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LITTLE IMPS STONE CIRCLE, WHALLEY, LANCASHIRE SD 736 363
A walk along the riverbank from Whalley Bridge to Broken Brow takes us past fields known as ‘Imps’ & ‘Little Imps’. It is held that these names refer to an ancient stone circle that once stood within a grove of oaks here, and was reputedly haunted. The circle was said to have been destroyed by a vicar of Whalley Church in the 19th century.
It was in Little Imps Field that one of the Whalley Abbey monks, William Haydock, was executed in 1377 for his share in the Pilgrimage of Grace. The Abbot of Whalley, John Paslew, was tried and executed at Lancaster for his role in the Pilgrimage, and it is said that his body parts were exhibited in the Little Imps Field, a terrible indignity given the pagan nature of the place in those times. A small hill across the river, Turn Hill, is known as ‘Paslew’s Mound’, and another tradition has it that the remains of his body were gibbeted there.
A few years ago a hoard of Roman coins was found in Imps Fields by local metal detectors and an article appeared in the local newspaper. The finders spoke of also having found foundations of ancient structures and the site awaits future attention.
A walk along the riverbank from Whalley Bridge to Broken Brow takes us past fields known as ‘Imps’ & ‘Little Imps’. It is held that these names refer to an ancient stone circle that once stood within a grove of oaks here, and was reputedly haunted. The circle was said to have been destroyed by a vicar of Whalley Church in the 19th century.
It was in Little Imps Field that one of the Whalley Abbey monks, William Haydock, was executed in 1377 for his share in the Pilgrimage of Grace. The Abbot of Whalley, John Paslew, was tried and executed at Lancaster for his role in the Pilgrimage, and it is said that his body parts were exhibited in the Little Imps Field, a terrible indignity given the pagan nature of the place in those times. A small hill across the river, Turn Hill, is known as ‘Paslew’s Mound’, and another tradition has it that the remains of his body were gibbeted there.
A few years ago a hoard of Roman coins was found in Imps Fields by local metal detectors and an article appeared in the local newspaper. The finders spoke of also having found foundations of ancient structures and the site awaits future attention.
