Bowstones

On our recent trip to Derbyshire, it was insisted upon me by my Glamourous Assistant that we have a visit to Lyme Park. I assumed this was because she wanted to appreciate the amazing architecture or the stunning landscape of the gardens. But no, Lyme Park was the filming location for Pemberley in Pride And Prejudice and she was hoping to catch a glimpse of Mr. Darcy emerging from the lake!

However not only did she not see him, she also didn't factor in me discovering a curious little find on the outskirts of the park called the Bowstones.

The Bowstones (also known as the Bow Stones) are two weathered stone shafts and are actually the upper parts of the shafts of two Anglo Saxon crosses which date back to the 9th or 10th century AD.

Having a quick scour of them shows some pretty decorative carvings along with some later additions including an incised cross and the letters W and L. Some scholars suggest the W may link to Sir Ralph Wyttle, a priest of Disley in the sixteenth century, and the L to the Legh family of Lyme.

Not only is it pretty unusual for Anglo Saxon shafts to have a circular section, it's even more unusual to find two of them standing side by side. This probably means that the crosses were not erected here originally.

Where are the full crosses now?

The crosses themselves were probably destroyed shortly after the Reformation in the mid 16th century. The upper parts of the shafts were moved to their current location at Bow Stone Gate and became the Bowstones, most likely by Sir Piers Legh, to serve as boundary markers or guide posts.

The cross heads themselves were ploughed up near Disley Church in the 19th century and are now kept in Lyme Park. Looking online it said they were in the courtyard, but we didn't see them when we visited. The lower sections have not been found and are presumed lost.

Where does the name Bowstones comes from?

Earlier records refer to the site as the Borestone where bor means a 'projection' or 'swelling' in Olde English. But then in Middle English, bore meant 'prominent' or 'conspicuous.'

However I much prefer the legend the locals say about how Robin Hood and his merry men would stop here to re string their bows, probably giving the Bowstones their present title.

The views from here are smashing with amazing views over Lyme Park. It's a stop on the Gritstone Trail, a popular walking area, and mark an old ridgeway between Disley and Macclesfield.

I had originally planned on driving to the Bowstones after our visit, but having just walked up to The Lantern in the woods of the park, I realised it was just a kilometre over the moor to the Bowstones. So ditching her with all the grace of Lizze rejecting Mr. Collins I pegged it over to have a look.

Having taken my few snaps I followed the permissive path down back down into Lyme Park and eventually found my Glamorous Assistant sitting in the sun with a glass of wine looking every bit as smug as Lady Catherine de Bourgh!