Countryman's Diary
| NORTH YORKSHIRE |  | | | CLEVELAND | | | | COUNTY DURHAM | |
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The legend of the Leyburn Shawl, retold
FROM time to time, I am
asked by visitors to the
dales if I know why Leyburn
Shawl is so-called.
There is a wonderful legend that
seeks to provide an explanation
although detractors would probably
stress that the word shawl
comes from shaw meaning a
wood. Alternatively, it might derive
from a very ancient Norse
word schalle or skali that mean
huts or shelters. Indeed, on the
land below the Shawl there are
said to be some remains of prehistoric
dwellings that used to be
occupied by early dales folk.
Certainly, the vista from the
Shawl is splendid even if much of
it is viewed through trees. Penhill
is very prominent on the horizon,
with several small villages in
a fine expanse of Wensleydale
plus, if conditions are right, the
mighty sound of Aysgarth Falls,
particularly when the River Ure is
heavy with flood water. Access to
the Shawl is easy - you leave the
top of Leyburn market place and
go through Shawl Mews to the
right of the Bolton Arms Hotel,
and then follow your nose.
Not far away is Castle Bolton, not
to be confused with Bolton
Abbey, and it was this mighty
stronghold that gave rise to the
legend of Leyburn Shawl. It was
home to the Scropes from 1284, a
family that produced two earls,
20 barons, four High Treasurers
and two Chief Justices.
There was also a Lord Chancellor
and an archbishop, with many
family members being honoured
as Knights of the Garter. It is a
formidable record. Although they
clung tenaciously to their
Catholic faith, they were trusted
by Queen Elizabeth I at a time
she was persecuting so many
members of that church. But it
was she who imposed a difficult
task upon the Scropes and their
famous castle.
Elizabeth was worried that Mary
Queen of Scots might make a bid
for the English throne and so she
ordered that Mary be held in safe
custody, possibly for her own
good. The Scrope family of Castle
Bolton was entrusted at least
temporarily with that task.
Mary arrived in the middle of
July, 1568, coming from Carlisle
via Appleby and crossing the
Westmorland border near Kirkby
Stephen. She crossed Mallerstang
Moors to Hawes, and travelled
down Wensleydale to Castle
Bolton. She was accompanied by
six personal attendants, 20 carriage
horses, 23 saddle horses
and 40 men to look after the
horses and deal with other matters
during the journey. All had to
be accommodated in and around
the castle, and many of the men
were boarded in nearby farms
and cottages.
Even though she was technically
a prisoner, Mary was not placed
in the awful dungeon but had her
own suite of rooms within the
castle along with some servants.
She remained for about six
months. It is said she inscribed
her name Marie R on one of the
windows, using a diamond ring,
although that pane of glass was
eventually broken in an accident.
During her stay, Mary was allowed
out of the castle to go
hunting and she was also an honoured
guest at some of the
mansions in the area. It is said
she spent one night at Nappa
Hall, with the bed she used being
kept for many years afterwards.
But, according to the legend,
Mary became quickly bored with
this controlled existence and
wanted her freedom. Her opportunity
came one day when she
managed to dodge her guards
and climb out of a window at the
castle from where she managed
to flee into the surrounding
countryside. There are stories
that she was aided by friends, but
she wanted to reach the nearest
town - Leyburn.
Having hunted in the area and
travelled around the castle, she
knew her way around and fled
along the high path through the
woods leading to Leyburn. Not
surprisingly, the alarm was
quickly raised, with men, horses
and dogs being mustered to
mount a search. As she ran
through the trees she could hear
the baying of the hounds behind
her but, so the story goes, in her
desperate flight her shawl caught
on some briars and was dragged
from her body. With no time to
halt and retrieve it, she ran on
but the shawl confirmed her recent
presence.
Mary, who would be only 26 at
the time, was caught and returned
to Castle Bolton where
she remained until January, 1569.
That incident, so the story tell us,
is why that part of Wensleydale is
known as Leyburn Shawl while
some say that it is the place that
Mary Queen of Scots finally lost
her freedom.
BLACKBIRDS have been
particularly active in recent
days, and my morning
walk was enlivened by four or
five noisy males in the midst of
some kind of dispute.
They were waging battle deep inside
a bush covered with holly so
I could not count them accurately.
They were only a yard or so
from me at one point, clearly unaware
of, or unconcerned by, my
presence, and they were making
a tremendous noise.
Despite the intensity of their
scrapping, there was no female
in sight. I would expect battles of
some kind around this time of
year because it is when they
begin courting and when they
are probably seeking nesting
sites or even constructing new
nests.
I gained the impression that their
behaviour was something to do
with marking the boundaries of
their territory because birds can
be extraordinarily possessive
when it comes to identifying and
marking their own patch of England.
In claiming a territory, a bird will
consider the cover it generates
and the food it will provide. It
needs to be a safe place in which
to build a nest and rear a family
and once the male has selected
his patch, he will fiercely defend
it against all others of the same species. It is rarely that they bother
about intruders not of their
own species - what they seek is
their own special place with all
the amenities it has to offer.
Birds have different methods of
marking their territories so that
others are aware of the claim to
that piece of land. Singing from
high places at different points of
the boundary is perhaps the
most usual means.
Those boundaries will not be
clearly defined, although the current
resident will be aware of
them, consequently a territory
might be described as that parcel
of land defended by the current
occupant. Although he will not
share his territory with a rival of
the same species, he will permit
other species to enter and nest
there.
That could explain why our small garden will probably contain a
nesting blackbird, robin, blue tit,
house sparrow, wren and even a
thrush, all males. Other males of
those species enter at their peril.
In fact, however, a territory can
be as small as a hole in a tree or a
tiny patch of earth to thousands
of acres patrolled by something
like a golden eagle or buzzard.
I am sure the blackbirds I encountered
upon my morning
route were settling some kind of
claim to the highly desirable
length of hedgerow in question,
but this morning when I passed,
it was all very quiet. Perhaps I
shall soon notice a nest in there.
AS I pen these notes, several
blackthorns in my area are
in splendid bloom, their
white blossom producing a most
welcome spring-like touch to the
landscape. Our countryside has
not yet recovered from winter,
mild though it was, but even as
these notes appear in print, the
grass will be greener and fresh
leaves will be appearing on
hedgerows and trees.
Country wisdom advises us to
beware a blackthorn winter because
even if that shrub does display
its beautiful flowers, a sudden
cold spell may follow.
12:02pm Friday 28th March 2008
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