Willy Howe (Willie Howe or Willey-Hou), Neolithic Round Barrow

Found between Burton Fleming and Wold Newton, Willy Howe is a large Neolithic round barrow which stands close to the Gypsy Race. The barrow was excavated in 1857 by Albert Denison Denison, 1st Baron Londesborough (Born 21 October 1805 – Died 15 January 1860) and again in 1887 by Canon William Greenwell (Born 23 March 1820 – Died 27 January 1918).

The following description of the barrow is taken from ‘Essays on archaeological subjects, and on various questions connected with the history of art, science, and literature in the Middle Ages (1861)’ by Thomas Wright (Born 1810 – Died 1877). Wright also identified Willy Howe with barrow that was mentioned in a folk tale by William of Newburgh (circa 1200AD), so the site possibly has a long tradition of being associated with fairies.

At the beginning of October last ( 1857 ), I paid a visit to lord Londesborough, who was then in his residence at Scarborough, and it had been arranged that we should take that opportunity of opening a very large barrow at some distance to the south of that town.

This barrow, which is a mound of earth above sixty-feet in height, and about 300 feet in circumference, is popularly known by the name of Willey-hou {hou being in that part of the country synonymous with barrow). It stands on the slope of one of the lower chalk hills of the wolds, a few miles inward from the coast, at a distance of somewhat less than a mile from the village of Wold-Newton (which is rather to the northward of it), and about a mile and a half from that of North Burton (which lies nearly south). At the foot of the bank, below Willey-hou, runs one of those curious intermitting streams common to the chalk districts, which is known by the name of The Gypsies.

On Monday, the 5th of October, a sufficient number of men were set to work in cutting a large trench from one side of the tumulus to the centre; but the time required for such an excavation had been much underrated, and up to the Thursday the only result was the clearing of a large portion of a level floor, at some elevation from the base of the tumulus, which was covered with a coating of wood ashes and other burnt materials. On the day just mentioned our attention was carried away to another discovery, that of some interesting Anglo-Saxon interments near Scarborough, which proved for the moment the more attractive of the two.

This discovery had interrupted our plans with regard to the great tumulus of Willey-hou, and as it would have required another week or more to explore it properly, it was abandoned for the present. I have no doubt whatever that it is a sepulchral intenncnt of the Koman period, but it may probably contain nothing but an urn filled with bones. This great tumulus is, however, especially interesting from its connection with the stories and legends of ancient times, which are as much characteristic of races as language itself, and travel with them or with their divisions in the same manner. The example I have to relate shows how durable such stories are in the minds of peoples. We sometimes find, in opening these tumuli, the traces of depredations committed upon them in former times in the belief, which prevailed generally, that vast treasures were concealed beneath them ; but fortunately they were protected also by another article of the superstitious, creed — the belief that these treasures were placed under the charge of fearful dragons, or of still more powerful fairies or demons, who were sure to take vengeance upon any one who attempted to rob them. The treasure-hunters, therefore, who went to work in earnest, sought the assistance of magical incantations, which were not always easily obtained. The tumulus of Willey-hou, which is one of the most celebrated in this part of England, was the subject of a legend of very remote date.

One of our most valuable historians of the twelfth century was born at Bridlington, in the first year of the reign of king Stephen (a.d. 1136), and afterwards becoming a canon of Newburgh, in the same county, is commonly known by the name of William of Newburgh. He seems to have been fond of the legends and popular antiquities of his native place, and he tells us that he had often remarked the tumulus to which the following legend belongs, which he has taken the trouble to hand down to us. There can be no doubt that it is the barrow of Willey-hou. He describes it as standing about half a mile from a village, of which he has omitted to tell us the name, but which was, no doubt, Wold-Newton; it was near ” those celebrated waters, which are commonly called Vipse, and spring from the earth in a copious stream, not continually, but at intervals, after intervals of years.” This stream was no doubt The Gypsies already mentioned.

One day a rustic of the village just mentioned, went to visit one of his friends in a neiGfhbourinor village, (no doubt North Burton,) the road to which lay near our tumulus, a road, therefore, which we may easily suppose people would not then willingly choose to pass at night. However, the love of beer, which was then even more powerful than at the present day, kept the rustic visitor until a late hour at night, and when at length he started on his way home he was at least all the happier for his entertainment. As he approached the tumulus his astonishment was great to hear merry sounds issuing from it, which betokened that it was occupied by a party w^ho were feastins: and sinfjino;. AVonderino; who could have come to that lonely spot to enjoy themselves at such an hour, he approached nearer to the mound, and then, for the first time, he saw a door open in its side. Our rustic friend, who was well mounted, rode boldly up to this door, looked through it, and beheld, inside, a spacious ai)artment, brilliantly illuminated, and a large company of men and women seated at a magnificent entertainment. As he stood there staring at the door, one of the cup-bearers, seeing him, approached and offered him the cup to drink. Now it must be remarked that, according to the doctrines of fairy lore, (for tliese were fairies,) when a mere mortal approached their assemblies accidentally, the fairy-folk always ofiered him some of the liquor they were drinking, and, if he drank it, he immediately lost all power of returning home, and was carried away into fairy-land. But the rustic of East Yorkshire was too wise for that, for he poured the contents on the ground, and, grasping firmly the cup, started off at full gallop. The fairy feasters rushed from the tumulus, and gave chase ; but the horse of the fugitive was a good and swift one, and almost by miracle he reached his village in safety, and secured his valuable prize. He had, however, a chance in his favour which William of Newburgh has forgotten to state. It was an article of popular belief, equally in the time of the fairies and in that of the witches, that if you once placed a running stream between yourself and your unearthly pursuers, they had no longer any power over you. At a very little distance from Willey-hou the stream of the Gypsies must have protected the fugitive in his flight to Wold-Newton. His prize turned out to be a vase of unknown material, and equally strange in form and colour, (vasculum materice incognit<2, coloris insoliti, et formcB inusitatcE.) This extraordinary cup was soon talked of far and near, and at last it was given to King Henry I. — for it was in his reign that this event occurred. Henry subsequently presented it to his brother-in-law, king David of Scotland; and many years afterwards the second king Henry, visiting the Scottish court, was shown this wonderful cup, and begged it of William the Lion, who then occupied the Scottish throne. ^^ This story,” says William of Newburgh, ” may appear strange, and people would not believe it if it had not been attested by the most trustworthy witnesses.”

And, in fact, there may have been some truth in it ; for it is not impossible that somebody digging into the tumulus may have found an urn which, from its rarity, may have been thought not unworthy to be presented to the king, and that the legend may have been added to give more interest to it. It is a common legend, and has been repeated under various forms and circumstances.

This legend, as we see, existed early in the twelfth century, or more than seven hundred years ago. I learnt, during my visit to the spot, that it still exists, though in a debased form. The peasantry now tell us that, one winter’s night, a farmer returning from market heard, much to his astonishment, sounds of mirth and revelry proceed from Willey-hou, whereupon he rode up to the hill to ascertain the cause of this extraordinary occurrence. As he approached, a little dapper man presented himself, with a cup of welcome. The farmer, supposing it to be silver, drank the contents, and setting spurs to his horse rode off with the treasure ; but on his arrival at home, to his great disappointment, he found that it was nothing but basemetal.

This is not the only legend which the peasantry of the neighbourhood have preserved relative to Willey-hou. They tell you gravely that years ago some avaricious personage dug into the tumulus in order to gain possession of the treasure it was supposed to contain. At length, after much labour, lie came to an immense iron chest, the receptacle of the coveted riches, but the lid was no sooner uncovered than it lifted itself up a little, and out sprang an immense black cat, which seated itself upon the chest, and glowered with eyes of fire upon the insolent intruders. Not daunted by this, after making various ineffectual attempts to move the chest, the digger for treasure fixed to it a strong chain or rope, to which he attached so numerous a team of horses, according to some accounts, or bullocks, according to others, that they reached two and two from the tumulus to North Burton, a distance of full a mile and a half. When all these preparations were completed, the director of these operations gave the order for moving exultingly in the following words — of course addressing his animals:—

” Hep Joan ! prow Mark !
Whether God will or no,
We’ll have this ark.”

He had hardly uttered the words when the rope and the traces broke in a hundred places, and the chest of treasure disappeared for ever.

There is a certain air of quaintness about the rhymes which seems to speak for the antiquity of this legend. The peasantry assure you further, that if any one run nine times round the tumulus without stopping, and then put his ear against it, he will distinctly hear the fairies dancing and singing in the interior. The old superstitious feeling relating to the spot seems, indeed, to exist almost as strong amongst the peasantry of the present day as it did ages ago ; our proceedings excited general alarm among the lower classes, who expected to see some manifestation of vengeance on the part of the beings believed to hold the guard of the tumulus ; and few would have ventured out in its neighbourhood after dark.