ONE of the most uplifting sights at springtime is the huge number of daffodils that flourish not only in gardens and parks, but also in the wild. In general terms, wild daffodils are smaller than cultivated varieties and tend to flourish in large numbers, especially in damp woodlands and shady grassed areas. They appear in Wales, Scotland and England, and in this region are particularly numerous and attractive in Farndale on the North York Moors. There they have become a springtime tourist attraction.

However, they do flourish in other parts of the moors and elsewhere. I’ve come across them in the grounds of ruined abbeys and in several minor dales such as the surrounds of Glaisdale Beck, where it flows through West Arncliffe Wood at Glaisdale. Those fields lay behind my grandparents’ farm where, as a very small child, I would explore that natural wilderness which in springtime was rich with bluebells, daffodils and a wonderful variety of other plants, birds and wild animals.

Growing up among such splendour meant that I became inquisitive about the presence of so many daffodils, especially near Glaisdale Beck but also in other regions of the moors, including Farndale.

My juvenile queries during my search for an explanation suggested they had been introduced to the moorland valleys by the monks of Rievaulx Abbey when they owned much of the landscape for their sheep-breeding enterprise. Another suggestion was that they had grown naturally in daffodil-friendly areas, but that also raises the question of when and how the first daffodils appeared in such places.

Of the daffodil-growing areas, Farndale is surely unique. Its name provides a clue to its lush but ancient natural state. The Gaelic name of Fearna probably provides the origin of its name. In the 13th century it was called Farndal (sic) which derived from fearn dael meaning “fern valley”. This name alone indicated a damp and perhaps shaded valley, the latter due to the woodlands which in turn provided ideal conditions for wild daffodils, whatever their origins.

In addition to the ferns, however, Farndale was also known for its bluebells, snowdrops, primroses and other wild plants. But today, it is the dale of millions of wild daffodils. Several varieties grow along both banks of the River Dove and extend for six or seven miles up the dale.

This produces some lovely walks but unscrupulous visitors would pick the flowers for sale as bunches in markets and even dig up the bulbs, not realising they would rarely flourish in domestic gardens – they do need a particular atmosphere and the unique conditions of Farndale if they are to flourish.

To prevent the threat of extinction, the North Riding County Council in 1953 declared the 2,000 acres of Farndale to be a local nature reserve, and the picking of the flowers or uprooting the bulbs is now illegal.

In pondering whether or not they were first introduced to the moors by the monks of Rievaulx, it is interesting that the daffodil does have ancient links with religion and symbolism. Even in Greek mythology, the flower featured as asphodelus, a plant that grew in the meadows of the Underworld. This had various spellings including asphodilus, affodilus and affodyl – it is from those words that the present name of daffodil has emerged.

The genus to which this plant belongs is narcissus, which includes the wild Lent Lily and the religious link is shown in this name because Narcissus was a senior figure in Rome at the time of Christ, and to whom St Paul once sent his greetings (Rom, xvi.11). It seems that this Narcissus was also a favourite of the Emperor Claudius. A better-known and quite different Narcissus was the 19-year-old Greek youth who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, and so continues in our language as someone who is excessively interested in his appearance.

The symbolism associated with daffodils is quite wide-ranging. They can mean faith, honesty, truth, forgiveness and even forthrightness. In some areas, seeing the first daffodil of spring heralds good fortune.

However, when presenting daffodils, a single bloom signifies or even brings misfortune; consequently, when given as gifts, daffodils should always be in bunches because they then signify good fortune.

In considering their symbolism for faith, honesty, truth and forgiveness, it is not surprising they were the favourite flower of the martyr of the North York Moors, Nicholas Postgate. He planted them around his lonely moorland refuge between Ugthorpe and Egton where, despite their location, they flourished. In his mind, their symbolism was unmistakeable but when he was executed at York in 1679 for the crime of baptising a baby into the Catholic faith, pilgrims later visited his former home and dug up all the bulbs. None now remain – but there are millions in Farndale and other moorland valleys.

St Cuthbert's Day

Today is the feast day of St Cuthbert who has strong links to Durham Cathedral and County Durham but also the village of Crayke, near Easingwold, in North Yorkshire. The dramatic story of Cuthbert’s remains being carried for safety around the North of England for seven years is well known. His supporters were endeavouring to prevent his mortal remains falling into the hands of the invading Vikings.

He died on this date in 687 and was buried on the Farne Islands, but during the Viking raids, the monks fled with his remains, which had not decomposed, and eventually they settled at Chester le Street.

A century later, a new threat came from marauding Danes and so the monks fled once more, this time to Ripon, but then onward to Crayke, where his body lay concealed for four months. There was a long tradition that every place where Cuthbert’s body rested became a part of County Durham. From that point, Crayke, although within the North Riding of Yorkshire, belonged to the County Palatine of Durham. This curious tradition remained active until 1844 when Parliament passed an Act of Parliament which transferred Crayke back to the North Riding. Some of those former links with County Durham may still be seen in Crayke – the Durham Ox Inn is one example, and the church is another.

Since the Reformation, St Cuthbert’s Church has been Anglican. Curiously, two years before Cuthbert’s death he was given land in Crayke whereupon he founded a monastery. With the passage of time and changes due to the Reformation, that monastery became St Cuthbert’s Church, probably in the reign of Henry VII (1457-1509), the first of the Tudor kings, who is known for defeating Richard III at Bosworth. One of this church’s three bells dates to 1699 but the church is remarkable because it is dedicated to its founder, and not its patron saint.

Of more interest is that the hill in Crayke is said to be the scene of the nursery rhyme that tells how The Grand Old Duke of York had 10,000 men and marched them up to the top of the hill, and marched them down again.