Ashover, from the south. https://thelanguageofstone.blogspot.com/2020/02/an-exploration-of-ashover-village.html
Ashover is a pretty and thriving village, on the edge of the Peak District. As such, it gets ignored by a lot of people visiting the national park; although it is surrounded by beautiful countryside, has lots of options for country walks and retains a lot of its original architecture. It also has a lot of local folklore, with some of great antiquity, hence its inclusion here.
Ashover derives its name from the Anglo Saxon ‘Essovre’, meaning ‘a ridge of ash trees’, in much the same way that Birchover is named for birch trees. Whilst the village of Ashover is relatively small, Ashover Parish sprawls over ten thousand acres and incorporates many villages within its boundaries. Nestled in the Amber Valley and surrounded by gritstone hills and woodland, it was only made accessible to wheeled vehicles at the end of the 18th century.
However, its folklore derives from older times. Here, in Ashover, you can find Neolithic/Bronze Age Cup and Ring marks; a selection of ‘Turning stones’, with dubious Druidical connections; healing wells and a plethora of hauntings, as well as a remarkably rich non-folkloric history.
Cup & Ring Marks
Whilst not strictly folklore, cup and ring marks are a source of mystery. Known as petroglyphs, cup and ring marks are different to pictographs, in that they are carved into the rock, rather than painted on to them. Historians and archeologists have no idea what they represent, but it is likely that they had some kind of ritual use.
In the year 2000, a teacher and parent at Ashover Primary School, were creating an environmental garden, when they recognised cup and ring marks, as well as other unidentified petroglyphs on the back of two large boulders that had been turned over by a digger. Even if we do not know what these enigmatic symbols meant, it does date back the settlement of Ashover to somewhere between 3,000 and 6,000 years ago. One author, Jonathan Powers, has theorised that these symbols were used to track the first rising of the Pleiades cluster, which coincides with the change from spring to summer - vital information for a population reliant on agriculture.
Ashover derives its name from the Anglo Saxon ‘Essovre’, meaning ‘a ridge of ash trees’, in much the same way that Birchover is named for birch trees. Whilst the village of Ashover is relatively small, Ashover Parish sprawls over ten thousand acres and incorporates many villages within its boundaries. Nestled in the Amber Valley and surrounded by gritstone hills and woodland, it was only made accessible to wheeled vehicles at the end of the 18th century.
However, its folklore derives from older times. Here, in Ashover, you can find Neolithic/Bronze Age Cup and Ring marks; a selection of ‘Turning stones’, with dubious Druidical connections; healing wells and a plethora of hauntings, as well as a remarkably rich non-folkloric history.
Cup & Ring Marks
Whilst not strictly folklore, cup and ring marks are a source of mystery. Known as petroglyphs, cup and ring marks are different to pictographs, in that they are carved into the rock, rather than painted on to them. Historians and archeologists have no idea what they represent, but it is likely that they had some kind of ritual use.
In the year 2000, a teacher and parent at Ashover Primary School, were creating an environmental garden, when they recognised cup and ring marks, as well as other unidentified petroglyphs on the back of two large boulders that had been turned over by a digger. Even if we do not know what these enigmatic symbols meant, it does date back the settlement of Ashover to somewhere between 3,000 and 6,000 years ago. One author, Jonathan Powers, has theorised that these symbols were used to track the first rising of the Pleiades cluster, which coincides with the change from spring to summer - vital information for a population reliant on agriculture.
Cup & Ring marks, at Ashover Primary School.
The Ghosts of Ashover
Whilst ghosts are a relatively common, almost ubiquitous, phenomena, Ashover seems to be blessed - or cursed - with a number of notable examples.
Overton Hall. https://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/AshoverAS/
Built in 1702, Overton Hall stands amidst woodland on the southern side of the valley from Ashover village. Through time, this 30 room mansion has been used as a residence, a correctional centre, a school for boys, a youth hostel and a residential care home for old people; which certainly gives it a fertile history for creating spirits. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of Mrs Jessop the Third (third wife); though the spirit’s identity is hard to corroborate. This haunting came to light in 1956, when the wife of a pentecostal pastor, suddenly left, due to the hauntings she had witnessed there. Little of substance is said of the ghost other than that she wanders the lawns of the hall’s forecourt. However, Overton Hall hides a mystery, which may or may not be of significance. During the construction of tennis courts, in 1887, twenty six skeletons were unearthed. These were disinterred just a few inches below the turf. None had any clothing at all and nothing in the way of jewellery or adornments to identify them. The bodies had been cast indiscriminately into the burial pit. Some have suggested that they may have been plague victims, though, I feel, it is unlikely they would have lain undiscovered for more than 200 years, buried at such a low level.
All Saints' Church, Ashover. Simon Unsworth
Ashover All Saints’ Church appears as a quintessential country church, which, indeed, it is. However, it is home to two disturbingly restless spirits. The first concerns an empty stone sarcophagus that lies outside the church wall. Local legend has it that, if you walk three times around the sarcophagus and then lie within it, then you will hear the ghostly rattling of chains. The alleged origin of this eerie tale lies with one Leonard Reresby, who left his home, in Ashover, during the 13th century to go on the crusade - a period during which no less than five crusades took place. Reresby was taken prisoner by the Saracens and, accordingly, placed in chains. After seven years, with no word of Reresby’s fate, his wife was free to remarry and proceed to do so. However, as she walked down the aisle of All Saints’ Church a great clanking of chains was heard by the congregation. This was followed by the apparition of a worn, bedraggled old man, dressed in filthy rags and bound by rusty chains. This grizzly apparition eventually faded and only the chains remained. These were gathered up and kept by the family.
The sarcpophagus, outside All Saints' Church.
The second haunting is far more gruesome. It involves the apparition of a headless woman in the church. Nobody seems to know who she is, but two competing stories give different origins to this unquiet spirit. The first involves the theft of a skull from All Saints’ churchyard. In the late 19th century, alterations were being carried out to Stubben Edge Hall, a short distance southeast of Ashover. During the works a skull was discovered in the hall, which was said to have been ‘removed’ from the churchyard, as the result of a bet that had been carried out around twenty to thirty years earlier. This echoes the Derbyshire ‘tradition’ of keeping skulls, which is dealt with on our page on Severed Skulls & Stone Heads. The skull was accordingly returned to the church. In this scenario, it was believed that the ghost was wandering the church, in search of her missing head. Interestingly, the return of the head coincided well with the last recorded appearance of the headless spirit, around 130 years ago.
The second version of the headless woman’s story is more of a tragedy. In 1841, a local farmer, by the name of John Towndrow, bludgeoned his wife to death with a hammer, before beheading her and slitting his own throat! Interestingly, a search on Ancestry.Com unearthed a John Towndrow and his wife, Mary (nee Milnes), both of whom died in 1841, leaving two daughters, Harriet and Alice.
Ashover has three other ghosts of note. Firstly, at the Crispin Inn, which is home to a ghost known as the Laughing Cavalier. This place has a very long and interesting history. It is believed to have been built in the fifteenth century, when Thomas Babbington and a group of local archers; the ‘Men of Asher’, returned home from fighting alongside Henry V at Agincourt, on St Crispin’s Day - hence the name. The Laughing Cavalier, however, may come from a later incident at the inn in 1646, where the then landlord, one Job Wall, was reported to have had a stand off with drunken cavaliers; the result of which is unrecorded, but, who knows? Of the two remaining ghosts, one is that of a ghostly cyclist on Swinger Lane, who is accompanied by strange banging sounds and the other is a cloaked figure on Doehole Lane, who appears on Christmas Eve, though nothing more seems to be known of these spirits.
Strange Stones of Ashover
Four stones in the Ashover area are worthy of our attention. The first is the Cuckoo Stone, which is situated on the 11th fairway of Matlock Golf Course. Though some miles from Ashover itself, it nonetheless lies within the parish boundaries. There are a number of stones across the country with the same name, which all share similar legends. Firstly, the name ‘cuckoo’ is believed to be a corruption of ‘cock crow’, this is because stopes of this type are believed to turn around of their own volition at dawn or ‘cock crow’. The Cuckoo Stone here is believed to be natural, rather than erected, though there is some belief that it could have formed part of a now long lost stone circle. Interestingly, in March of 2025, the remains of a Bronze Age stone circle was discovered in Farley Wood, within sight of the Cuckoo Stone. If nothing else, it proves that the Cuckoo Stone stands in an established Bronze Age ritual landscape.
The Cuckoo Stone. https://hypnogoria.blogspot.com/2017/02/folklore-on-friday.html
The second and third of our four stones are the Turning Stone and Robin Hood’s Mark. Both of these, like the Cuckoo Stone, are stones that are said to turn around on certain days, at ‘cock crow’. The Turning Stone appears to be entirely natural, whereas Robin Hood’s Mark has been sculpted by human hands. Both of these stones lie close together in dense woodland, to the east of the public footpath, over the ridge known as Ravensnest. Victorian Antiquarians have ascribed their origins to Druidic practice and ‘magic’. Claims of magic aside, the Druids had nothing to do with our megalithic monuments. This belief was propagated, mainly during the Victorian period, as a way to hark back to a British mythological tradition.
Robin Hood's Mark. https://pecsaetan.weebly.com/the-turning-stone--robin-hoods-mark.html
Finally, our fourth stone is the Fabrick or Faybrick. This is sited on an imposing hill, northeast of the village and offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, it also has a corpse road running through it, which you can check out on our page about the Coffin Roads of Derbyshire. The Fabrick - now spelt Fabric - is a large, weathered natural stone, sitting on the highest point of the hill. In contrast to the other mystical stones in the area, the Fabrick does not turn. Instead, local legend has it that, if you sit upon the stone and wish three times, your wish will be granted! Personally, I cannot attest to the veracity of this claim.
The Fabrick or Faybrick. Jim Bell. https://explorerjims.blogspot.com/2016/10/ashover-rock-fabrick.html
Healing Wells
Derbyshire is well-known for its wells and springs, the veneration of which goes far back to Celtic and Roman times, both of whom were known to consider such places as holy. Whilst Ashover may not be known for its wells, it has a long history of them and even boasted two Hydropathic Institutions; places where people would go to be treated with water for various ailments. These were known as the Ashover House Hydro and Ambervale, with the former only closing in 1963. Both buildings still remain. These institutions sprung up due to the number of natural springs in the area; Sir William’s Well, Nan’s Well, Chalybeate Spa, Bath Spring and Cripton Well. Of these, only Cripton Well remains. Though it is now mostly overgrown, it comprises a sandstone bowl, from which water can be drawn. It is said that Cripton Well never runs dry and that its waters have remarkable healing qualities. It has been used by those needing to take advantage of this for many centuries.
Dorothy Mately
The most significant figure of folklore in Ashover is - in my view - one Dorothy Mately. By all accounts, Dorothy was a most unpleasant individual; well known for swearing, lying and thievery. She was renowned for using a particular ‘verse of denial’, when accused of the many crimes of which - one presumes - she was guilty, which goes “I would God make the Earth open and swallow me up, if this be so!” Her story goes on to be a prime example of ‘be careful what you wish for’. Like many in Ashover, Dorothy worked in the local lead mining industry. She, along with other women and young boys from the village, worked on the surface of a mine, near Ashover, washing away the spoil from the ore that the mine produced. One day, one of the young boys removed his trousers, to work in his underwear - presumably as a consequence of the amount of water used. Upon putting his trousers back on, the unfortunate young boy discovered that two pennies were missing from his pockets.
As you would expect, the finger of guilt was pointed squarely at Dorothy Mately, whereupon she responded with her usual “I would God make the Earth open and swallow me up, if this be so!” According to a witness, this was promptly followed by a rumbling sound, Mary then began to spin around, screaming for help as she did. Dorothy, along with her work tub, fell three yards into a hole that had opened up beneath her. She continued to scream for help, but, before any could - or would - come to her aid, a giant rock fell upon her head, crushing her skull. Eventually, Dorothy's body was dug out, having sunk a further four yards into the ground. Her work tub was never discovered, but the stolen two pennies were found in her pocket!
Interestingly, this story is verified in the Ashover Register for 1660: 'Dorothy Mately, supposed wife to John Flint of this parish, forswore herself; whereupon the ground opened, and she sunk over head, March 23, and being found dead, she was buried, March 25.'
Visiting Ashover
Ashover is one of my absolute favourite villages in Derbyshire. It lies just outside the boundaries of the Peak District National Park and, hence, doesn’t receive the same amount of tourists, but it still offers many excellent walks and beautiful scenery. Never one to shy from making a pub recommendation, I would point you to two of its hostelries. Firstly, the Old Poet’s Corner (formerly the Red Lion), which serves excellent beer and provides one of the best views from a pub garden in the county. Secondly, at the top of the village is the Black Swan, which serves my all-time favourite beer, Old Peculier. All Ashover’s pubs serve food.
© Simon Unsworth 2025