A Story From Stainmoor

A story from Stainmoor, just over the border from Cumbria

, illustrating the use of the Hand, was collected for William Henderson in the spring of 1861 from the daughter of the servant who played a leading part in this drama. One night in 1795 a woman traveller arrived at the old Spital Inn on Bowes Moor. Stating she must leave early and would need only a light breakfast, she elected to sit up all night by the kitchen fire.

A maid was deputed to stay with the guest, however, and this girl rested on the settle. On glancing at the stranger, she saw that trousers were protruding from the so-called woman's skirt. Startled, the maid nevertheless pretended to fall asleep. Soon the traveller stood up and producing a Hand of Glory, placed a lighted candle in it, then brought the gruesome relic near to the girl's face and intoned,

Let those who are awake, be awake his ribaldry. Soon after, when Willan was ploughing, the share caught a rock, causig the ploug.h handle to fl up. This hit Willan's eyes and blinded him. Immediately, accusations were levelled at Mary that she had cast an evil spell on him. The days of witch hunting were past, but Mary was shunned more than ever by the villagers. Perhaps she enjoyed her notoriety. Certainly she added to it by making strange prophecies. One of these, that fiery carriages propelled without horses would one day rush up the dale above the Lune came true, for in the 1840s, within a generation of her death, engineers were building the railway beside the river, in the position which Mary had indicated. In these days when the powers of suggestion and extrasensory perception are being investigated by scientists, who shall say that some of the powers ascribed to Mary may not have actually been authentic?

Wizards as well as witches were believed to have exercized their powers in the Lake District, among them the famous reputed magician Michael Scot who is said to have retired in old age to the great Cistercian abbey of Holm Cultram and to have been buried there about 1291. The earliest recorded tradition about Michael Scot is found in Philemon Holland's translation of Camden's Britannia in 1610 where David I of Scots is stated to have built Holme Cultrain abbey.

The maid managed to retain her unconscious attitude, but when the stranger put the Hand on the table and went to the outer door, the girl silently followed. As the man stood on the steps calling for his accomplices, the maid pushed him violently into the road then shut and bolted the door. Rushing upstairs, she tried to waken the household. All remained as if drugged. Downstairs again she tore, seized a jug of blue milk and flung it over the candle burning in the Hand. Meanwhile the thieves had been pounding on the door. The noise now wakened the innkeeper, who rushed to a window and asked what they wanted.

'Give us the Hand of Glory and we'll go away', they called. The innkeeper replied with a shot from his pistol. The thieves then fled, leaving a trail of blood behind which was followed for some distance in the morning.

A more recent witch was Mary Baynes of Tebay in Westmorland. Like many old women regarded as witches she was repulsive in appearance.

by: Adrian Vultur

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