Great Britain is famously haunted by phantom black dogs, a great pack of monstrous mongrels seemingly spread to all four corners of the realm, but while East Anglia boasts its Black Shuck, Devon its Whisht Hounds, the Isle of Man the Moddey Dhoo and Wales its Cŵn Annwn; the Dogs of Annwn, Northwest England possesses an especially chaotic catalog of spectral canines.
Tag Archives: #Pendle
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.
Plecotus auritus, the Halloween Bat
Brown Long-eared bats emerge late, after full darkness, to hunt and their echolocation calls are very quiet to avoid being detected by prey (they are simetimes called “whispering bats”), so bat detectors only pick them up at close range (typically under 5m). They are very skilled at gleaning insects from foliage while hovering or flying slowly, as well as catching prey in flight.
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.
The Northern Oak Eggar Moth
(Excerpt) The Oak Eggar moth (Lasiocampa quercus) is one of Britain’s most distinctive and widespread large moths. Despite its name, it has no connection with oak trees, the ‘eggar’ refers to the tough, oval, acorn-like cocoon in which the pupa develops, this is referred to in the epithet of its scientific name: quercus, which is the latin name for Oak.
The History of Read Park
Tucked away on the outskirts of the quiet village of Read, in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley, sits Read Park, a 450 acre estate surrounding Read Hall, a Grade II listed manor house that has been a local seat of power for over half a millennia.
Searching for Stonechat on Pendle
In spring the hill becomes alive with birdsong as smaller birds come into their own, high above, unseen in Pendle’s famous mists, Skylark and Meadow Pipit trill, from a lone Rowan an Ouzel whistles and from the Gorse you may hear the unusual yet unmistakeable call of the Stonechat.
