Ten English Places the Devil has Visited
And the folklore surrounding them
England is full of places that bear the Devil’s name. He seems to have enjoyed rollicking around the English countryside seeing what he could get away with and, as a result, there is folklore hidden in various parts of villages, towns, forests and nature reserves.
Wherever he has visited, he has been busy building, digging and trying to manipulate and trick people into handing over their souls.
Here is a taste of what the Devil has gotten up to when he has visited England.
1. Kilve, Somerset
There’s more than one version of this legend but in the village of Kilve, off the coast of Somerset, once lived Blue Ben the wyvern. He lived in caves along the coast where anyone local to the area will know there are mud flats. Fire breathing Blue Ben built a limestone causeway across the mud flats so that he wouldn’t get stuck.
The Devil was watching Blue Ben and thought he’d make a spectacular mount. The Devil caught the dragon, forcing Blue Ben to carry him as and when he wanted. Eventually, the dragon managed to escape and in his desperation to get to the safety of his caves, he got stuck in the mud flats and sunk into them.
A lovely legend for the area backed up when in the early 19th century, a fossilised skull of an Ichthyosaur was discovered just outside of Kilve. The limestone causeway formation can still be seen along the coast.
2. Odell, Bedfordshire
In the village of Odell, in Bedfordshire, there once lived a man named Sir Rowland Alston (actually there were three and no one’s entirely certain which one this story is about) who sold his soul to the Devil.
Some stories say that when the Devil came to collect, Alston fled to the Church of All Saints. Unable to reach him, the Devil shook the church in a rage, leaving five strange markings on the stone jamb of the church porch, said to be his fingerprints or claw markings. This meant that when Alston died, his spirit remained in this world where he haunted and terrorised the town until a group of clergymen cornered his spirit and performed an exorcism, banishing him to a pond on Odell Wold.
Other stories tell that Alston bricked up a woman and child within the walls of his manor house. In trying to escape the law, he fell into the pond and drowned. His body was then taken to the church where the Devil attempted to claim him and in the ensuing struggle, the Devil’s prints were left on the church porch.
The next chance we have of finding out the truth is in 2044, when Sir Rowland Alston’s spirit will next appear. Sadly, the markings left by the Devil on the church porch were recently removed during church renovations.
3. Devil’s Pulpit, Gloucestershire
The Devil’s Pulpit is the name given to a rocky viewpoint on the border of Gloucestershire that looks over the River Wye and the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, Wales. More specifically, the rocky outcrop looks directly over Tintern Abbey which, in the 13th century, was a Cistercian monastery.
The local myths tell of the Devil appearing on this outcrop, looking over the abbey and preaching to the monks in an attempt to tempt them away. He then suggested that he perform a sermon from the roof of the abbey which the monks agreed to. Rather than see this as suspicious, the Devil moved down to the abbey where the monks showered him with holy water and he fled.
You can visit the Devil’s Pulpit on a pleasant, wooded walk and look over the incredible view of Tintern. Tintern Abbey stills sits below, although it’s now in ruins.
4. Dibble’s Bridge, Yorkshire
Dibble’s Bridge, which goes over the River Dibb in North Yorkshire, is also known as the Devil’s Bridge. The local stories tell of how a shoemaker convinced the Devil to build it. Ralph Calvert used to walk the road twice a year for work and one day, on his return from one of these journeys, Calvert crossed the river before settling to rest and soon became aware that he wasn’t alone. The Devil introduced himself and they talked. Calvert offered him a drink and then the Devil asked Calvert if there was anything he could do for the man. Calvert looked back to the dangerous river and asked the Devil to build a bridge over it. The Devil agreed.
A few days later, having told his village, Calvert and his neighbours returned to find that the bridge had been built. A surveyor and mason declared it structurally safe to use and then a priest sprinkled it with holy water.
It’s also the site of a horrific coach accident in 1925 in which seven people died and Britain’s worst motoring accident to date in 1975 in which thirty-four people were killed.
5. The Devil’s Graves, South Downs
Centuries ago, the Devil became incensed at the number of churches being built in Sussex and decided to flood the county by digging a trench from the English Channel. As he started, he scooped earth from the South Downs and created the Devil’s Dyke. A cunning old woman used a candle and sieve to create a light which the Devil mistook for dawn and promptly died. At the northern entrance of the dyke are two humps of earth which are said to be the graves of the Devil and his wife.
Local legend tells that if you hold your breath and walk backwards around the humps seven times, the Devil will appear.
Sussex seemed to be a favourite of the Devil. As well as the Devil’s Graves and Devil’s Dyke, there’s also the Devil’s Book (an earthwork that looks like a book), Devil’s Road, Bog and Ditch.
The humps are actually ancient earthworks which are remains of ox stalls, belonging to an iron age fort in an area known as Mount Caburn. Other folklore suggests that great Viking leaders are buried beneath the mounds.
6. Adderbury, Sutton’s King and Bloxham, Oxfamshire
In the 14th century, three brothers paid to build three churches in Oxfordshire. The local folklore tells that one member of the construction team built the spires of Adderbury, Sutton’s King and Bloxham churches in one night and never took any pay from the brothers. He also didn’t eat or sleep. As soon as the towers were finished, he vanished never to be seen again.
The three brothers became convinced that he was the Devil.
7. Shepton Mallet, Somerset
Above the town of Shepton Mallet was a cave where a witch by the name of Nancy Camel lived. One night there was a terrible storm and above the sound of the wind, the people of Shepton Mallet heard a terrifying shriek.
After the storm, the town residents went to check on Nancy and found her and her donkey gone. The stone slab at entrance of the cave was marked with two deep ruts and hoof prints burned into the stone. Evidence of the Devil’s cart as he dragged Nancy, and presumably her poor donkey, away.
Nancy was described as a ‘hideous hag’ who was often in a drunken stupor. She was a stocking knitter but was kicked out of her cottage when machines took her job during the Industrial Revolution, forcing her to live in the cave. The storm in question was probably the Great Storm of November 1703 which took the lives of thousands across the county.
You can visit the cave, named Nancy Camel’s Hole, in Ham Woods near Shepton Mallet.
8. Devil’s Bridge, Cumbria
In the 13th century, an old woman lived on the banks of the river Lune, in Cumbria, with her cow and dog. One night, her cow wandered across the river and she couldn’t tempt it back. The Devil offered to build her a bridge with the deal that he would claim the first soul that crossed it. The woman agreed and the Devil got to work. Once the bridge was finished, the woman threw food across the bridge, sending her dog running after it and the Devil, in a fit of rage, vanished.
At the apex of the bridge is a deep impression in the stone, known as the Devil’s handprint, left behind as he built the structure. It’s not known if the Devil took the dog, but seeing as all dogs go to heaven, it seems unlikely.
The bridge is now a popular meeting place and registered as an ancient monument.
9. St Leonard’s Forest, West Sussex
Mike Mills was a smuggler who met the Devil in St Leonard’s Forest, possibly while planting a straight avenue of trees in 1720, and made a deal. He suggested a race through the forest and if he won, the Devil would leave him alone. If he lost, the Devil would claim his soul. Mike ran so fast that he burnt the trees on either side.
The straight avenue where the race took place can still be seen as a long clearing. The forest is now an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
10. Silbury Hill, Wiltshire
Just shy of the village of Avebury, home to the Avebury stone circle, is a large mound. This is said to have been a handful of earth that the Devil carried with the intention of burying the village of Avebury, or Marlborough depending on the story you read. As the priest of the village prayed, the Devil was forced to drop the earth, creating Silbury Hill.
Another story tells of the Devil hiding a golden statue in Silbury Hill, for an unknown reason. This might be a case of stories being mixed as another legend tells of life-size gold figures buried in Silbury Hill depicting a mythical warrior king and his horse.
Silbury Hill is actually a prehistoric, man-made structure and the tallest man-made structure in Europe. To this day, no one knows why Silbury Hill was built or what its function was.
Looking at the folklore of the UK, the Devil seems to be easily outwitted but a brilliant builder. Which is good to know, should you happen to come across him when you need a bridge.
Jenny Lewis has a thing about devilish characters…and cake. Both tend to influence her novels which can be found at www.jenice.co.uk (off site link).
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