The Hermit's Cave, Dale Abbey. Simon Unsworth
Remaining arch from the old abbey at Dale. Simon Unsworth
Listen to Simon talking about Dale Abbey, on location, during Secret Derbyshire, at BBC Sounds.
Not far from the Nottinghamshire/Derbsyhire border, in the borough of Erewash, is in the hamlet of Dale Abbey. Prior to the construction of the abbey, in the early 12th century, it was known simply as Dale or Deepdale. On the way here, we have passed through the village of Sandiacre, over the hill of Stoney Clouds and through Stanton by Dale.
Even today, Dale Abbey is a very small hamlet and probably not significantly bigger than it would have been in the past. Whichever way you approach it, you always travel down into Dale. It is a very green and peaceful place, with gentle meadows, rolling up to the hills that surround it. The Heanor poet, Richard Howitt, captured it perfectly:
O Deepdale ! lovely is thy land,
With pasturing herd and flock;
And lovely is thine Hermitage
Cut in the solid rock.
A cheerful place of healthful life-
A spot of Nature's love ;
With greenest grass up to the door,
And crowned with trees above.
Dale’s significance, though, stems from the abbey that was built there in the early 13th century, but its story begins with the hermit’s cave; carved into the solid rock of the hills that border the south of the village. With your back to the Carpenter’s Arms pub, proceed straight down the street in front of you; the Village. Follow the street to the end, bearing sharp left, then right. You will pass All Saints Church, which was once believed to be the smallest church in England. The church building comprises the church itself, to the left and a ‘secular’ building to the right, which, at one time, was a pub that could be accessed by a door in the church. Follow the footpath, past the church and farmhouse, to your left. After a short distance, take the footpath to the left, which will lead you to the Hermit’s Cave, about halfway up the hillside.
The legend of the Hermit of Depedale goes as follows:
Many years ago, in the Parish of St Mary’s, in Derby, there lived a wealthy and successful baker. This baker was a very religious man and was known for his charity and good works; all in the name of the Lord. One autumn day, around noon, the baker took a nap and during his sleep he was visited by a vision of the Virgin Mary, who bade the baker to give up all his worldly possessions and take up a life of solitary devotion to the Lord, in the valley of Depedale: a place to which the baker was a total stranger. The baker had little knowledge of where Depedale even was, but, none-the-less, he set out anyway, relying on the Lord to guide him. Sure enough, on his travels, he overheard a woman telling her daughter to guide their calves to Depedale. So, following the girl and her small herd of calves, the baker found his way to Depedale, to become a hermit.
At first, the hermit found the place to be a cold and lonely spot, but his faith held fast and he eventually carved himself out a small cave, in the gritty sandstone of the hillside, where he remained, suffering hunger and thirst, but giving thanks to the Lord. One day, a young knight, one Ranulphus, son of Gerund, lord of Ockbrook, was out hunting and spotted smoke rising through the trees, from the Hermit’s fire. At first, the young lord was angry that some peasant had lit a fire in his father’s woodlands, but, when he saw the hermit, dressed in his rags and worshipping the Lord, he felt compassion for him and granted him the land. Not only that, but Ranulphus also gave the hermit a tythe (10% of profits) from the mill at Burgh (now Borrowash), ensuring he had a small income.
However, the hermit’s trials were not at an end yet. It is said the Devil assaulted the hermit daily. These attacks, along with a lack of pure water at the hermitage, made the hermit seek out new shelter. The Lord provided once again and the hermit discovered a spring nearby, which he dug out and made of it a well, next to which he built a hut and a small oratory. The well still stands to this day and, one presumes, the oratory formed the beginnings of St Mary’s Church. It is said that the hermit lived out the rest of his long years in Depedale, guiding travellers and offering the comfort of the Lord.
The Hermit’s Cave, for me, remains the most engaging feature of Dale Abbey, but we cannot ignore the presence - or lack thereof - of its abbey. All that is left of the abbey now is the remains of a solitary arched window, its stained glass long gone, standing alone, at the edge of a field. The abbey’s history has more than a little of folklore and mystery to it. It begins with a man named Uthlagus; apparently, a notorious outlaw, who, along with his band of thieves, preyed upon travellers, who traversed the forest between Derby and the Erewash. Indeed, the name ‘Uthlagus’ is believed to be a latinised version of the Old English ‘Utlaga’, which means ‘outlaw’.
Though Uthlagus lacks corroboration in recorded history and may just be folklore or legend, his story is interesting, nonetheless. The legend goes that, one day around noon, Uthlagus fell asleep on a hill, called Lindridge, to the west of Depedale. The name Lindridge no longer exists today, but it probably meant a hill or ridge with lime trees on it. We can never know where this was exactly. Considering Dale Abbey is the lowest lying land in the area, Lindridge was probably somewhere on what is now the A6096. As Uthlagus slept, a vision of a golden cross, in the sky, above Depedale, appeared to him. Upon awakening, Uthlagus gave up his outlaw ways and sent his gang away, dedicating his life instead to the worship of the Lord. Some say that Uthlagus even became the next Hermit of Depedale.
The first to settle the new abbey were reported to be a group of Black Canons; the name given to Augustinian monks, due to their black robes. However, like many so-called ‘holy men’ of the period, these were nothing more than a bunch of rogues, who - allegedly - became too fond of venison and hunting the King’s deer. The Black Canons were sent away and replaced by a group of White Canons (who wore white robes), from Tupholme Monastery, between Lincoln and Horncastle. These were not allowed to poach, like their predecessors and earned money only from the timber they could cut and sell. After seven years, the White Canons returned to Tupholme.
They were replaced by monks from Welbeck Abbey, who also found life at Depedale too much to bear and duly returned from whence they came. These were replaced by nine more monks, from Newhouse Abbey, in Lincolnshire, who were clearly made of sterner stuff and remained at the abbey until its dissolution in 1539. Another legend of Dale Abbey has it that the King (presumably John) granted the Prior as much land as he could encircle with a plough, between sunrise and sunset. However, the plough had to be drawn by two deer, which had to be caught from the surrounding forest; a very pagan motif, reminiscent of Nordic legend, where deer were seen as sacred animals, symbolising liminality, nature, and divine intervention. This is said to be represented in some of the stained glass, in nearby Morley Church; a building which benefited from the dismantling of the abbey and still stands today.
© Simon Unsworth 2025
Not far from the Nottinghamshire/Derbsyhire border, in the borough of Erewash, is in the hamlet of Dale Abbey. Prior to the construction of the abbey, in the early 12th century, it was known simply as Dale or Deepdale. On the way here, we have passed through the village of Sandiacre, over the hill of Stoney Clouds and through Stanton by Dale.
Even today, Dale Abbey is a very small hamlet and probably not significantly bigger than it would have been in the past. Whichever way you approach it, you always travel down into Dale. It is a very green and peaceful place, with gentle meadows, rolling up to the hills that surround it. The Heanor poet, Richard Howitt, captured it perfectly:
O Deepdale ! lovely is thy land,
With pasturing herd and flock;
And lovely is thine Hermitage
Cut in the solid rock.
A cheerful place of healthful life-
A spot of Nature's love ;
With greenest grass up to the door,
And crowned with trees above.
Dale’s significance, though, stems from the abbey that was built there in the early 13th century, but its story begins with the hermit’s cave; carved into the solid rock of the hills that border the south of the village. With your back to the Carpenter’s Arms pub, proceed straight down the street in front of you; the Village. Follow the street to the end, bearing sharp left, then right. You will pass All Saints Church, which was once believed to be the smallest church in England. The church building comprises the church itself, to the left and a ‘secular’ building to the right, which, at one time, was a pub that could be accessed by a door in the church. Follow the footpath, past the church and farmhouse, to your left. After a short distance, take the footpath to the left, which will lead you to the Hermit’s Cave, about halfway up the hillside.
The legend of the Hermit of Depedale goes as follows:
Many years ago, in the Parish of St Mary’s, in Derby, there lived a wealthy and successful baker. This baker was a very religious man and was known for his charity and good works; all in the name of the Lord. One autumn day, around noon, the baker took a nap and during his sleep he was visited by a vision of the Virgin Mary, who bade the baker to give up all his worldly possessions and take up a life of solitary devotion to the Lord, in the valley of Depedale: a place to which the baker was a total stranger. The baker had little knowledge of where Depedale even was, but, none-the-less, he set out anyway, relying on the Lord to guide him. Sure enough, on his travels, he overheard a woman telling her daughter to guide their calves to Depedale. So, following the girl and her small herd of calves, the baker found his way to Depedale, to become a hermit.
At first, the hermit found the place to be a cold and lonely spot, but his faith held fast and he eventually carved himself out a small cave, in the gritty sandstone of the hillside, where he remained, suffering hunger and thirst, but giving thanks to the Lord. One day, a young knight, one Ranulphus, son of Gerund, lord of Ockbrook, was out hunting and spotted smoke rising through the trees, from the Hermit’s fire. At first, the young lord was angry that some peasant had lit a fire in his father’s woodlands, but, when he saw the hermit, dressed in his rags and worshipping the Lord, he felt compassion for him and granted him the land. Not only that, but Ranulphus also gave the hermit a tythe (10% of profits) from the mill at Burgh (now Borrowash), ensuring he had a small income.
However, the hermit’s trials were not at an end yet. It is said the Devil assaulted the hermit daily. These attacks, along with a lack of pure water at the hermitage, made the hermit seek out new shelter. The Lord provided once again and the hermit discovered a spring nearby, which he dug out and made of it a well, next to which he built a hut and a small oratory. The well still stands to this day and, one presumes, the oratory formed the beginnings of St Mary’s Church. It is said that the hermit lived out the rest of his long years in Depedale, guiding travellers and offering the comfort of the Lord.
The Hermit’s Cave, for me, remains the most engaging feature of Dale Abbey, but we cannot ignore the presence - or lack thereof - of its abbey. All that is left of the abbey now is the remains of a solitary arched window, its stained glass long gone, standing alone, at the edge of a field. The abbey’s history has more than a little of folklore and mystery to it. It begins with a man named Uthlagus; apparently, a notorious outlaw, who, along with his band of thieves, preyed upon travellers, who traversed the forest between Derby and the Erewash. Indeed, the name ‘Uthlagus’ is believed to be a latinised version of the Old English ‘Utlaga’, which means ‘outlaw’.
Though Uthlagus lacks corroboration in recorded history and may just be folklore or legend, his story is interesting, nonetheless. The legend goes that, one day around noon, Uthlagus fell asleep on a hill, called Lindridge, to the west of Depedale. The name Lindridge no longer exists today, but it probably meant a hill or ridge with lime trees on it. We can never know where this was exactly. Considering Dale Abbey is the lowest lying land in the area, Lindridge was probably somewhere on what is now the A6096. As Uthlagus slept, a vision of a golden cross, in the sky, above Depedale, appeared to him. Upon awakening, Uthlagus gave up his outlaw ways and sent his gang away, dedicating his life instead to the worship of the Lord. Some say that Uthlagus even became the next Hermit of Depedale.
The first to settle the new abbey were reported to be a group of Black Canons; the name given to Augustinian monks, due to their black robes. However, like many so-called ‘holy men’ of the period, these were nothing more than a bunch of rogues, who - allegedly - became too fond of venison and hunting the King’s deer. The Black Canons were sent away and replaced by a group of White Canons (who wore white robes), from Tupholme Monastery, between Lincoln and Horncastle. These were not allowed to poach, like their predecessors and earned money only from the timber they could cut and sell. After seven years, the White Canons returned to Tupholme.
They were replaced by monks from Welbeck Abbey, who also found life at Depedale too much to bear and duly returned from whence they came. These were replaced by nine more monks, from Newhouse Abbey, in Lincolnshire, who were clearly made of sterner stuff and remained at the abbey until its dissolution in 1539. Another legend of Dale Abbey has it that the King (presumably John) granted the Prior as much land as he could encircle with a plough, between sunrise and sunset. However, the plough had to be drawn by two deer, which had to be caught from the surrounding forest; a very pagan motif, reminiscent of Nordic legend, where deer were seen as sacred animals, symbolising liminality, nature, and divine intervention. This is said to be represented in some of the stained glass, in nearby Morley Church; a building which benefited from the dismantling of the abbey and still stands today.
© Simon Unsworth 2025