Today's #archaeology theme is #folklorethursday (!) so here's a thread about Alderley Edge and the local legend many people will know 1/

2/ Alderley Edge in Cheshire is probably more important for what is under the ground than on top of it - it is home to the oldest known metal-mining site in England, with evidence of mining dating back to at least 1900 BC & the mine entrances can still be easily found today 2/

Bronze Age activity on the Edge was not just limited to copper mining. There is a bowl barrow (burial mound) on the Edge and many more in the surrounding area (image from Cheshire Archaeology) 3/

Copper was also mined at Alderley Edge during the Roman period, a hoard of coins dating to the fourth century has also been found in one of the mine shafts, and again from the 17th-19th century (later including mining for cobalt) 4/

Before the 18th century, the Edge was clear of trees, making it an excellent for an Armada beacon. The beacon was placed on top of a Bronze Age burial mound, the highest point of the Edge, which is now almost completely hidden by foliage! 5/

Trees were planted on the Edge in the mid 18th century, mainly by the brilliantly titled James Smith-Stanley, Lord Strange. It is also around this time that we know the legend of Alderley Edge was being told. 6/

First published as a letter in the Manchester Mail in 1805, it was apparently a story often told by Parson Shrigley, Curate of Alderley church from 1753-76. The legend goes: A farmer from Mobberley was taking a white horse to sell at market in Macclesfield.... 7/

... walking over the Edge he was stopped by an old man* who offered to buy the horse. The farmer refused, saying he could get more at market, & the old man said he would be there again in the evening as the farmer would not find another buyer... 8/

... of course the farmer couldn't find a buyer. Returning home over the Edge he once again met the old man & accepted his offer. The man led him to Stormy Point, and a pair of iron gates appeared. Through the gates was a cavern, which the farmer entered... 9/

... in the cavern there were men and white horses fast asleep. There was also a large amount of gold and treasure, from which the farmer received payment for the horse. The man explained to the farmer that when England was in great danger these sleeping men would awaken. 10/

There have been a number of expansions of the legend over the years, most famously in Alan Garner's book "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen", which is how many people will know of the legend. 11/

I'll add in here that the version of the legend I was told as a child, which features in an 1839 poem based on the legend, is that it is King Arthur & his knights sleeping under the Edge. Really this is a joining of two common legends, neither of which are unique to Alderley. 12/

That said, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen definitely had a huge influence on my brother & I as a child. We were terrified of the hole on Stormy Point, a cave entrance called "the devil's gash", where we imagined Susan & Colin might have entered Fundindelve. 13/

There are other sites on Alderley Edge which maintain an illusion of being older than they are (this is a definite power of the Edge) - one of these is the Druid's Circle, created either by the Stanleys in the 18thC or an ancestor of Alan Garner (depending on who you ask!) 14/

And of course the various holy wells - including Wizard's Well, again claimed to have been carved by an ancestor of Alan Garner! Feel free to share your own photos/thoughts about the legend! 15/15 #archaeology31