Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Blackthorn

Blackthorn, Thief Lane

In 2012, a human headless torso was discovered during industrialised cutting of peat from a bog in in Rossan, Co. Meath. The lower half had been destroyed by the peat cutting machinery. It was dated to the Iron Age and became known as the Moydrum Man although the slenderness of the skeletal remains suggests this may have been, in fact, a female. But what is truly fascinating is that in his/her intestine, archaeologists found 300 sloe stones, fruit of the Blackthorn tree. Moydrum Man’s last meal comprised 300 sloes1Roberts, Alice. “The Celts – Search for a Civilisation”. Heron Books. 2015. ISBN 978 1 78429 335 2..

But sloes are considered unpalatable even after being seeped in gin to make the popular Sloe Gin. Apparently the pitted, gin-soaked sloes can be made more edible by dipping into melted chocolate, but somehow I don’t think Moydrum Man had such luxury.

As sloes ripen about October, it is thought that Moydrum Man’s last meal was ritualistic and associated with the Celtic festival of Samhain.

The Blackthorn is in full blossom at the moment. Flowering before the frondescence of its leaves. Compare with the Hawthorn, a similar white flower, which bloom after its leaves have unfurled.

Blackthorn
Blackthorn

As Blackthorn blossom is often associated with a harsh cold snap, such weather is called a Black Thorn Winter2Mabey, Richard. “Flora Britannica”. Reed International Books Ltd. 1996. ISBN 1 85619 377 2..

The books describe Blackthorn as a hardy shrub of the hedgerow yet on my walk around my local patch of the North York Moors this morning, I could not find any specimen above 175 metres and that was in a sheltered hollow way.

One folk tale from Oxfordshire tells of the Blackthorn as a home for fairies3Schneidau, Lisa. “Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland”. The History Press. 2018. ISBN 978 0 7509 8121 7.. Unusually a solitary Blackthorn stood in a field. One day, when the tree was in bloom, the farmer ordered his men to fell it, claiming it to be a nuisance.

But they refused. “There’s fairies look after that tree. They bury their gold there. It brings luck to the farm. We’ll play no part in harming that tree.”

“Fairies? Gold? You idiots,” said the farmer, “This is my land, If there’s any gold, it’s mine. There are no fairies.”

And with that, the farmer took an axe and chopped the tree down, his hands getting cut and torn in the process.

Afterwards, he couldn’t help but dig below the roots just to check for any gold. And when he didn’t find any, he declared that it was all a load of rubbish.

But when he turned around, he saw that his farmhouse was in flames and a laughing voice was heard to say, “What a load of rubbish”.

  • 1
    Roberts, Alice. “The Celts – Search for a Civilisation”. Heron Books. 2015. ISBN 978 1 78429 335 2.
  • 2
    Mabey, Richard. “Flora Britannica”. Reed International Books Ltd. 1996. ISBN 1 85619 377 2.
  • 3
    Schneidau, Lisa. “Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland”. The History Press. 2018. ISBN 978 0 7509 8121 7.

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