Map - Cam [Carn?] Boscawen 

Cromlechs and Druid's Stones - part 1

"IT is a common belief amongst the peasantry over every part of Cornwall, that no human power can remove any of those stones which have been rendered sacred to them by traditionary romance. Many a time have I been told that certain stones had been removed by day, but that they always returned by night to their original positions, and that the parties who had dared to tamper with those sacred stones were punished in some way. When the rash commander of a revenue cutter landed with a party of his men and overturned the Logan Rock, to prove the folly of the prevalent superstition, he did but little service in dispelling an old belief; but proved himself to be a fool for his pains.

I could desire, for the preservation of many of our Celtic remains, that we could impress the educated classes with a similar reverence for the few relics which are left to us of an ancient and a peculiar people, of whose history we know so little, and from whose remains we might, by careful study, learn so much. Those poised stones and perforated rocks must be of high antiquity, for we find the Anglo-Saxons making laws to prevent the British people from pursuing their old pagan practices. ["Perforated stones must once have been common in England, and probably in Scotland also, as the Anglo-Saxon laws repeatedly denounce similar superstitious practices."--The Archaeology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland, p. 97. DANIEL WILSON.]

The geologist, looking upon the Logan stones and other curiously-formed rock masses, dismisses at once from his mind the idea of their having been formed by the hand of man, and hastily sets aside the tradition that the Druid ever employed them, or that the old Celt ever regarded them with reverence. There cannot be a doubt but that many huge masses of granite are, by atmospheric causes, now slowly passing into the condition required for the formation of a Logan rock. It is possible that in some cases the "weathering" may have gone on so uniformly around the stone, as to poise it so exactly that the thrust of a child will shake a mass many tons in weight..."   [cont.]

Hunt 1903

Morva or Morveth (Sea-daughters) part 2

"...Mr Blight, in his "Week at the Land's End," speaking of the church in the adjoining parish, Zennor, which still remains in nearly its primitive condition, whereas Morva church is a modern structure, says--"Some of the bench ends were carved; on one is a strange figure of a mermaid, which to many might seem out of character in a church." (Mr Blight gives a drawing of this bench end.) This is followed by a quotation bearing the initials R. S. H., which, it is presumed, are those of the Rev. R. S. Hawker, of Morwenstow: - "The fishermen who were the ancestors of the Church, came from the Galilean waters to haul for men. We, born to God at the font, are children of the water. Therefore, all the early symbolism of the Church was of and from the sea. The carvure of the early arches was taken from the sea and its creatures. Fish, dolphins, mermen, and mermaids abound in the early types, transferred to wood and stone."..." [cont...]

Hunt 1903

Stannary Parliament furniture

'Close to Wistman's Wood rises Crockern Tor. It is the spot were the ancient statuary parliaments were held. The chief tin miners of Devon were by their charter obliged to meet on the summit of this tor, when the commission was opened, the jury sworn and preliminary business settled, the court then adjourning for final decisions to one of the stannary towns. This court was held as late as 1749. The tables and seats of the stannators were hewn out of the rock, or composed of great blocks of stone. Few vestiges of them remain, but perhaps a ridge of stones on one part of the tor, and many loose ones lying about may be relics of this parliament.'

 Valentine (undated)

Bow (or Nymet Tracey) and Thomas a Becket

'Coplestone may be visited for the sake of the ancient cross, about 12 feet high, and decorated with rude ornamental scrolls; also Bow, otherwise Nymet Tracey, 3 miles west, with an old church, not the only one said to have been founded by that murderer of  Thomas a Becket.'

Hope Moncrieff 1895

Morte Stone and shipwrecks

   
       
       
Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith.
   
'Under the cliffs of Morte Point, lies Barricane Creek, rich in shells; whilst out at sea the waves dash fiercely over the ill-famed Morte Stone, which has a terrible reputation for shipwrecks.'

Hope Moncreiff 1895

Belstone and the Nine Maidens

'But one couldn't hurry on without lingering by Belstone Cleave and the sacred circle known as the Nine Maidens, who were turned to stone for dancing on Sunday, their partners also, as would appear, since there are more than nine of them still standing.'

Hope Moncrieff 1895

Dennabridge Pound and the Judge's Chair

   
       
       
Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith.
   

' A couple of miles or so more on the highroad brings us on the highroad to Dennabridge Pound, where a curiouse structure is said to be the "Judge's Chair" braught from the meeting-place of the stannary Parliamenton Crocken Tor; and at Dennabridge Farm, not far off, a large slab is shown as the Council Table. The pound itself, though originally perhaps a sacred circle, has been rebuilt in modern times, and adapted to the practical purposes in the periodical "drifts", when ponies and catle are driven together from a whole quarter of the moor, that stray animals may be sorted out and restored to their owners, a ceremony graphicly described in Mr. Baring-Gould's "Urith."'

Hope Moncrieff 1895

Grey Wethers

 

[image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grey_Wethers_5%281%29.JPG - Creative Commons license GFDL]

'In the same direction, 3 miles up the long ridge, we come across to the Grey Wethers, two incomplete stone circles, so called because of their resemblance to a flock of sheep, lying at the base of Sittaford Tor (1764 feet), easily ascended by those who would find the logan-stone at its summit.'

Hope Moncrieff 1895

The adventurs of Chery of Zennor - part 11

Cherry told the old woman she "wouldn't cum ony furder for the wurld," She thought from the first she was got into a land of Small People underground, only master was like other men; but now she know'd she was with the conjurors, who had turned all these people to stone. She had heard talk on 'em up in Zennor, and she knew they might at any moment wake up and eat her.

Old Prudence laughed at Cherry, and drove her on, insisted upon her rubbing up a box, "like a coffin on six legs," until she could see her face in it. Well, Cherry did not want for courage, so she began to rub with a will; the old woman standing by, knitting all the time, calling out every now and then, "Rub! rub! rub! harder and faster!" At length Cherry got desperate, and giving a violent rub at one of the corners, she nearly upset the box. When, O Lor! it gave out such a doleful, unearthly sound, that Cherry thought all the stone-people were coming to life, and with her fright she fell down in a fit. The master heard all this noise, and came in to inquire into the cause of the hubbub. He was in great wrath, kicked old Prudence out of the house for taking Cherry into that shut-up room, carried Cherry into the kitchen, and soon, with some cordial, recovered her senses. Cherry could not remember what had happened; but she knew there was something fearful in the other part of the house. But Cherry was mistress now--old Aunt Prudence was gone. Her master was so kind and loving that a year passed by like a summer day. Occasionally her master left home for a season; then he would return and spend much time in the enchanted apartments, and Cherry was certain she had heard him talking to the stone-people. Cherry had everything the human heart could desire, but she was not happy; she would know more of the place and the people. Cherry had, discovered that the ointment made the little boy's eyes bright and strange, and she thought often that he saw more than she did; she would try; yes, she would!..' [cont.]

Hunt 1903

The adventurs of Chery of Zennor - part 10

'...After her ordinary work was done on the second day, her master required Cherry to help him in the garden, to pick the apples and pears, and to weed the leeks and onions.

Glad was Cherry to get out of the old woman's sight. Aunt Prudence always sat with one eye on her knitting, and the other boring through poor Cherry. Now and then she'd grumble, "I knew Robin would bring down some fool from Zennor--better for both that she had tarried away."

Cherry and her master got on famously, and whenever Cherry had finished weeding a bed, her master would give her a kiss to show her how pleased he was.

After a few days, old Aunt Prudence took Cherry into those parts of the house which she had never seen. They passed through a long dark passage. Cherry was then made to take off her shoes; and they entered a room, the floor of which was like glass, and all round, perched on the shelves, and on the floor, were people, big and small, turned to stone. Of some, there were only the head and shoulders, the arms being cut off; others were perfect...' [cont.]

Hunt 1903

The adventures of Cherry of Zennor - part 5

'...At length she came to the four cross roads on the Lady Downs, sat herself dowti on a stone by the roadside, and cried to think of her home, which she might never see again.

Her crying at last came to an end, and she resolved to go home and make the best of it.

When she dried her eyes and held up her head she was surprised to see a gentleman coming towards her;--for she couldn't think where he came from; no one was to be seen on the Downs a few minutes before.

The gentleman wished her "Good morning," inquired the road to Towednack, and asked Cherry where she was going.

Cherry told the gentleman that she had left home that morning to look for service, but that her heart had failed her, and she was going back over the hills to Zennor again.

"I never expected to meet with such luck as this," said the gentleman. "I left home this morning to seek for a nice clean girl to keep house for me, and here you are."

He then told Cherry that he had been recently left a widower, and that he had one dear little boy, of whom Cherry might have charge. Cherry was the very girl that would suit him. She was handsome and cleanly. He could see that her clothes were so mended that the first piece could not be discovered;' yet she was as sweet as a rose, and all the water in the sea could not make her cleaner. Poor Cherry said "Yes, sir," to everything, yet she did not understand one quarter part of what the gentleman said. Her mother had instructed her to say "Yes, sir," to the parson, or any gentleman, when, like herself she did not understand them. ....' [cont.]

Hunt 1903

Tavistock and Ordulf

'The chief lion of the place is the Abbey founded in 961 by Orgar, Earl of Devonshire, the father of "Elfrida" who bartered her husband's life for a king's love; endowed and completed (981) by his gigantic son Ordulf, and dedicated as a Benedictine house to Sts. Mary and Rumon...'

'[At the parish church] ...Some bones of extraordinary size discovered in a stone coffin among the debris of the Abbey are reputed to be those of the giant Earl Ordulf.'

Hope Moncrieff 1895