1891 - Gray, Johnnie - Through Airedale from Goole to Malham (3)

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2014-07-17. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-07.

Allusion

The natives of these parts [the village of Ponden] have a saying: "Let's go to Ponden Kirk, where they wed odd uns," which has its origin in an old custom of passing parties through a hole, capable of admitting only one at a time, that exists in the enormous boulder called 'Ponden Kirk,' near to the waterfall so named. The belief is that if you pass through it you will never die single! Not far from the rock is a spring called Robin Hood's Well.

IRHB comments

This passage is found in a sub-chapter entitled 'Excursions from Keighley'. 'Johnnie Gray' is a pseudonym of Harry Speight.

Lists

• Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-11.
• Outside scope of Sussex, Lucy, compil. 'References to Robin Hood up to 1600', in: Knight, Stephen. Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw (Oxford, UK; Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1994), pp. 262-88.

Editions

• Gray, Johnnie. Through Airedale from Goole to Malham (Leeds; Bradford; Skipton; Goole, 1891), p. 189; for sub-chapter title see p. 185.

Notes

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