The human head has great significance in folklore, myths and legends, throughout Britain, and of course, in Derbyshire too.
WORSHIP OF THE SACRED HEAD
To begin our search into head-folklore, we must first look at how our ancestors, both Celtic and Germanic, viewed the head. There is plenty of evidence of Neolithic (Late Stone Age) and Bronze Age activity in the area, but, sadly, we know nothing of these peoples’ beliefs, as they left no written records and none of the literate civilisations of the ancient world wrote about them.
However, as the Bronze Age morphed into the Iron Age, the Celts and their culture colonised Britain. It is worth noting, at this point, that these transitions between ‘Ages’ was a gradual thing; people did not simply go to sleep one night, in the Bronze Age and suddenly wake up in the Iron Age. It is highly likely, therefore, that existing beliefs and traditions would continue, in some form, during this transition period. Whilst the Celts also left no written records, the Romans, in particular, wrote a lot about them and their beliefs. Centuries later, the medieval Welsh collection of tales, the Mabinogion, was written down, which tells us more of Celtic beliefs about the head. During the Iron Age, the Peak District was very sparsely populated and there is a marked lack of Celtic remains in the area. However, we do know the Celts were here, as they gave us the names of Mam Tor, the Chevin and Crich, for example.
The Celts venerated the head and considered it to be the seat of the soul. Greek and Roman sources record how the Celts in Europe would take the heads of their enemies as trophies; tying them to their horse’s bridles. However, beyond heads being simple trophies, they were also subject to veneration. They might be defleshed or preserved in oil. Some were decorated with gold or jewels and placed in prominent positions, suggesting worship. Important heads were placed in niches, in temples and skulls could be attached to door frames, gates and fortresses. This practice would seem to suggest that they may have had some kind of guardian role (see below).
Whilst collecting human heads, for whatever reason, is certainly a gory occupation, this practice demonstrates the spiritual importance of the head, in one way or another, to the Celtic peoples. In Celtic folklore there are numerous stories of severed heads living on, after removal from their bodies and bestowing wisdom, orders and even reciting ‘sweet poetry’. As mentioned in our page concerning corvid folklore, we have the tale of Brân the Blessed. In this tale, the legendary giant-king of Britain, Brân, when mortally wounded fighting the Irish, instructs his men to cut off his head and take it with them. For the next 80 years, Brân’s head provides entertainment and sage advice to his men, until, finally, it is laid to rest beneath the White Mount, in London (allegedly the site of the Tower of London); where it is buried, looking out to sea and protecting the island of Britain forevermore. Viking mythology has a not dissimilar story, where Odin, chief of the Aesir (the Viking gods) takes the head of Mimir, who was also slain in battle. Odin, unwilling to lose the wisdom of his fellow god, embalms the head and uses his magic to preserve it and give it the ability to speak and reveal secrets. Odin then places the head at Mimir’s Well, at the foot of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, where he is able to visit it for counsel.
As well as myths and legends surrounding the head, we have physical evidence as well that points towards the significance of the head to our ancient and not-so-ancient ancestors. Throughout the British Isles, many carven stone heads have been discovered. Quite commonly, but not exclusively, these are portrayed as mouthless and with closed eyes. There are also a number of examples, at places of ancient worship, where stone heads were placed atop pillars and often composed of more than one head; sometimes two or three, all joined into the one sculpture. These are sometimes referred to as Janus Heads, after the Roman deity, Janus; the god of doorways and arches. The presence of such carvings seems to enforce the belief that the head was seen as very liminal and marking the transition between one place and another, perhaps life and death? The presence of three heads in one may symbolise an all-knowing wisdom that sees into past, present and future. Most interestingly, this practice of creating carved heads continued well into the Christian era and beyond. Many of our oldest churches were built on pre-Christian sites and also have stone heads carved into them. The creation of carved stone heads continued well beyond the pre-Christian era too, in the form of folk-art. Both of these clearly demonstrate a continuation of belief in the sacredness of the head.
HEAD FOLKLORE IN DERBYSHIRE
Derbyshire and the Peak District have a rich history, when it comes to mysterious heads and skulls. Broadly speaking, in this region, skulls fit into two categories: guardian skulls and screaming skulls; though these can sometimes be one and the same thing. Distinct from skulls, which are - of course - actual human remains, Derbyshire also retains a tradition of carved stone heads. These heads have been found incorporated in buildings, walls or standing alone and appear to have a function of either protection or averting evil.
WORSHIP OF THE SACRED HEAD
To begin our search into head-folklore, we must first look at how our ancestors, both Celtic and Germanic, viewed the head. There is plenty of evidence of Neolithic (Late Stone Age) and Bronze Age activity in the area, but, sadly, we know nothing of these peoples’ beliefs, as they left no written records and none of the literate civilisations of the ancient world wrote about them.
However, as the Bronze Age morphed into the Iron Age, the Celts and their culture colonised Britain. It is worth noting, at this point, that these transitions between ‘Ages’ was a gradual thing; people did not simply go to sleep one night, in the Bronze Age and suddenly wake up in the Iron Age. It is highly likely, therefore, that existing beliefs and traditions would continue, in some form, during this transition period. Whilst the Celts also left no written records, the Romans, in particular, wrote a lot about them and their beliefs. Centuries later, the medieval Welsh collection of tales, the Mabinogion, was written down, which tells us more of Celtic beliefs about the head. During the Iron Age, the Peak District was very sparsely populated and there is a marked lack of Celtic remains in the area. However, we do know the Celts were here, as they gave us the names of Mam Tor, the Chevin and Crich, for example.
The Celts venerated the head and considered it to be the seat of the soul. Greek and Roman sources record how the Celts in Europe would take the heads of their enemies as trophies; tying them to their horse’s bridles. However, beyond heads being simple trophies, they were also subject to veneration. They might be defleshed or preserved in oil. Some were decorated with gold or jewels and placed in prominent positions, suggesting worship. Important heads were placed in niches, in temples and skulls could be attached to door frames, gates and fortresses. This practice would seem to suggest that they may have had some kind of guardian role (see below).
Whilst collecting human heads, for whatever reason, is certainly a gory occupation, this practice demonstrates the spiritual importance of the head, in one way or another, to the Celtic peoples. In Celtic folklore there are numerous stories of severed heads living on, after removal from their bodies and bestowing wisdom, orders and even reciting ‘sweet poetry’. As mentioned in our page concerning corvid folklore, we have the tale of Brân the Blessed. In this tale, the legendary giant-king of Britain, Brân, when mortally wounded fighting the Irish, instructs his men to cut off his head and take it with them. For the next 80 years, Brân’s head provides entertainment and sage advice to his men, until, finally, it is laid to rest beneath the White Mount, in London (allegedly the site of the Tower of London); where it is buried, looking out to sea and protecting the island of Britain forevermore. Viking mythology has a not dissimilar story, where Odin, chief of the Aesir (the Viking gods) takes the head of Mimir, who was also slain in battle. Odin, unwilling to lose the wisdom of his fellow god, embalms the head and uses his magic to preserve it and give it the ability to speak and reveal secrets. Odin then places the head at Mimir’s Well, at the foot of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, where he is able to visit it for counsel.
As well as myths and legends surrounding the head, we have physical evidence as well that points towards the significance of the head to our ancient and not-so-ancient ancestors. Throughout the British Isles, many carven stone heads have been discovered. Quite commonly, but not exclusively, these are portrayed as mouthless and with closed eyes. There are also a number of examples, at places of ancient worship, where stone heads were placed atop pillars and often composed of more than one head; sometimes two or three, all joined into the one sculpture. These are sometimes referred to as Janus Heads, after the Roman deity, Janus; the god of doorways and arches. The presence of such carvings seems to enforce the belief that the head was seen as very liminal and marking the transition between one place and another, perhaps life and death? The presence of three heads in one may symbolise an all-knowing wisdom that sees into past, present and future. Most interestingly, this practice of creating carved heads continued well into the Christian era and beyond. Many of our oldest churches were built on pre-Christian sites and also have stone heads carved into them. The creation of carved stone heads continued well beyond the pre-Christian era too, in the form of folk-art. Both of these clearly demonstrate a continuation of belief in the sacredness of the head.
HEAD FOLKLORE IN DERBYSHIRE
Derbyshire and the Peak District have a rich history, when it comes to mysterious heads and skulls. Broadly speaking, in this region, skulls fit into two categories: guardian skulls and screaming skulls; though these can sometimes be one and the same thing. Distinct from skulls, which are - of course - actual human remains, Derbyshire also retains a tradition of carved stone heads. These heads have been found incorporated in buildings, walls or standing alone and appear to have a function of either protection or averting evil.
Dickie's Skull, as pictured on a postcard. https://www.goyt-valley.org.uk/tunstead-dickie/
Dickie o’ Tunstead
This is one of Derbyshire’s most famous pieces of folklore and is found in many tourist guides and almost every book available on the folklore of the region. This story concerns a skull which had resided for many centuries at Tunstead Farm, near Chapel-en-le-Frith. The most commonly accepted version of the story concerns one Ned Dickinson, a soldier who had returned to Tunstead Farm, from the Huguenot Wars (1562-98), only to be murdered by his cousins who had usurped the farm, in Ned’s absence and wanted to keep it for themselves. The treacherous cousins chopped off Ned’s head and buried his remains in the garden. One dark night, the cousins were horrified to find the head had made its way back into the house, where it stubbornly remained!
There is an alternative origin story for Dickie’s Skull - as it came to be known. In this version, the skull is actually that of a woman. The story concerns two sisters who lived in the nearby Royal Forest of the Peak. This is now a tiny village, called Peak Forest, but was once renowned as Derbyshire’s version of Gretna Green. Apparently, the two sisters had fallen in love with the same man and, in an argument, one of the sisters killed the other and removed her head. As this story is specifically set in the aforementioned Royal Forest of the Peak, it sets the events involved back to the medieval period. Whilst Dickie may seem a strange name for a woman, at the end of the eighteenth century, Tunstead farm came to be owned by one John Dixon and remained in his family until just after WWII. So it may be that the skull’s name refers to the farm owners and not the person from whom the head was removed.
It matters little which tale is ‘true’ - unless, of course, you were the one being decapitated - as what happened afterwards is of more interest. In the case of both tales, the skull’s presence is as a result of an untimely and, decidedly, unfair death through treachery; causing it to become a classic example of what ghost hunters might refer to as an inanimate haunted object. Without a doubt, Dickie’s Skull is an item of retribution and ill fortune falls upon all who try to remove it from its chosen resting place. Throughout its history at Tunstead Farm, the attempted removal of Dicky’s Skull has resulted in back luck. Most famously, a rail line linking Buxton with Whaley Bridge was to be built across part of the farmland. The work was beset by disasters; with failing foundations and mysterious illnesses blighting the workforce. The line was abandoned and its failure blamed upon the influence of Dickie’s Skull.
This was just the most famous incident of misfortune associated with Dickie’s Skull. Throughout its history, Dickie’s Skull has been thrown into a nearby reservoir, but all the fish died; two burials were made at Chapel-en-le-Frith graveyard, both times it was exhumed; it was flung into the river, but fished out again, almost immediately and, during work on the farmhouse, the skull was cast into a manure pile, but, later, retrieved, after the day’s work was undone, due - no doubt - to Dickie’s influence. Along with these events, there are countless records of crop failures and disease amongst cattle, when people failed to show Dickie’s Skull its due respect.
However, Dickie’s Skull was not - inherently - malevolent. Local folklore records that, if treated with due respect, then Dickie’s skull could be a bonus and, in many cases, a guardian. Accounts exist of Dickie’s many good works, he was said to have: been able to summon servants, when needed; warned against cattle in distress; given the alarm against attempted burglaries; bridled horses, ready for use, in emergencies and, in one remarkable case, summoned a black dog, to guard women from the farm! Indeed, the examples of Dickie’s guardian behaviour are, at least, as numerous as those where he seeks to punish those who go against him or the wellbeing of Tunstead Farm.
Whatever Dickie’s origins or the truth of his exploits, the skull certainly existed. He was actually, for a time, a local tourist attraction and you could have purchased postcards, with photographs of Dickie’s Skull, in the window of Tunstead Farm. It appears that Dickie’s Skull was finally laid to rest at some point in the 1970s, when it was - allegedly - buried in a local churchyard. Though, proof of this is non-existent. It is with some sadness that I conclude Dickie’s account here, but the records of his activities far exceed the space I can dedicate to him in this article. I would advise you look at the works of David Clarke and Clarence Daniel, in our bibliography section, in our ‘About Us’ page.
The Skull of Flagg Hall
This second example of a skull comes from Flagg Hall, a few miles southeast of Buxton. Flagg Hall dates back to the 17th century and, today, is a listed building. This story holds many similarities with that of Dickie’s Skull and points to a larger belief in the supernatural nature of skulls in the area.
Again, there is no confirmed record as to who the skull is. One account suggests it was the head of a surgeon, named Finney. Finney was supposed to have died - of causes unrecorded - his remains were disinterred by the infamous ‘Resurrection Men’ and his corpse illegally sold for medical research. This account in no way explains how Finney’s skull ended up at Flagg Hall. Whatever its origins, the Flagg Hall Skull remained on show and, just like Dickie’s Skull, refused all attempts at its removal. In one well-attested account, a serving girl at Flagg Hall had had enough of the skull and flung it out of the window and into a passing manure cart. As soon as the skull landed in the cart, the horse - allegedly called Rowan; a tree of great folkloric significance - immediately stopped and refused to go any further, until the skull was returned to its rightful place in its glass display case, on the stairway.
In the cases of both Dickie’s Skull and Flagg Hall, the skulls in question are not actually seen as malevolent or evil, but rather as guardians of their resting places, which, when given all due respect, will protect their homes and fellow residents from ill luck. Tunstead Farm and Flagg Hall are not the only examples of screaming or guardian skulls in the area. The acclaimed Derbyshire folklorist, David Clarke, once proclaimed them as a “Derbyshire speciality”. Whilst many of these skulls became more popular or even appeared during the Victorian era, we must consider why? The best answer is perhaps an innate need to validate occupation and ownership of a property or land; potentially echoing prehistoric rituals and beliefs for establishing a claim to the land.
This is one of Derbyshire’s most famous pieces of folklore and is found in many tourist guides and almost every book available on the folklore of the region. This story concerns a skull which had resided for many centuries at Tunstead Farm, near Chapel-en-le-Frith. The most commonly accepted version of the story concerns one Ned Dickinson, a soldier who had returned to Tunstead Farm, from the Huguenot Wars (1562-98), only to be murdered by his cousins who had usurped the farm, in Ned’s absence and wanted to keep it for themselves. The treacherous cousins chopped off Ned’s head and buried his remains in the garden. One dark night, the cousins were horrified to find the head had made its way back into the house, where it stubbornly remained!
There is an alternative origin story for Dickie’s Skull - as it came to be known. In this version, the skull is actually that of a woman. The story concerns two sisters who lived in the nearby Royal Forest of the Peak. This is now a tiny village, called Peak Forest, but was once renowned as Derbyshire’s version of Gretna Green. Apparently, the two sisters had fallen in love with the same man and, in an argument, one of the sisters killed the other and removed her head. As this story is specifically set in the aforementioned Royal Forest of the Peak, it sets the events involved back to the medieval period. Whilst Dickie may seem a strange name for a woman, at the end of the eighteenth century, Tunstead farm came to be owned by one John Dixon and remained in his family until just after WWII. So it may be that the skull’s name refers to the farm owners and not the person from whom the head was removed.
It matters little which tale is ‘true’ - unless, of course, you were the one being decapitated - as what happened afterwards is of more interest. In the case of both tales, the skull’s presence is as a result of an untimely and, decidedly, unfair death through treachery; causing it to become a classic example of what ghost hunters might refer to as an inanimate haunted object. Without a doubt, Dickie’s Skull is an item of retribution and ill fortune falls upon all who try to remove it from its chosen resting place. Throughout its history at Tunstead Farm, the attempted removal of Dicky’s Skull has resulted in back luck. Most famously, a rail line linking Buxton with Whaley Bridge was to be built across part of the farmland. The work was beset by disasters; with failing foundations and mysterious illnesses blighting the workforce. The line was abandoned and its failure blamed upon the influence of Dickie’s Skull.
This was just the most famous incident of misfortune associated with Dickie’s Skull. Throughout its history, Dickie’s Skull has been thrown into a nearby reservoir, but all the fish died; two burials were made at Chapel-en-le-Frith graveyard, both times it was exhumed; it was flung into the river, but fished out again, almost immediately and, during work on the farmhouse, the skull was cast into a manure pile, but, later, retrieved, after the day’s work was undone, due - no doubt - to Dickie’s influence. Along with these events, there are countless records of crop failures and disease amongst cattle, when people failed to show Dickie’s Skull its due respect.
However, Dickie’s Skull was not - inherently - malevolent. Local folklore records that, if treated with due respect, then Dickie’s skull could be a bonus and, in many cases, a guardian. Accounts exist of Dickie’s many good works, he was said to have: been able to summon servants, when needed; warned against cattle in distress; given the alarm against attempted burglaries; bridled horses, ready for use, in emergencies and, in one remarkable case, summoned a black dog, to guard women from the farm! Indeed, the examples of Dickie’s guardian behaviour are, at least, as numerous as those where he seeks to punish those who go against him or the wellbeing of Tunstead Farm.
Whatever Dickie’s origins or the truth of his exploits, the skull certainly existed. He was actually, for a time, a local tourist attraction and you could have purchased postcards, with photographs of Dickie’s Skull, in the window of Tunstead Farm. It appears that Dickie’s Skull was finally laid to rest at some point in the 1970s, when it was - allegedly - buried in a local churchyard. Though, proof of this is non-existent. It is with some sadness that I conclude Dickie’s account here, but the records of his activities far exceed the space I can dedicate to him in this article. I would advise you look at the works of David Clarke and Clarence Daniel, in our bibliography section, in our ‘About Us’ page.
The Skull of Flagg Hall
This second example of a skull comes from Flagg Hall, a few miles southeast of Buxton. Flagg Hall dates back to the 17th century and, today, is a listed building. This story holds many similarities with that of Dickie’s Skull and points to a larger belief in the supernatural nature of skulls in the area.
Again, there is no confirmed record as to who the skull is. One account suggests it was the head of a surgeon, named Finney. Finney was supposed to have died - of causes unrecorded - his remains were disinterred by the infamous ‘Resurrection Men’ and his corpse illegally sold for medical research. This account in no way explains how Finney’s skull ended up at Flagg Hall. Whatever its origins, the Flagg Hall Skull remained on show and, just like Dickie’s Skull, refused all attempts at its removal. In one well-attested account, a serving girl at Flagg Hall had had enough of the skull and flung it out of the window and into a passing manure cart. As soon as the skull landed in the cart, the horse - allegedly called Rowan; a tree of great folkloric significance - immediately stopped and refused to go any further, until the skull was returned to its rightful place in its glass display case, on the stairway.
In the cases of both Dickie’s Skull and Flagg Hall, the skulls in question are not actually seen as malevolent or evil, but rather as guardians of their resting places, which, when given all due respect, will protect their homes and fellow residents from ill luck. Tunstead Farm and Flagg Hall are not the only examples of screaming or guardian skulls in the area. The acclaimed Derbyshire folklorist, David Clarke, once proclaimed them as a “Derbyshire speciality”. Whilst many of these skulls became more popular or even appeared during the Victorian era, we must consider why? The best answer is perhaps an innate need to validate occupation and ownership of a property or land; potentially echoing prehistoric rituals and beliefs for establishing a claim to the land.
A carved stone head, in a wall at Glossop. https://www.old-glossop.com/
Carved Stone Heads
Now we move on from human remains to crafted artifacts. Carved stone heads are to be found all over the UK and could even be termed ‘common’. Though some are ancient and derive from the Celtic period, many are far more modern, again, from just before or during, the Victorian era; showing a continuity of older folkloric and pagan beliefs. Such heads can be and have been found in numerous places, often over doorways, arches, in walls or in the gable ends of old houses and have been found in Glossop, Baslow, Castleton, Hathersage and Hadfield, in Derbyshire. In some cases, these can be two, three or even four heads
Of course, another common location for stone heads is in old churches. Examples of these, often grotesque, carvings adorn many walls, both internal and external in British churches. I deliberately used the term ‘grotesque’ here, as this is what such carvings are correctly called; grotesques. Many would incorrectly term them gargoyles, but it is only a gargoyle if it channels rainwater off the church roof (the term gargoyle has the same root as our modern word gargle, for obvious reasons). Wherever such heads appear they all seem to share the same basic function; protection and averting evil. This makes them somewhat different to skulls in that they do not seem to react to disturbances but, instead, are proactively involved in protecting property; an attribute known as apotropaic. In all, twenty two carved stone heads are recorded in the Derbyshire Historic Environment Record, a number of which are kept at Buxton Museum.
Without a doubt, the ‘Cult of the Head’, as it is sometimes called, held quite some ancient significance throughout Derbyshire and a reflection of this belief - albeit unconsciously - remained in the area for centuries afterwards. As I compiled this article, I realised that there was so much more to be discovered, than I could reasonably recount here. So, if you want to know more about our head-hunting past, then please refer to the works of Dr David Clarke, particularly his excellent thesis: THE HEAD CULT: tradition and folklore surrounding the symbol of the severed human head in the British Isles.
Now we move on from human remains to crafted artifacts. Carved stone heads are to be found all over the UK and could even be termed ‘common’. Though some are ancient and derive from the Celtic period, many are far more modern, again, from just before or during, the Victorian era; showing a continuity of older folkloric and pagan beliefs. Such heads can be and have been found in numerous places, often over doorways, arches, in walls or in the gable ends of old houses and have been found in Glossop, Baslow, Castleton, Hathersage and Hadfield, in Derbyshire. In some cases, these can be two, three or even four heads
Of course, another common location for stone heads is in old churches. Examples of these, often grotesque, carvings adorn many walls, both internal and external in British churches. I deliberately used the term ‘grotesque’ here, as this is what such carvings are correctly called; grotesques. Many would incorrectly term them gargoyles, but it is only a gargoyle if it channels rainwater off the church roof (the term gargoyle has the same root as our modern word gargle, for obvious reasons). Wherever such heads appear they all seem to share the same basic function; protection and averting evil. This makes them somewhat different to skulls in that they do not seem to react to disturbances but, instead, are proactively involved in protecting property; an attribute known as apotropaic. In all, twenty two carved stone heads are recorded in the Derbyshire Historic Environment Record, a number of which are kept at Buxton Museum.
Without a doubt, the ‘Cult of the Head’, as it is sometimes called, held quite some ancient significance throughout Derbyshire and a reflection of this belief - albeit unconsciously - remained in the area for centuries afterwards. As I compiled this article, I realised that there was so much more to be discovered, than I could reasonably recount here. So, if you want to know more about our head-hunting past, then please refer to the works of Dr David Clarke, particularly his excellent thesis: THE HEAD CULT: tradition and folklore surrounding the symbol of the severed human head in the British Isles.