Fear and Folklore in the Cotswolds

Photo Source- ancientexplorers.com

Rollright Stones

Just in time for WORLD BOOK DAY, Chipping Campden has a few legends itself. . .

Numerous folktales are associated with the stones, including the tale reported in a rhyming version by William Camden in 1610, that a king was riding across the county with his army when he was accosted by a local witch called Mother Shipton who said to him:

“Seven long strides thou shalt take, says she And if Long Compton thou canst see, King of England thou shalt be!”

His troops gathered in a circle to discuss the challenge and his knights muttered amongst themselves– but the king boldly took seven steps forward. Rising ground blocked his view of Long Compton in the valley and the witch cackled:

“As Long Compton thou canst not see, King of England thou shalt not be! Rise up stick and stand still stone, For King of England thou shalt be none; Thou and thy men hoar stones shall be, And I myself an elder tree!”

The king became the solitary King Stone, while nearby his soldiers formed a cromlech, or circle, called the King's Men. As the witch prepared to turn herself into an elder tree, she backtracked into four of the king's knights, who had lagged behind and were whispering plots against the king. She turned them to stone as well, and today they are called the Whispering Knights.

The King’s Arms Hotel

Legend has it that King Charles I stayed in the property around the time of the Battle of Naseby in 1645. Indeed, given that it was an inn of some repute in the 18th and 19th centuries, it seems likely that many famous names from English history would have spent time here. It is also believed that the apparition of a Victorian lady roams the premises of the hotel grounds, there have been numerous sightings of an elderly women appearing suddenly and then vanishing in thin air as quickly as she arrived. Other accounts have claimed to have seen her sat in one of the old armchairs in the recreation room before leaving it empty and untouched.

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