In Response to David Barrowclough and John Hallam’s conclusions regarding ‘The Devil’s Footprints’ on Apronful Hill, Pendle: An investigation into the Brythonic identity of East Lancashire.
type: CreativeWork
description: Lancashire folklore records a legend that footprints found in stone between the villages of Sabden and Pendleton were created by the Devil, who took the form of a giant and carried an apronful of stones with the intention of destroying Clitheroe Castle. Unfortunately, he failed. The stone that he threw missed the mark, and his apron-strings snapped leaving the pile of stones known as Apronful Hill. This legend is considered here in the context of historical and literary sources, accompanied by an analysis of place names and other legends. Whilst the initial investigation by David Barrowclough and John Hallam tentatively concluded a connection with Scandinavian rock art and mythology, a possible connection with Celtic mythology has been suggested here.
abstract: Lancashire folklore records a legend that footprints found in stone between the villages of Sabden and Pendleton were created by the Devil, who took the form of a giant and carried an apronful of stones with the intention of destroying Clitheroe Castle. Unfortunately, he failed. The stone that he threw missed the mark, and his apron-strings snapped leaving the pile of stones known as Apronful Hill. This legend is considered here in the context of historical and literary sources, accompanied by an analysis of place names and other legends. Whilst the initial investigation by David Barrowclough and John Hallam tentatively concluded a connection with Scandinavian rock art and mythology, a possible connection with Celtic mythology has been suggested here.
author: Cornthwaite, Jessica
keywords: D051 Hanes yr Henfyd, DA Prydain Fawr, GR Llên gwerin
date published: 2023-06
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:52:59Z
provider: University of Wales Trinity Saint David
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Wales Trinity Saint David

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.82227/repository.uwtsd.ac.uk.00002644