The Shapwick Monster (Crab Farm Weathervane):
Copyright Steve Edge Reuse Under Creative Commons Licence. [Image link]
As a child I was told the story of the mythical Shapwick Monster. The story goes that in 1706 a travelling fishmonger, passing through the parish of Shapwick, dropped a live crab unawares from his cart. Some of the villagers came upon the crab, and were not sure what it was. The Village Elder was called and he announced that it was a "monster". The villagers armed themselves with sticks and pitchforks to drive the "monster" away.
The fishmonger, according to legend, returned in search of the missing crab to find the villagers crowded around the "monster". He simply picked up the crab, putting it back on his cart, and continued on his travels. Unfortunately, the fishmonger recounted the story of the dim-witted villagers of Shapwick mistaking a simple crab for a "monster". Since this time the villagers of Shapwick have been thought of locally as a "bit simple".
The nearby location of the "monster" sighting is now remembered by the aptly named "crab farm".
Farmland at Crab Farm (looking south):
Copyright Steve Rigg Reuse Under Creative Commons Licence. [Image Link]
References:
The Shapwick Monster (DarkDorset.co.uk)
The Shapwick Monster (wsr.org.uk)
No comments:
Post a Comment