Fairies of Tynemouth

Just a short walk down the coast from the Fairy Caves of Cullercoats, is a coastal town called Tynemouth. Many have heard of Tynemouth priory, or perhaps even the ghosts that haunt the priory, but few are aware of the mysterious cave below where infernal spirits are said to dwell. The cave is best known to locals as Geordie's Hole or Jingler's Hole. Some say that it was part of an underground passage with vaults, possibly dungeons, maybe connected to the priory itself. Others say that the "Wytche of Tinemouth" lived there, others say a wizard. Others say the name came from an old man living in the cave who used to prowl around at night making a strange clanking noise, terrifying the local children.

According to an article on Tynemouth Priory in the Monthly Chronicle (1887), fairies were also said to live in Tynemouth:

"Tynemouth, in the olden time (and that not so far back either) is declared to have been a favourite haunt of the fairies. An old woman, whom a friend of ours visited the other day to gather any particulars she might know respecting the mythical Jingler, was told that her recollections went back at least sixty years, and that the story was already an old one when she was a girl, but that she had herself actually seen the fairies, so that was no mere hearsay."

Other sources suggest that far more sinister creatures are dwelling at Tynemouth. According to a poem in Hone's Table Book (1827), which is the earliest reference to the caves I have managed to find so far, the inhabitants of these mysterious cave are infernal beasts and demons who are guarding a great wealth of treasure. Young Walter, the son of a knight, was told by his mother of wondrous wealth and "treasures in keeping of Sorcery" to be found "far 'neath the sea, in a deep rocky cell, bound down by the chains of the strongest spell". Eventually, on the Eve of St Johns, Young Walter ventures forth to seek the treasure and finds the entrance in the rocks:

Down deep in the rock winds the pathway drear,
And the yells of the spirits seem near and more near,
And the flames from their eye-balls burn ghastly blue
As they dance round the knight with a wild halloo."

Fierce dragons with scales of bright burnished brass,
Stand belching red fire where the warrior must pass;
But rushes he on with his brand and his shield,
And with loud shrieks of laughter they vanish and yield.

Huge hell-dogs come baying with murd'rous notes,
Sulphureous flames in their gaping throats;
and they spring to, but shrinks not, brave Walter the Knight
And again all is sunk in the darkness of night.

Walter seizes a bugle horn from the wall and blows into it a loud blast, 3 times, as it turns into a snake with the mouthpiece containing the asp's poisonous fangs. A magic cock, perched on the gate, wakes and shakes its wings. It lets out a loud crow, and all the infernal demons vanish, leaving Walter to escape with all the treasure he can carry.

Unfortunately there were a series of landslides and the cave entrance is said to have collapsed and closed for good, which is probably for the best considering the amount of infernal creatures said to dwell in there! I decided to pay a visit over the winter months to see if any signs of an entrance could be seen once the summer's greenery had died away to reveal the rocks below, but unfortunately none could be seen. It's unlikely the infernal creatures will be escaping anytime soon, but if you're walking past late at night and hear a distance jingling coming from inside the cliffs, you might want to quicken your step and hurry home just in case!

Sources & Further Information
Hone's Table Book (1827)
1887 Monthly Chronicle
Denham Tracts, Michael Denham

Fairies Caves, Cullercoats

Most of the places I blog about require lots of trawling through old books, a bit of internet research, maybe some library visits, and at least 20 minutes of being buried under Ordinance Survey maps. However, this entry is about a place I stumbled across completely by accident! Though some would say there are no accidents.

There's a little costal bay in Cullercoats, home to a lifeboat station, old watch house, a marine laboratory, and some mysterious caves. I live in a town further up the coast and have been to Cullercoats on many occassions and wandered around the caves, but until a random glance at the tourist board one Spring afternoon in April, I had no idea they were known locally as the Fairies Caves!

I've never come across any fairy legends about the caves while reading local folklore and history books, so I imagine any stories that gave the caves their name were told verbally among the locals, rather than being written down. If anyone has any further information I'd love to hear it though.

In an interview on the Tyne & Wear Museums website a lady recalls her memories of old Cullercoats, she tells "I never ventured very far into the caves, but the caves were there, you know, there was the Fairy's Cave and there was the Smuggler's Cave, and so on". This suggests that the caves have been associated with fairies for some time, and the name wasn't invented purely for the tourist board. Perhaps the name was originally given to the smaller caves that are too small to be used by humans, and would have been perfectly sized for use by the local fairies!

There's no shortage of mysterious caves along this stretch of coast, including a cave full of goblins and infernal demons at Tynemouth, i'll save that for a future blog though!

Sources & Further Information
Tyne & Wear Museums

Changing Face of Cullercoats
Photos of old Cullercoats

The Cauld Lad O'Hilton

A mischievious brownie was once said to live in the kitchen at Hylton Castle. He took joy in throwing pots and pans around during the night, after the servants had taken great care in tidying it before retiring to bed. However, if the servants had left the kitchen in a state of disarray then he would carefully tidy it and spend the night cleaning up the mess. According to 'Folk Tales of the North Country' by Grice (1944), the Cauld Lad's mishievious tricks included overturning chairs, rolling up mats, emptying the linen from the cupboards, pilling all the pans in the middle of the floor, and throwing water over the wood pile. He was often heard singing:

"Wae's me, wae's me
The acorn is not yet
Fallen from the tree
That's to grow the wood
That's to make the candle
That's to rock the bairn
That's to grow a man
That's to lay me."

The servants had enough of his mischief and decided to banish him away. Luckily, they knew the best way to banish a Brownie was to give him new clothing, as a smartly dressed Brownie considers himself far too well dressed for housework. The servants made a small green cloak of silk and a red velvet hood, and laid them infront of the fire. At midnight, the Cauld Lad appeared and tried the clothing on in delight, then danced around the kitchen, singing:

"Here's a cloak and here's a hood,
The Cauld Lad O'Hilton will do no more good."

He disappeared, never to be seen again in the Hylton Castle kitchens. However, according to some sources he was later spotted rowing people across the Wear in a ferry boat, kept tethered near the castle. He would row people half way across the wear, then disappear or give them a terrible fright, returning later to row them back to the castle.

Some versions of the legend refer to the Cauld Lad O'Hilton as being a ghost, sometimes that of a young stable boy called Roger Skelton, who was killed in the 16th century by a baron of Hilton. Other versions of the tale can be found here and here.

Once a year, as part of Heritage Open days, the castle is opened to the public. I went along with my partner and trusty navigator, and we had a good wander around the castle. No strange goings on or Cauld Lad sightings, but a beautiful castle and well worth a visit.

We also ventured along to the ferry crossing in the river where the Cauld Lad is said to row to the castle, but it seems someone has put an end to his pranks and stuck a rather large rock in his boat!

Sources & Further Information

Local Historian's Table Book, vol 3, Richardson

The Fairy Mythology, Keightley

Folklore of the Northern Counties, Henderson

Denham Tracts Vol 1, Denham

Folk Tales of the North Country, Grice

Friends of Hylton Castle

Pensher Hill Fairies

Pensher hill, now more commonly known as Penshaw Hill, was once said to be a fairy hill where the fairies gathered to bake their bread and cakes. According to 'Legends and Superstitions of Durham' by William Brockie (1886):

"The fairies used to be heard patting their butter on the slope of Pensher Hill, when people were passing in the dark. A man once heard one of them say, "mend that peel!". Next day, going past again, he found a broken peel lying on the ground. So he took it up and mended it. The day after that, when going along the road with a cart, he saw a piece of bread lying on a stone at the root of the hedge, at the identical place, with nice-looking fresh butter spread upon it: but he durst neither eat it himself, nor give it to his horses. The consequence was that before he got to the top of the "lonnin" both his horses fell down dead."

Penshaw hill is now more famously known for the Penshaw Monument, which sits at the top of the hill, and also for its part in the legend of the Lambton Worm. The hill was once also home to an Iron Age hill fort.


Sources and Further Information
Legends and Superstitions of Durham, William Brockie
The Story of the Lambton Worm
Penshaw Hill Hillfort
The Penshaw Monument