Devil’s Apronful

Pendle, Lancashire (unknown date)

“Here being in view of the Castle, he took one of the stones and threw it towards Clitheroe; but just as he was in the act of doing so, his ‘brat string’ broke, and all the stones he was carrying were tumbled on to the ground.” - Burnley News, 8th January 1916

If you climb up Pendle Hill from Sabden side, you’ll come across a mound of rocks that look like they’ve been tossed or discarded in a large lump. This area is called Apronfull Hill, and either the name came from the folklore attached to it, or the folklore attached to it came from its name… hard to tell!

On one of the rocks on Cragg’s Farm you’ll find two marks side by side, about two ft six inches long, and about six inches wide. It is said that these marks resemble giant footprints caused by none other than the Devil himself. The tale goes that the devil leaped from Hambledon Hill, above Accrington, and the footprint was formed as he landed on Pendle Hill before leaping up to Apronfull Hill. The Burnley News reported on these footprints back in 1916:

“However, when he alighted on the stone he must have crossed his legs, for the left footprint is on the right side of the stone. The outline of this foot is quite perfect, but the other is ill-formed. This is accounted for by the well known fact that the Devil has a club foot.”

But why was the Devil travelling to Apronfull Hill? Well, because he had beef he needed to sort out. Supposedly, the Devil was having some difficultly with the folk in Clitheroe Castle, and you get a perfect view of the Castle from Apronfull Hill… and a perfect view means a perfect spot for target practice. So the Devil gathered as many rocks as he could and stored them in his little apron. In his rage, he threw the rocks right at Clitheroe Castle, missing nearly every shot bar one (leaving a hole in the castle tower, which is still there!).

Enraged by his own terrible shots, the Devil had a bit of a tantrum and threw the rocks out of his apron onto Apronfull Hill, causing the rock pile seen today. Some tales say that the strings of his apron broke, causing the rocks to tumble out, but I’d rather imagine the Devil having a strop on Pendle Hill.

Sources

https://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/155741/folklore/pendle-hill

https://megalithix.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/devils-apronful-pendle/

https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/lancashire/22613077.ribble-valley-walk---sabden-apronful-hill/