Stanhope Faeries

Faerie folk come in a great variety of shapes and sizes, from smallest of wood elves to the tallest of giants. The word `faerie' simply means magical or strange, and so all manner of creatures -- both bad and good -- came to be known by that name. One such group, known chiefly for their wickedness, lived near Stanhope in Weardale.

One spring morning, a little girl from the village was gathering up a posy of pretty flowers to take home to her mother and father. As she walked alongside the river, she fancied she could hear the sound of voices coming from an opening in the ground where the soil had subsided and left what looked like a small cave. Now, anyone who knew better would have turned around and gone on their way, for it is unwise to pry into the doings of faerie folk, but this little girl had no knowledge of such things and so she bent down to look. There inside the bank she saw a host of the hill people feasting and making merry around a small fire. Their laughter was beautiful and she could hardly wait to tell her parents what she had seen when the little people finished their dancing and disappeared into the ground.

As fast as her legs could carry her, she ran home and burst into the house with the news. But even as she spoke, her parents looked at each other in dismay, for they knew that the faeries would return that night and carry off the child to live with them. It was forbidden for any mortal to spy upon them, and their jealousy always resulted in the abduction of the offender. The parents did not tell this to the little girl, but she sensed that she had done something wrong by the silence in the room.

Quickly and quietly the father put on his jacket and cap and left the house by the back door. The mother began to prepare the supper in silence and the child played with her doll, not knowing the danger she was in. The father had gone to see an old woman who lived between Stanhope and Frosterley, for she was said to be wise in the ways of the little people. When she heard what the man had to say, an anxious look came upon her old face and she told him:

"This is a bad thing indeed, and you must be aware of the consequences or you would not be here to see me. Fortunately, there is one way for you to save your daughter."

The man looked greatly relieved at this and begged the old woman to tell him what he ought to do. She looked at him and said:

"This may sound a simple task, but do not treat it lightly, for if you do not do exactly as I say your child will be claimed by the faeries and lost to you forever."

She told him that the faeries must take the girl at the first attempt or else they could not have her at all. The only way they could be prevented from succeeding was if a perfect silence was maintained. There was to be no noise whatsoever in the child's room. The man offered to pay the old woman for her advice, but she would accept nothing. So he went home in a slightly happier mood and told his wife all he had heard.

"That does not seem so difficult a thing," said his wife, and her heart too felt a little less burdened. The man made sure that all the windows and their shutters were tight so that the wind could not rattle them, then he oiled the hinges on all the doors. He nailed down every loose floorboard and dampened the fire so that it would not crackle. All the clocks in the house were removed and, lastly, the man and his wife sat downstairs so that they would not even accidentally make a noise. The wife did not much care for this idea, but eventually she agreed that it would be for the best.

So the house was in complete silence when the faerie host arrived, and as they realized that the father had discovered how to thwart their plan they became very angry and were about to leave. But alas! Just as they were going the little dog that slept in the back yard sensed their presence and began to bark furiously. The man, realizing that he had forgotten about the dog, looked over at his wife, and she looked back, horrified. The two ran upstairs but, too late! To their dismay and despair the bed was empty and their little girl had disappeared forever.