Ilkley Moor
Encyclopedia
Ilkley Moor is part of Rombalds Moor, the moorland
between Ilkley
and Keighley
in West Yorkshire
, England
, United Kingdom
. The peat bogs rise to 402 m (1,319 ft) above sea level. It is famous as the inspiration for the Yorkshire
"county anthem" On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.
, a satellite of the town of Ilkley
, are two millstone grit
rock climbing
areas: Rocky Valley and Ilkley Quarry.
Ilkley Quarry is the site of the famous "Cow and Calf", a large rock formation consisting of an outcrop and boulder, also known as Hangingstone Rocks. The rocks are made of millstone grit
, a variety of sandstone
, and are so named because one is large, with the smaller one sitting close to it, like a cow and . Legend has it that there was once also a "bull
", but that was quarried for stone during the spa town
boom Ilkley
was part of in the 19th century. However, none of the local historians has provided any evidence of the Bull's existence.
According to local legend, the Calf was split from the Cow when the giant
Rombald was fleeing an enemy, and stamped on the rock as he leapt across the valley. The enemy, it is said , was his angry wife. She dropped the stones held in her skirt to form the local rock formation The Skirtful of Stones.
The name of the giant Rombald is likely to be a retrovention, due to the name of the entire 'Rombald's Moor', which is most likely to derive its title from the de Rommilles, who held the honour of Skipton
in the thirteenth century.
July 2006 saw a major fire on the moor which left between a quarter and half of it destroyed.
-shaped pattern engraved in a stone, known as the Swastika Stone
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mjpowell/Photo_Archive/England/swastika-stone.jpg, also referred to as a Fylfot
. In the figure in the foreground of the picture is a 20th century replica; the original carving can be seen a little further away. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mjpowell/Photo_Archive/England/England_3.htm
This stone is, however, just one of a great abundance of carved rocks on the moor, well known others include the 'Badger Stone' and 'St. Margaret's Stones'. These are earthfast boulders, large flat slabs or prominent rocks that have cups, rings and grooves cut into them and thought to date from either the late Neolithic or the Bronze Age. While some carvings consist of simple cups, others such as the Badger Stone, Hanging Stones and the Panorama Rocks have complex series of patterns (or motifs) combining many different elements. Indeed Rombald's Moor can boast the second highest concentration of ancient carved stones in Europe, with carving as far away as Skipton
Moor. There is also a small stone circle known as 'The Twelve Apostles'.
not only gives character to the town of Ilkley but gives the area its acid soils, heather moors, soft water and rocky scars, like the Cow and Calf rocks. Ilkley Moor, in the Carboniferous period 325 million years ago, was in a swampy area at around sea level with meandering river channels coming from the north. The layers in the eroded bank faces of stream gullies in the area represent sea levels with various tides depositing different sorts of sediment. Over a long period of time the loose sediments were cemented and compacted into hard rock layers. Geological forces lifted and tilted the strata a little towards the south-east and produced many small fractures, or faults.
Since the end of the Carboniferous time there has been a tremendous amount of erosion and more than a thousand metres of the coal-bearing rocks have been completely removed from the area. More recently, during the last million years or so, Ice Age glaciers modified the shape of the Wharfe valley, deepening it, smoothing it and leaving behind glacial debris.
(SSSI). It also forms part of the South Pennine Moors Special Protection Area.
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
between Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
and Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The peat bogs rise to 402 m (1,319 ft) above sea level. It is famous as the inspiration for the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
"county anthem" On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.
History and information
To the north, where the moor drops steeply down towards the village of Ben RhyddingBen Rhydding
Ben Rhydding is a Wharfedale village in the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Ilkley urban area and civil parish....
, a satellite of the town of Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
, are two millstone grit
Millstone Grit
Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills...
rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
areas: Rocky Valley and Ilkley Quarry.
Ilkley Quarry is the site of the famous "Cow and Calf", a large rock formation consisting of an outcrop and boulder, also known as Hangingstone Rocks. The rocks are made of millstone grit
Millstone Grit
Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills...
, a variety of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, and are so named because one is large, with the smaller one sitting close to it, like a cow and . Legend has it that there was once also a "bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
", but that was quarried for stone during the spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
boom Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
was part of in the 19th century. However, none of the local historians has provided any evidence of the Bull's existence.
According to local legend, the Calf was split from the Cow when the giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
Rombald was fleeing an enemy, and stamped on the rock as he leapt across the valley. The enemy, it is said , was his angry wife. She dropped the stones held in her skirt to form the local rock formation The Skirtful of Stones.
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
in the thirteenth century.
July 2006 saw a major fire on the moor which left between a quarter and half of it destroyed.
Swastika Stone
Located on the Woodhouse Crag, on the Northern edge of Ilkley Moor there is a swastikaSwastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
-shaped pattern engraved in a stone, known as the Swastika Stone
Swastika Stone
The Swastika Stone is a stone adorned with a Swastika located on the Woodhouse Crag, on the Northern edge of Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire. The design has a double outline with five curved arms enclosing several so-called 'cup' marks, the like of which can be found on other stones nearby.The design...
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mjpowell/Photo_Archive/England/swastika-stone.jpg, also referred to as a Fylfot
Fylfot
Fylfot or fylfot cross , is a synonym for swastika, sometimes used in Britain.However – at least in modern heraldry texts, such as Friar and Woodcock & Robinson – the fylfot differs somewhat from the archetypal form of the swastika: always upright and typically with truncated limbs, as...
. In the figure in the foreground of the picture is a 20th century replica; the original carving can be seen a little further away. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mjpowell/Photo_Archive/England/England_3.htm
This stone is, however, just one of a great abundance of carved rocks on the moor, well known others include the 'Badger Stone' and 'St. Margaret's Stones'. These are earthfast boulders, large flat slabs or prominent rocks that have cups, rings and grooves cut into them and thought to date from either the late Neolithic or the Bronze Age. While some carvings consist of simple cups, others such as the Badger Stone, Hanging Stones and the Panorama Rocks have complex series of patterns (or motifs) combining many different elements. Indeed Rombald's Moor can boast the second highest concentration of ancient carved stones in Europe, with carving as far away as Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
Moor. There is also a small stone circle known as 'The Twelve Apostles'.
Geology
The local millstone gritMillstone Grit
Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills...
not only gives character to the town of Ilkley but gives the area its acid soils, heather moors, soft water and rocky scars, like the Cow and Calf rocks. Ilkley Moor, in the Carboniferous period 325 million years ago, was in a swampy area at around sea level with meandering river channels coming from the north. The layers in the eroded bank faces of stream gullies in the area represent sea levels with various tides depositing different sorts of sediment. Over a long period of time the loose sediments were cemented and compacted into hard rock layers. Geological forces lifted and tilted the strata a little towards the south-east and produced many small fractures, or faults.
Since the end of the Carboniferous time there has been a tremendous amount of erosion and more than a thousand metres of the coal-bearing rocks have been completely removed from the area. More recently, during the last million years or so, Ice Age glaciers modified the shape of the Wharfe valley, deepening it, smoothing it and leaving behind glacial debris.
Conservation
The moor is designated as a national Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI). It also forms part of the South Pennine Moors Special Protection Area.