Sunday 8 February 2015

TALKING RUBBISH ?

 
Up here, in the North East, regional accents are many and various. Yesterday we were up in the very north of North Yorkshire, at Whorlton near Stokesley - or "Stowsla" as the locals call it. For me Stokesley marks a line where Yorkshire thee's and tha's quite suddenly mutate into a more unintelligible tongue. A bit Yorkshire, a bit Geordie, a little bit Scottish, perhaps.
 
                                         It's glorious i' summer tahme,
There's nae spot under't moon,
Where't new mown hay smells hauf so so sweet
As't diz i' Stowsla toon.
 
A stone is a styen, a house is a hoose, one is yan, look is luck. Enough is eneaf.
 
 
I've occasionally heard the hills around these parts called the "rubbish hills", a reference to the heaps of waste created by nearby ironstone and jet mines in the mid-nineteenth century, but the lumps and bumps visible in these fields are all that's left of the lost village of Whorlton. Well, not quite all...
 


 


 
there is also a not half bad medieval ruined castle to explore
 
 
and the substantial remains of a Norman church, pleasingly spooky in green.
 

 
Sadly, we can't go inside but we have seen its rare treasure, visible through a peephole in the door.
 
 
The carved bog oak effigy of Lord Nicholas de Meynell of Whorlton Castle who died in 1322 is thought to be the only wooden, London-made military effigy in Yorkshire, comparing favourably with those in Westminster Abbey.
 
 
Outside Holy Cross Old Church, Whorlton the sky was lightening, though the words on this stone don't lift the heart - the spelling's rubbish too!
 

 
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12 comments:

  1. Hello Nilli,
    I love the photos of that chisetta with his "ghostly"
    cemetery, is amazing!
    Thanks for the trip, I always love to go here
    Love Susy x

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    1. I hope my photos of Northern England do not make you shiver with cold!

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  2. Hello,

    Your photographs are wonderfully evocative of atmosphere and place. We have enjoyed visiting with you and were most intrigued to learn of the carved effigy. It is quite incredible to think that this was created over 600 years ago and remains in such good condition.

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    1. I'm pleased that you like them, though I fear they make the area look more bleak than it actually is.

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  3. There is the most wonderful bog oak effigy in Gloucester Cathedral of the Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror.
    The green luminescence on the tombs is wonderful, where else would you see such glorious patination?
    I know what you mean about Stokesley - when we lived in Northumberland we had a neighbour from there, and I could never understand a word she was saying, and it was even worse trying to make out what her children were saying.

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    1. I love regional accents and up here in the North they change dramatically with short distances - I wonder if you remember Stanley Ellis, linguistics scholar and BBC broadcaster? One of my favourite accents is the strange, slow and lilting drawl only found around Redcar.

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  4. A lost village. Intriguing. I really need to head up North. We usually spend school holidays heading West, seeing family in Devon. The uk has so many places to explore. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. It certainly does - as you prove with your wonderful blog!

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  5. Some great images here Nilly. I love the bog oak effigy.

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    1. Yes - Yorkshire is a rich and varied county. But all the damp green stone must make you long for your "other" home!

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  6. Fantastic photos. I must find Whorlton and visit for myself. Barbara

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    1. It's a very good area to explore, with some interesting and friendly villages. And, of course, a climb to the peak of Roseberry Topping is a must - and not too difficult.

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