Tag Archives: #Clitheroe

Unnatural Histories: T’ hole in t’ Castle Keep

Up on top o’ yon rocky hill stands Clitheroe Castle, which I telt ye all about afore, it’s one o’ t’ smallest keeps in all England, an as’ stood theer for more nor eight hundred year, lookin’ out ower Ribble Valley. But on t’ side o’ that keep, just above t’ door, there’s a gurt big hole. Not a neat winder, mind thee, a proper jagged hole, big enough for a man to lean through, an’ it’s allus been theer as long as folk can remember.

A Condensed History of Clitheroe Castle

(Excerpt) Clitheroe Castle served as the caput (administrative centre) of the Honour of Clitheroe, a large estate stretching along the western side of the Pennines. The de Lacy family, whose principal seat was at Pontefract, used it as a base for local governance and it functioned as a court, small prison, and centre for the administration of the surrounding forests and manors. A small garrison was maintained through the 13th century.

Ring O’ Clogs

What ses Lancasheer to thee,

is it Blackpoo’ by the sea?

Is it wet ond muggy days,

ships on t’Mersey through the aze,

blackpuddings on a plate in’t shops,

is it shawls or whippet dogs,

or is it just the ring o’ clogs.

A Pint-Size History of the Inn at Whitewell

The Inn at Whitewell is a venerable old building with a long and storied history. It began its life in the late 14th century as a small manor-house overlooking the River Hodder and served as the residence for the keepers of the King’s Forest of Bowland.

Unnatural Histories; Dandy the Dog, James Device’s Shape-shifting Familiar

A Tale of the Pendle Witch Trials and a Demonic Dog. Including a Chapter on the Design and Installation of the Eponymous Sculpture in Clitheroe, Lancashire