Deep within Healey Dell lies a chilling legend of witches, fairies and the lost ring that changed Robin Hood’s fate, writes GEMMA JOHNSON
Healey Dell Nature Reserve lies in a steep valley, just two miles from the bustle of Rochdale Town Centre in Greater Manchester.
It is an ancient landscape, with the River Spodden carving out its path in the belly of the valley. This 99-acre nature reserve has history coursing through the soil, the trees within it having been witness to thousands of years of human life.
The first humans to inhabit Healey Dell can be traced back to after the Ice Age in 8,000 BC. The name ‘Healey Dell’ relates to its Norman roots, when it was let as land to the De Healey family. The Dell was later developed by the Victorians, who seized the opportunity to construct cotton mills within the reserve due to the fresh water supply.
It even has connections to World War II, when a munitions factory was set up in Healey Dell to create provisions for the war effort. Healey Dell has been a key cornerstone in the development of mankind for thousands of years.
It is human nature to tell stories, and this is what creates folklore and legend. There are many strange and unusual tales relating to the Dell.
Tales of Healey Dell Witchcraft
Tales of witchcraft were often associated with water, the reason being that it was rumoured to carry mystical powers which could facilitate the creation and casting of spells.
Local covens of witches gathered in the depths of Healey Dell, sheltered by the canopy of the trees.
By and large, they kept themselves to themselves, however there was one coven of witches that sought to create mischief, mischief that greatly backfired on them. All at the hands of fairies.
Nestled within the banks of the river was the King of the Fairies. He watched over the woodlands and ensured that fairies were kept safe from harm, and that the witches behaved.
He would intervene should the tranquillity of the Dell be disturbed.
A gentleman known as Robert of Huntingdon was passing through Healey Dell, possessing a ring which supported his claim to the title. He was on his way to provide proof which would allow him to inherit land and wealth.
On his way through the Dell, he was stopped by a coven of witches who tricked him into handing over the ring. The King of the Fairies, seeing their evil deeds, cast the witches into the river, turning them into stone.
Robert lost his ring, and therefore the only proof of his legacy. It was banished into the river bed with the witches, however this then led Robert on a new path, one that would see him become the famous outlaw — Robin Hood.
The witches’ cauldron was destroyed by the King of the Fairies. He shattered it into a thousand pieces, sending them falling into the river where they turned into stone.
Although the witches were no longer able to practise their magic, the magical powers of the cauldron had been absorbed into the water.
There is an area of Healey Dell known as ‘The Fairy Chapel’. It is a rock formation which looks like a pulpit and a reading desk.
This is known as the home of the Fairy King. It allowed him to keep a watchful eye on the witches who were now forever embedded into the rocks of the river bed, ensuring that they were never able to return.
To this day, visitors take narrow steps down to The Fairy Chapel to leave gifts and pay their respects to the fairies.
Be warned, he is always listening. Should visitors speak ill of fairies, then they are likely to receive the same fate as the coven of witches.
