Limlow Hill (Litlington): Difference between revisions
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__NOTOC__{{ | __NOTOC__{{PlaceNamesItemTop|Lat=52.057651|Lon=-0.072015|AdministrativeDivision=Cambridgeshire|Vicinity=Limlow Hill, 1.5 km SSW of Litlington and 3.5 km WNW of Royston|Type=Prehistoric site|Interest=Local tradition|Status=Extant|Demonym=|Riding=|GreaterLondon=|Year=1895|Aka=Limblow; Linglow|Century=|Cluster1=Litlington|Cluster2=|Cluster3=|Image=geograph-5171284-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Postcards=|ExtraCat1=Places connected by bowshot|ExtraCat2=|ExtraCat3=|ExtraCat4=|ExtraCat5=|ExtraLink1=|ExtraLink2=|ExtraLink3=|ExtraLink4=|ExtraLink5=|ExtraLinkName1=|ExtraLinkName2=|ExtraLinkName3=|ExtraLinkName4=|ExtraLinkName5=|GeopointPrefix=|GeopointSuffix=|StatusSuffix=|DatePrefix=|DateSuffix=}} | ||
{{#display_map:{{#var:Coords}}|width=34%}}<div class="pnMapLegend">Limlow Hill.</div> | {{#display_map:{{#var:Coords}}~{{#replace:{{PAGENAME}}|'|'}}|width=34%|enablefullscreen=yes}}<div class="pnMapLegend">Limlow Hill.</div> | ||
[[File: | [[File:{{#var:Image}}|thumb|right|500px|Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171284 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.]]]<div class="no-img"> | ||
<p id="byline">By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by {{#realname:{{REVISIONUSER}}}}, {{REVISIONYEAR}}-{{REVISIONMONTH}}-{{REVISIONDAY2}}. | <p id="byline">By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by {{#realname:{{REVISIONUSER}}}}, {{REVISIONYEAR}}-{{REVISIONMONTH}}-{{REVISIONDAY2}}.</p> | ||
Just south of Litlington village, east of the road to Royston, is Limlow Hill, which was formerly crowned by a tumulus c. 5.5 m high and c. 13 m in diameter, surrounded by a ditch and bank. In 1888 or 1892<ref>{{:Reaney, Percy Hide 1943a}}, p. 57, ''s.n.'' 'Limlow Hill'.</ref> this prominent landmark was destroyed and leveled by the farmer on whose field it was situated. According to local tradition, Robin Hood, standing on the mound, shot an arrow which either fell in [[Litlington Chalk Pit (Litlington)|Litlington Chalk Pit]] c. 700 metres away, where it was said to have subsequently grown into a thorn tree, [[Robin Hood's Tree (Bassingbourn)|or fell on Ermine Street c. 2.5 km away]]. The tradition was supposedly commemorated in the name of the [[Robin Hood and Little John (Litlington)|Robin Hood & Little John]] inn in Litlington, which was established by 1811 and closed in 1910. It is hardly possible to say how much older this tradition may be. Skeletons with Roman paraphernalia and coins were found in or near the mound in 1833. Following aerial photography in 1934, what remained of the site after the fatal event of c. 1894 was excavated in 1937. The mound and an enclosure within which it was located were then dated to c. 150-200 AD. The area is currently cultivated. | Just south of Litlington village, east of the road to Royston, is Limlow Hill,<ref>Alternative forms are 'Limblow' and 'Linglow': {{:Hughes, Thomas McKenny 1891a}}, see p. 396.</ref> which was formerly crowned by a tumulus c. 5.5 m high and c. 13 m in diameter, surrounded by a ditch and bank. In 1888 or 1892<ref>{{:Reaney, Percy Hide 1943a}}, p. 57, ''s.n.'' 'Limlow Hill'.</ref> this prominent landmark was destroyed and leveled by the farmer on whose field it was situated. According to local tradition, Robin Hood, standing on the mound, shot an arrow which either fell in [[Litlington Chalk Pit (Litlington)|Litlington Chalk Pit]] c. 700 metres away, where it was said to have subsequently grown into a thorn tree, [[Robin Hood's Tree (Bassingbourn)|or fell on Ermine Street c. 2.5 km away]]. The tradition was supposedly commemorated in the name of the [[Robin Hood and Little John (Litlington)|Robin Hood & Little John]] inn in Litlington, which was established by 1811 and closed in 1910. It is hardly possible to say how much older this tradition may be. Skeletons with Roman paraphernalia and coins were found in or near the mound in 1833. Following aerial photography in 1934, what remained of the site after the fatal event of c. 1894 was excavated in 1937. The mound and an enclosure within which it was located were then dated to c. 150-200 AD. The area is currently cultivated. | ||
== Quotations == | |||
{{quote|The "Limbury" Tumulus, near Litlington, Cambs. — On a hill to the south of the village of Litlington, Cambs. [''sic''] there used to be a large tumulus called Limbury or Linloe Hill. A local tradition related that from it Robin Hood shot an arrow which fell on the Ermine Street, near where the toll gate used to stand, about a mile and a half away, a spot now marked by an ancient hawthorn bush, and on the Ordnance map as "Robin Hood." Having often seen this tumulus when travelling along the railway, I paid a visit to it about two years ago, and on arriving at the top of the hill was surprised to find that the tumulus had vanished, but in place of it about half an acre of the adjoining arable land was covered with chalk, bones, and broken pottery, evidently Roman. Amongst the bones I found a remarkable perfect epiphysis from the lower end of the femur of a deer. Coins of the reigns of Vespasian and Claudius have been found here, and about half a mile south near Ashwell Street, a Roman cemetery was discovered in 1821. Is an occupier, or owner of land, allowed to destroy ancient landmarks like this with impunity?<ref>[[Palmer, W M 1895a|Palmer, W.M. 'The "Limbury" Tumulus, near Litlington, Cambs.', ''The East Anglian, or, Notes | {{quote|The "Limbury" Tumulus, near Litlington, Cambs. — On a hill to the south of the village of Litlington, Cambs. [''sic''] there used to be a large tumulus called Limbury or Linloe Hill. A local tradition related that from it Robin Hood shot an arrow which fell on the Ermine Street, near where the toll gate used to stand, about a mile and a half away, a spot now marked by an ancient hawthorn bush, and on the Ordnance map as "Robin Hood." Having often seen this tumulus when travelling along the railway, I paid a visit to it about two years ago, and on arriving at the top of the hill was surprised to find that the tumulus had vanished, but in place of it about half an acre of the adjoining arable land was covered with chalk, bones, and broken pottery, evidently Roman. Amongst the bones I found a remarkable perfect epiphysis from the lower end of the femur of a deer. Coins of the reigns of Vespasian and Claudius have been found here, and about half a mile south near Ashwell Street, a Roman cemetery was discovered in 1821. Is an occupier, or owner of land, allowed to destroy ancient landmarks like this with impunity?<ref>[[Palmer, W M 1895a|Palmer, W.M. 'The "Limbury" Tumulus, near Litlington, Cambs.', ''The East Anglian, or, Notes & Queries on Subjects Connected with the Counties of Suffolk, Essex, Cambridge, and Notfolk, New Series'', vol. VI (1895-96), p. 28]].</ref>}} | ||
{{quote|One source [Courcy-Ireland<ref>[[Courcy-Ireland, Magens Arrindle de 1944a|Courcy-Ireland, Magens de. ''History of Abington Pigotts with Litlington: Churches & Parishes, with the Manors'' (Royston, 1944)]], p. 48. Not seen.</ref>] says that the arrow fell in the village chalk pit (now disused, [...] a few hundred metres across the road from the hill), and there grew into a thorn tree. By 1811 an inn (which closed in 1910) in the village had been named the Robin Hood & Little John, supposedly after this legend.<ref>[http://www.hiddenea.com/cambsl.htm Hidden East Anglia - Litlington.]</ref>}} | {{quote|One source [''sc.'' Courcy-Ireland<ref>[[Courcy-Ireland, Magens Arrindle de 1944a|Courcy-Ireland, Magens de. ''History of Abington Pigotts with Litlington: Churches & Parishes, with the Manors'' (Royston, 1944)]], p. 48. Not seen.</ref>] says that the arrow fell in the village chalk pit (now disused, [...] a few hundred metres across the road from the hill), and there grew into a thorn tree. By 1811 an inn (which closed in 1910) in the village had been named the Robin Hood & Little John, supposedly after this legend.<ref>[http://www.hiddenea.com/cambsl.htm Hidden East Anglia - Litlington.]</ref>}} | ||
=== Sources | == Gazetteers == | ||
* Not included in {{:Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a}}, pp. 293-311. | |||
== Sources == | |||
* [[Courcy-Ireland, Magens Arrindle de 1944a|Courcy-Ireland, Magens de. ''History of Abington Pigotts with Litlington: Churches & Parishes, with the Manors'' (Royston, 1944)]], p. 48. Not seen. | * [[Courcy-Ireland, Magens Arrindle de 1944a|Courcy-Ireland, Magens de. ''History of Abington Pigotts with Litlington: Churches & Parishes, with the Manors'' (Royston, 1944)]], p. 48. Not seen. | ||
* [[Palmer, W M 1895a|Palmer, W.M. 'The "Limbury" Tumulus, near Litlington, Cambs.', ''The East Anglian, or, Notes | * [http://www.hiddenea.com/cambsl.htm Hidden East Anglia - Litlington] | ||
* {{:Hughes, Thomas McKenny 1891a}}. | |||
* [[Palmer, W M 1895a|Palmer, W.M. 'The "Limbury" Tumulus, near Litlington, Cambs.', ''The East Anglian, or, Notes & Queries on Subjects Connected with the Counties of Suffolk, Essex, Cambridge, and Notfolk, New Series'', vol. VI (1895-96), p. 28]] | |||
* {{:Reaney, Percy Hide 1943a}}, p. 57, ''s.n.'' 'Limlow Hill'. | * {{:Reaney, Percy Hide 1943a}}, p. 57, ''s.n.'' 'Limlow Hill'. | ||
=== | == Maps == | ||
* 25" O.S. map ''Cambridgeshire'' LVII.8 (1887; surveyed 1886). No copy in NLS | |||
* [https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=52.0584&lon=-0.0728&layers=168&b=5 25" O.S. map ''Cambridgeshire'' LVII.12 (1903; rev. 1901)] (georeferenced) | |||
* [http://maps.nls.uk/view/114488095#zoom=4&lat=6508&lon=15213&layers=BT 25" O.S. map ''Cambridgeshire'' LVII.12 (1903; rev. 1901)] | |||
* [http://maps.nls.uk/view/101572372#zoom=5&lat=5033&lon=7717&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Cambridgeshire'' LVII.SE (1886; surveyed 1877)] | * [http://maps.nls.uk/view/101572372#zoom=5&lat=5033&lon=7717&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Cambridgeshire'' LVII.SE (1886; surveyed 1877)] | ||
* [http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=52.0588&lon=-0.0732&layers=171&b=1 6" O.S. map ''Cambridgeshire'' LVII.SE (1903; rev. 1901)] (georeferenced) | * [http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=52.0588&lon=-0.0732&layers=171&b=1 6" O.S. map ''Cambridgeshire'' LVII.SE (1903; rev. 1901)] (georeferenced) | ||
* [http://maps.nls.uk/view/101572366#zoom=5&lat=5046&lon=7894&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Cambridgeshire'' LVII.SE (1947; rev. ''c.'' 1950)] | * [http://maps.nls.uk/view/101572366#zoom=5&lat=5046&lon=7894&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Cambridgeshire'' LVII.SE (1947; rev. ''c.'' 1950)] | ||
* [http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=52.0603&lon=-0.0712&layers=10&b=1 1:25,000 O.S. map TL34 (1956; surveyed 1937-53)] | * [http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=52.0603&lon=-0.0712&layers=10&b=1 1:25,000 O.S. map TL34 (1956; surveyed 1937-53)] | ||
* [http://maps.nls.uk/view/101168276#zoom=5&lat=3267&lon=8795&layers=BT 1" O.S. map sheet 204 ''Biggleswade'' (Hills) (1896)] | |||
* [http://maps.nls.uk/view/74466946#zoom=5&lat=9653&lon=10658&layers=BT 1" O.S. map 147 ''Bedford & Luton'' (1946)] | * [http://maps.nls.uk/view/74466946#zoom=5&lat=9653&lon=10658&layers=BT 1" O.S. map 147 ''Bedford & Luton'' (1946)] | ||
* [http://maps.nls.uk/view/91577083#zoom=6&lat=9883&lon=10094&layers=BT 1" O.S. map 147 ''Bedford and Luton'' (1959).] | * [http://maps.nls.uk/view/91577083#zoom=6&lat=9883&lon=10094&layers=BT 1" O.S. map 147 ''Bedford and Luton'' (1959).] | ||
== Discussion == | |||
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66742 British History Online: Litlington]; web edition of: 'Parishes: Litlington', in: ''A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely'', vol. 8 (1982), pp. 54-66. | * [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66742 British History Online: Litlington]; web edition of: 'Parishes: Litlington', in: ''A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely'', vol. 8 (1982), pp. 54-66. | ||
* [http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=368685&sort=2&type=hillfort&rational=a&class1=None&period=None&county=None&district=None&parish=None&place=&recordsperpage=10&source=text&rtype=&rnumber=&p=3&move=p&nor=890&recfc=0#aRt Past Scape: Limlow Hill Mound] (on archaeological finds and excavations). | * [http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=368685&sort=2&type=hillfort&rational=a&class1=None&period=None&county=None&district=None&parish=None&place=&recordsperpage=10&source=text&rtype=&rnumber=&p=3&move=p&nor=890&recfc=0#aRt Past Scape: Limlow Hill Mound] (on archaeological finds and excavations). | ||
=== Notes | == Background == | ||
* {{:Clark, J G D 1938a}}. | |||
{{PlaceNamesItemAlsoSee}} | |||
== Notes == | |||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
</div> | |||
<div id="gallery"> | |||
< | {{ImageGalleryIntroduction}} | ||
{{ | |||
<gallery widths="195px"> | <gallery widths="195px"> | ||
geograph-5171284-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171284 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | |||
</gallery> | geograph-5171290-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Footpath up Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171290 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | ||
geograph-5171288-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Field boundary on Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171288 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | |||
geograph-5171293-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Footpath to Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171293 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | |||
geograph-5171283-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Footpath on Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171283 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | |||
geograph-5171287-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Field boundary on Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171287 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | |||
geograph-5171282-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171282 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | |||
geograph-5171289-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Footpath from Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171289 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | |||
geograph-5171276-by-Hugh-Venables.jpg|Path up Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5171276 Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | |||
Looking towards Limlow Hill.jpg|Looking towards Limlow Hill / [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/408981 Jeff Tomlinson, 22 Apr. 2007, Creative Commons, via Geograph.] | |||
</gallery> | |||
</div> | |||
{{ | {{PlaceNamesItemNavigation}} |
Latest revision as of 01:00, 13 February 2021
Locality | |
---|---|
Coordinate | 52.057651, -0.072015 |
Adm. div. | Cambridgeshire |
Vicinity | Limlow Hill, 1.5 km SSW of Litlington and 3.5 km WNW of Royston |
Type | Prehistoric site |
Interest | Local tradition |
Status | Extant |
First Record | 1895 |
A.k.a. | Limblow; Linglow |
By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-02-13.
Just south of Litlington village, east of the road to Royston, is Limlow Hill,[1] which was formerly crowned by a tumulus c. 5.5 m high and c. 13 m in diameter, surrounded by a ditch and bank. In 1888 or 1892[2] this prominent landmark was destroyed and leveled by the farmer on whose field it was situated. According to local tradition, Robin Hood, standing on the mound, shot an arrow which either fell in Litlington Chalk Pit c. 700 metres away, where it was said to have subsequently grown into a thorn tree, or fell on Ermine Street c. 2.5 km away. The tradition was supposedly commemorated in the name of the Robin Hood & Little John inn in Litlington, which was established by 1811 and closed in 1910. It is hardly possible to say how much older this tradition may be. Skeletons with Roman paraphernalia and coins were found in or near the mound in 1833. Following aerial photography in 1934, what remained of the site after the fatal event of c. 1894 was excavated in 1937. The mound and an enclosure within which it was located were then dated to c. 150-200 AD. The area is currently cultivated.
Quotations
The "Limbury" Tumulus, near Litlington, Cambs. — On a hill to the south of the village of Litlington, Cambs. [sic] there used to be a large tumulus called Limbury or Linloe Hill. A local tradition related that from it Robin Hood shot an arrow which fell on the Ermine Street, near where the toll gate used to stand, about a mile and a half away, a spot now marked by an ancient hawthorn bush, and on the Ordnance map as "Robin Hood." Having often seen this tumulus when travelling along the railway, I paid a visit to it about two years ago, and on arriving at the top of the hill was surprised to find that the tumulus had vanished, but in place of it about half an acre of the adjoining arable land was covered with chalk, bones, and broken pottery, evidently Roman. Amongst the bones I found a remarkable perfect epiphysis from the lower end of the femur of a deer. Coins of the reigns of Vespasian and Claudius have been found here, and about half a mile south near Ashwell Street, a Roman cemetery was discovered in 1821. Is an occupier, or owner of land, allowed to destroy ancient landmarks like this with impunity?[3]
One source [sc. Courcy-Ireland[4]] says that the arrow fell in the village chalk pit (now disused, [...] a few hundred metres across the road from the hill), and there grew into a thorn tree. By 1811 an inn (which closed in 1910) in the village had been named the Robin Hood & Little John, supposedly after this legend.[5]
Gazetteers
- Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-311.
Sources
- Courcy-Ireland, Magens de. History of Abington Pigotts with Litlington: Churches & Parishes, with the Manors (Royston, 1944), p. 48. Not seen.
- Hidden East Anglia - Litlington
- Hughes, Professor. 'Notes on Limblow Hill, near Royston, Cambridgeshire', Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, vol. 6, part 3 (1891), pp. 395-96.
- Palmer, W.M. 'The "Limbury" Tumulus, near Litlington, Cambs.', The East Anglian, or, Notes & Queries on Subjects Connected with the Counties of Suffolk, Essex, Cambridge, and Notfolk, New Series, vol. VI (1895-96), p. 28
- Reaney, P.H. The Place-Names of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely (English Place-Name Society, vol. XIX) (Cambridge, 1943), p. 57, s.n. 'Limlow Hill'.
Maps
- 25" O.S. map Cambridgeshire LVII.8 (1887; surveyed 1886). No copy in NLS
- 25" O.S. map Cambridgeshire LVII.12 (1903; rev. 1901) (georeferenced)
- 25" O.S. map Cambridgeshire LVII.12 (1903; rev. 1901)
- 6" O.S. map Cambridgeshire LVII.SE (1886; surveyed 1877)
- 6" O.S. map Cambridgeshire LVII.SE (1903; rev. 1901) (georeferenced)
- 6" O.S. map Cambridgeshire LVII.SE (1947; rev. c. 1950)
- 1:25,000 O.S. map TL34 (1956; surveyed 1937-53)
- 1" O.S. map sheet 204 Biggleswade (Hills) (1896)
- 1" O.S. map 147 Bedford & Luton (1946)
- 1" O.S. map 147 Bedford and Luton (1959).
Discussion
- British History Online: Litlington; web edition of: 'Parishes: Litlington', in: A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely, vol. 8 (1982), pp. 54-66.
- Past Scape: Limlow Hill Mound (on archaeological finds and excavations).
Background
Also see
Notes
- ↑ Alternative forms are 'Limblow' and 'Linglow': Hughes, Professor. 'Notes on Limblow Hill, near Royston, Cambridgeshire', Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, vol. 6, part 3 (1891), pp. 395-96, see p. 396.
- ↑ Reaney, P.H. The Place-Names of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely (English Place-Name Society, vol. XIX) (Cambridge, 1943), p. 57, s.n. 'Limlow Hill'.
- ↑ Palmer, W.M. 'The "Limbury" Tumulus, near Litlington, Cambs.', The East Anglian, or, Notes & Queries on Subjects Connected with the Counties of Suffolk, Essex, Cambridge, and Notfolk, New Series, vol. VI (1895-96), p. 28.
- ↑ Courcy-Ireland, Magens de. History of Abington Pigotts with Litlington: Churches & Parishes, with the Manors (Royston, 1944), p. 48. Not seen.
- ↑ Hidden East Anglia - Litlington.
Image gallery
Click any image to display it in the lightbox, where you can navigate between images by clicking in the right or left side of the current image.
Footpath up Limlow Hill / Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.
Field boundary on Limlow Hill / Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.
Footpath to Limlow Hill / Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.
Footpath on Limlow Hill / Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.
Field boundary on Limlow Hill / Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.
Footpath from Limlow Hill / Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.
Path up Limlow Hill / Hugh Venables, 23 Oct., 2016, Creative Commons, via Geograph.
Looking towards Limlow Hill / Jeff Tomlinson, 22 Apr. 2007, Creative Commons, via Geograph.