Unnatural Histories, Pudsey’s Leap and the Fairy’s Silver Bit

In St Peter and St Paul’s church in the village of Bolton-by-Bowland in deepest, darkest Lancashire you can find the ornate tomb of the 15th century landowner, Sir Ralph Pudsey, his three wives and twenty-five children. There are many stories about Ralph Pudsey but one stands out more than the others, this story is the tale of Pudsey’s leap.

The Pudsey tomb

No way out

The Pudseys were a very rich family and owned the village of Bolton-by-Bowland for generations, but when Ralph Pudsey’s father died he found he was left with very little, his father had ran out of money due to spending above his means and having to pay recusancy fines (fines for not attending church).

He knew he might have to give up the family home Bolton Hall and had started to have the estate valued, but the weight of all this bore down on him enormously. Ralph couldn’t see a way out of this at all, the tale goes that he found his salvation when he encountered a circle of fairies in a wood beside skirden Brook.

Brass rubbing of the Pudsey tomb with Ralph’s 3 wives and 25 children

The Silver bit

He used to ride to the wood a lot when he desired solitude as it was thought to be haunted so was avoided by the locals. One day, upon seeing how despondent he was, the fairies which reputedly live in the wood took pity and appeared before Ralph, presenting him with a magic silver bit which would, when placed in a horse’s mouth, enchant the horse all day until sunset.

The fairies also told him that if the miners in his employ were to concentrate on particular seams in his lead mines at Skellhorn near Downham, they would find silver.

With the silver that his astounded miners found, and it was a significant amount too, Ralph set up his own mint, and produced silver coins embossed with the his families emblem, the Pudsay Star, these became known as Pudsay shillings. A cottage in the village is called Mint cottage as it is where the mint was hidden.

Early 17th century curb bit

Punishable by death

Local businesses assumed his coinage was legal tender and accepted it for long enough for Pudsay to accumulate a small fortune but eventually he was found out.

One of his miners, so the story goes, was out drinking one night in Clitheroe and dropped a purse of the Pudsay shillings all over the floor of an ale house he was in, however someone pocketed one of the coins and this silver shilling somehow made its way into the hands of the royal mint.

Queen Elizabeth First Shilling from around 1560

Forgery of the kings money in the 15th century was a capital offence, punishable by death, so soldiers were sent by King Henry to Bolton Hall to arrest Ralph, but he was alerted early enough to dash to the stables, on the way he remembered the silver bit the fairies had given him and had time to attach it to his horse’s bridle headgear.

He managed to gallop away just as the soldiers arrived but several mounted soldiers witnessed him leaving the hall and gave chase. Naturally he knew the lay of the land better much better than the soldiers but was still cornered and trapped above a 90ft precipice over the Skirden brook called Rainsber Scar.

Skirden Brook

Trapped and at bay

Ralph realised he was trapped and at bay but something told him that with the fairy’s silver bit in its mouth, his horse just might make the leap, he galloped towards the king’s men but at last moment turned and headed towards the cliff. Ralph, of course, made the leap. Before amazed onlookers and the disbelieving soldiers themselves his horse soared over Rainsber scar and Skirden brook and made the other side, the cliff has been known as Pudsey’s leap ever since.

Ralph Pudsey made his way to London to see his godmother, Queen Elizabeth the First who pardoned him but he never saw the silver bit or met the benevolent fairies ever again, although it said they still frequent the woods by Skirden brook to this day and can be seen there on midsummers eve, but only by one who has a silver Pudsay shilling upon their person.

A B-H