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The Wrekin

Hillfort

Folklore

Hesba Stretton (writing Oct. 18th, 1879) tells us of the 'old custom, now quite gone, of ascending the Wrekin on Easter Sunday, to see the sun rise. He was expected to rise dancing,' but one is not prepared to find the wonder innocently credited even now, as seems really to be the case no far from the foot of the venerable hill. The Rev. R.H.Cobbold [..], writes as follows, 13th October, 1879: 'In the district called Hockley, in the parish of Broseley*, a woman whose maiden name was Evans, wife of Rowland Lloyd, a labourer, said she had heard of the thing but did not believe it true, "till," she said, "on Easter morning last, I got up early, and then I saw the sun dance, and dance, and dance, three times, and I called to my husband and said, 'Rowland, Rowland, get up and see the sun dance! I used,' she said, 'not to believe it, but now I can never doubt more.' The neighbours agreed with her that the sun did dance on Easter morning, and some of them had seen it.'
This is what happens when you look at the sun. From 'Shropshire Folk-lore' by C. S. Burne, volume 2 (1885).
http://www.archive.org/stream/shropshirefolkl00jackgoog#page/n178/
*Broseley isn't hugely far from the Wrekin.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
12th May 2011ce

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