Lays and Legends of the English Lake Country: With Copious NotesWhite, John Pagen
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Lays and Legends of the English Lake Country: With Copious Notes
White, John Pagen
Lake District (England) -- Poetry; Legends -- England -- Lake District
A traditional story in the neighbourhood of Egremont relates the
circumstance of a lady of the Lucy family being devoured by a wolf.
According to one version this catastrophe occurred on an evening
walk near the Castle; whilst, a more popular rendering of the
legend ascribes it to an occasion on which the lord of the manor,
with his lady and servants, were hunting in the forest; when the
lady having been lost in the ardour of the chase, was after a long
search and heart-rending suspense, found lying on a bank slain by
a wolf which was in the act of tearing her to pieces. The place is
distinguished by a mound of earth, near the village of Beckermet,
on the banks of the Ehen, about a mile below Egremont. The name of
Woto Bank, or Wodow Bank as the modern mansion erected near the
spot is called, is said to be derived by traditionary etymology,
from the expression to which in the first transports of his grief
the distracted husband gave utterance--"Woe to this bank."
Hutchinson is inclined to believe "that this place has been witness
to many bloody conflicts, as appears by the monuments scattered on
all hands in its neighbourhood; and by some the story is supposed
to be no more than an emblematic allusion to such conflicts during
the invasion of the Danes. It is asserted that no such relation is
to be found in the history of the Lucy family; so that it must be
fabulous, or figurative of some other event."
There are, however, yet to be seen in the burial ground attached to
the Abbey Church of St. Bees, the remaining parts of two monumental
figures which may reasonably be presumed to have reference to some
such event as that recorded by tradition. The fragments, which are
much mutilated, are of stone; and the sculpture appears to be of
great antiquity. Common report has assigned to these remains the
names of Lord and Lady Lucy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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