"In Stainfield church, near Bardney, are to be seen the helmet of one of the Tywhitts of Stainfield, with the family crest of a wild man, with a dagger hanging underneath it on the wall."
He believed the legend grew up around the crest and dagger in Stainfield church and dates from somewhere between 1700 and 1850. He then goes on to relate the story of one Francis Tyrwhitt- Drake who was promised all the lands of Stainfield, including its 280 acres of woodland and the land of neighbouring Lissinglea, if he would kill the wild man who had long terrorised the district.
As the wild man lay asleep on a bank by a pit, his presence disturbed a peewits' nest and the twittering of the angry birds attracted Drakes attention. Seizing his chance, Drake ran the wild man through with his sword. Mortally wounded, the monster jumped up streaming with blood and chased Drake for a mile through the fields before he fell dead. According to some versions of the story, the wild man's blood staining the fields gave rise to the name of the hamlet, but in truth Stainfield, mentioned in Domesday, derives its name from the Scandinavian "stony feld (field) and ford". The "Savage Man" or "Wodewose" that forms the supporter of the Tyrwhitt crest is a heraldic symbol representing strength, honour and fertility, it was a popular choice of supporter with baronets in ancient warlike days. As a matter of interest, the crest can still be seen on the signboard of the 16th century Tyrwhitt Arms public house at Short Ferry, near the neighbouring village of Fiskerton. A further variant of the tale states that The Wild Man was killed not by a bold knight, but by a group of local farmers known as "The Hardy Gang". Having had enough of The Wild Man killing and eating their livestock, they hunted him down and killed him after a fierce combat in a wood between Langton and Stainfield still known as "Hardy Gang wood".
Another informant relates a whimsical version of the wild man's demise: "I always understood that Mr Tyrwhitt poured a barrel of rum in the pond where he knew the wild man drank, and he drank the water and got drunk and that is how they killed him." Further research into the wild man saga led me to a series of letters published in local news papers. In a letter headed "Refuge from the Armada", a reader from Essex offers the theory that the wild man could have been a surviving Spaniard from one of the many ships of the great Armada that was wrecked by storms in the North Sea, He writes; " The theory is that a survivor of one wreck, evading capture, escaped inland and lived in the woods around Stainfield. of strange garb and countenance, speaking a strange tongue and depending on what food he could steal, it is not surprising he terrified the local inhabitants who regarded him as a wild man. Certainly the clothes I saw in Stainfield Church many years ago, a helmet,gloves, and remnants of a leather jerkin, are not inconsistent with such a theory."
He believed the legend grew up around the crest and dagger in Stainfield church and dates from somewhere between 1700 and 1850. He then goes on to relate the story of one Francis Tyrwhitt- Drake who was promised all the lands of Stainfield, including its 280 acres of woodland and the land of neighbouring Lissinglea, if he would kill the wild man who had long terrorised the district.
As the wild man lay asleep on a bank by a pit, his presence disturbed a peewits' nest and the twittering of the angry birds attracted Drakes attention. Seizing his chance, Drake ran the wild man through with his sword. Mortally wounded, the monster jumped up streaming with blood and chased Drake for a mile through the fields before he fell dead. According to some versions of the story, the wild man's blood staining the fields gave rise to the name of the hamlet, but in truth Stainfield, mentioned in Domesday, derives its name from the Scandinavian "stony feld (field) and ford". The "Savage Man" or "Wodewose" that forms the supporter of the Tyrwhitt crest is a heraldic symbol representing strength, honour and fertility, it was a popular choice of supporter with baronets in ancient warlike days. As a matter of interest, the crest can still be seen on the signboard of the 16th century Tyrwhitt Arms public house at Short Ferry, near the neighbouring village of Fiskerton. A further variant of the tale states that The Wild Man was killed not by a bold knight, but by a group of local farmers known as "The Hardy Gang". Having had enough of The Wild Man killing and eating their livestock, they hunted him down and killed him after a fierce combat in a wood between Langton and Stainfield still known as "Hardy Gang wood".
Another informant relates a whimsical version of the wild man's demise: "I always understood that Mr Tyrwhitt poured a barrel of rum in the pond where he knew the wild man drank, and he drank the water and got drunk and that is how they killed him." Further research into the wild man saga led me to a series of letters published in local news papers. In a letter headed "Refuge from the Armada", a reader from Essex offers the theory that the wild man could have been a surviving Spaniard from one of the many ships of the great Armada that was wrecked by storms in the North Sea, He writes; " The theory is that a survivor of one wreck, evading capture, escaped inland and lived in the woods around Stainfield. of strange garb and countenance, speaking a strange tongue and depending on what food he could steal, it is not surprising he terrified the local inhabitants who regarded him as a wild man. Certainly the clothes I saw in Stainfield Church many years ago, a helmet,gloves, and remnants of a leather jerkin, are not inconsistent with such a theory."
Comments
Post a Comment
To contact me please use debbiehatswell@gmail.com