Nanny Howe of Kildale

Court Moor and Nanny Howe - OS map  (1856)   Map credit NLS

The village of Kildale is located on the northern edge of the North York Moors, 4 miles to the south of Guisborough.

 Here's a question - is it possible for a burial mound to also be a person? This might seem rather odd, but at first glance this appears to have been the case at Kildale - at least according to the local folklore.

 The village sits in the river Leven valley, with the North York Moors stretching away to the south, and the Cleveland Hills forming the higher ground to the north. A narrow lane on the north side of the village leads up onto Coate Moor (originally Court Moor), with much of this hill top now covered by tree plantations. Before the forestry, there were three 'howes' or burial mounds standing approximately 45m apart on the eastern end of the ridge, with one of them being known as Nanny Howe. Frank Elgee (1933) visited the site in the early 1900's, and in addition to the burial mounds, he also noted stone walled enclosures and pits. Elgee also referred to the site's local name as 'the Devil's Court', from a tradition that witches used to gather there, and that Nanny Howe was named after a 'famous' local witch. In the regions dialect it was apparently not unusual for the possessive 's' to be dropped from a name, and so this is likely to have been 'Nanny's Howe'.

The Fairies Parlour - Almscliffe Crags

 Almscliffe Crag is a large rock outcrop located on a low hill, 4 miles to the south west of Harrogate.

  The weathered mass of Millstone Grit sits at the southern end of a low ridge, elevating the crags into an even more prominent position, where they can be seen from many miles around. The top of the crags provide a 360° panoramic view, taking in the moors and surrounding farmland, and the valley of the river Wharfe to the south.

 It is perhaps no surprise to find that such a notable landmark would feature in the areas folklore, and in this case the crags were believed to be home to the local faerie folk. It is worth noting that these were not the dainty winged creatures of  Victorian imagination, rather they were believed to be supernatural beings, usually invisible to humans, but also able of assume any form when interacting with people. In the past there was a genuine fear of the faery race, as they were thought to be ever present, easily offended, and would cause death or bad luck to anyone who crossed them.