Cornholme Primary School

It’s a fact that the Calder Valley was never conquered by the Romans. They marched along the ridge top, by Stoodley Pike, but they never took the valley. Another fact, one you might not know, is that a few years ago, by Oak Wood, they unearthed a horde of Roman coins. How did they get there?
There was a Roman centurion named Sirius Decimus. He had a great, strong warhorse named Vivus and a standard bearer he trusted with his life called Lucius Marcus. They were leading a squadron up to service on Hardian’s Wall. As they marched by Stoodley Pike they looked down into the Calder Valley, and saw the river, the glint of the sun on the fertile hillside, and thought it would be a good place to plant vines, a good place to camp on their way North.
But they hadn’t bargained with the tribe that lived in the valley.
The tribe was led by Todder. He was a great round bear of man, honest and faithful, one who’d defend his people to the last, but not too bright. He had a sidekick, Grey Fox. Grey Fox was as thin as Todder was round, and as clever as Todder was brave. They complemented each other well; if there was a problem, Todder would go to Grey Fox. And if Grey Fox couldn’t find a solution, he’d go to the seer, the man who could see the future.
One day the seer sat quietly by the fire, watching the members of the tribe as they worked and rested. As if in a trance, he began to speak.
“Invaders will come to the valley. You won’t have the men and the strength to resist them. You must use your skill with words and language. You know this place better than anyone, and that will be your armour. Listen carefully to this…these are words that will save you. I have a bed but no blanket, I have banks without gold, and those that come after all say that I’m cold.”
Slowly he looked around the faces watching him. Then he told them the answer… 
Sirius Decimus and his men stopped at Stoodley Pike, and he decided to take the valley for Rome. He rode down the hillside, his men charging behind him and there was a battle backwards and forwards across the river between the Romans and the tribe.
At the end of the day Todder, Grey Fox and the members of the tribe who were still alive retreated into the woods. All they could do as the sun sank was look down into the Roman camp and see the seer, who’d been taken prisoner.
He was bound, kneeling, by the river. They watched as a man in a centurion’s uniform came and asked him a question. After the answer, he went away, then another hooded man appeared and asked a question. After receiving an answer, he, too, left, to be replaced by a third man with a great, strange beard who also asked the seer a question before going.
Then, as the moon rose, they saw the centurion return. He raised his sword and decapitated the seer with one stroke. The head rolled slowly into the river, its mouth moving, and then it was gone. That night the tribe bade farewell to its seer. 

But what had they witnessed in the Roman camp? Sirius had come to talk to the seer.

“For all your prophesies, for all your cleverness, you’ve still been defeated and captured. I will take this valley. Is there anything you want to say?”
“You might take my life,” the seer replied in an even voice, “but I know the time and manner of your death.”
Sirius was a little afraid, but he wasn’t going to show it. Instead he laughed and said,
“If you know that, old man, you’d better tell me.”
The seer raised his eyes.
“You will be killed by your own horse two years from now.”
Now Sirius laughed. His horse was steadfast, he’d never bolt. But there was something about the old man that gave him pause. He told his standard bearer, Lucius Marcus about the conversation.
“Disguise yourself and go and ask him again. If he predicts a different death, you know he’s a fraud.”

And so he did. Donning a cloak, he returned to the seer “I hear you can tell the manner of a man’s death.”
The seer nodded softly.
“You will drown in two years,” he said.

Sirius felt a little better as he walked away. But he still wasn’t completely convinced. So he took a fox’s pelt and pushed it over his face to make him look like a warrior. In a voice like a dry twig he addressed the seer.
“I hear you can tell the manner of a man’s death.”
“You, you will hang in two years,” the seer told him.
When the centurion returned, he was in his uniform.
“You’re a fool, old man. Three times it was me who came to you, and three times you prophesied different deaths. You’re a fraud, and for that you will die.”

His sword came down. But the seer continued with his words even as his head rolled into the water.“You’ll never ever win this battle, even with all your might. The strength that holds this valley together is the power of words and stories.” The Romans broke camp the next morning to move north. First, however, Sirius Decimus sent a message to Todder
“In two years I will return and I will take this valley. You have that long to prepare for a fair fight.” 

Two years later, riding the horse Vivus accompanied by a small band of war-hardened men led by Lucius Marcus, Sirius Decimus made his way slowly down from Hadrian’s Wall. It had been a testing time, holding the north against the Picts. He’d lost many of his cohorts, many old, valued friends, and he was eager to return to somewhere more hospitable.
He hadn’t intended to take the valley, but decided if he didn’t keep his word, he’d look like a boastful man of empty words. So he changed his route, until early one morning he found himself at the head of the valley.
It was damp, and the mist had risen, folding over the land like dragon’s breath. Sirius decided to ride down and see the land that would soon be Roman. But a strange thing happened. Hearing the sound of water, like a stream, he urged Vivus on. But the horse stumbled, throwing Sirius over its head.He didn’t tumble completely into a stream, but onto damp, slippery rocks, until his foot caught in the cleft of a branch. There he hung for a while, his body suspended and just his head in the cold rush of the water.

And in that manner Sirius Decimus died three times, killed by his horse, by drowning, and by hanging.

When Lucius Marcus found him, he remember the prophesy and understood it was right. He arranged to meet Todder and Grey Fox. The tribe, knowing the Romans were superior warriors, had no wish to die in battle. So they said,
“We won’t be conquered by foolish men. But if you can answer three riddles, we’ll give you the valley and live with you in harmony. If not, you will leave here and pay a price.”

Lucius Marcus agreed.
“Show me an eagle that has never flown,” he was told.
The Romans searched and searched. Some thought it was the standard, but a standard flies. Eventually they found the rock, out near Cornholme, that look like an eagle in the right light – the rock known today as Eagle Crag. 

“Show me a knot that can never be untied,” Grey Fox said.
The Romans thought, and soon the answer came – it was the knot in a piece of wood.
It was time for the final riddle. Worried now, Grey Fox remembered the seer’s words.
“What has a bed but no blanket, banks without gold, and those that come after all say that it’s cold?”

The Romans never could not find an answer – it was, of course, the River Calder.

So, in the end, Lucius Marcus paid his price, of gold coins, and promised never to try and conquer the valley. But those coins had been won with the blood of the seer. A hole was dug for the gold, and an acorn planted on top that grew into a fine, sturdy oak.

When Todder and Grey Fox died, they were both buried by Stoodley Pike. And maybe theirs were the bones unearthed when they built the memorial to commemorate the Battle of Leipzig. 
 

A Roman soldier posted to England heard the country only boasted ale and mead, but no wine. So when he left his home he took a small vine with him. Finding the skull of a bird, he packed it with earth, planted the vine in it, and kept it safe in his satchel.

 It grew and grew until he needed to re-pot it. He founds a lion’s skull – which is actually smaller than most people imagine – filled it with earth, and put the much bigger vine in it where it grew and thrived.

By now it took two men to carry the vine, but, buoyed up by the idea of having good wine to drink, the men hefted it with good grace.

When they landed on English shores the vine was too large for the lion’s skull, but the soldier found the great skull of a donkey. He packed it with earth and planted the vine, and the men carried it to Shropshire, where they’d been posted.

There they planted the vine, and soon they could send wine to all the Roman garrisons around England. That’s why the sweetest wine comes from Shropshire, and why they say that if a man has one glass of wine he sings like a bird, if he has two glasses he roars like a lion, and if he has three glasses of wine he makes an ass of himself.

	We like the idea of the Romans and the Celtic Chiefs. If you do too, may we suggest you try reading "The Eagle of the Ninth" by Rosemary Sutcliff. Its a fantastic children's book that tells the story of a British boy who becomes a Roman Centurion so that he can search for his father who was blamed for the disappearance of the Lost Ninth Legion.

WHERE OUR IDEAS CAME FROM

We decided to do a story set around Stoodley Pike. We looked at a story that we found in a book by John Billingsley on local folklore and found the story and some of the facts around this famous local landmark.
The facts are that it was built to celebrate the defeat of France in 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars. It fell down soon after and they had to rebuild it but that was not the most surprising thing.
Bones were found on the site. It is believed that a cairn has marked that spot for many many years, possibly commemorating the life of some powerful ancient chief.

Using this idea we came up with their own reasons for the bones being there........

Harry wondered if they were the bones of a bear, long dead. The reason the Pike fell down was that the bear's ghost came back and was angry.

Ted thought they might be the bones of an Alien that died in a crash. (It's often said that strange lights are seen near Stoodley Pike, so this is not so far fetched.) He thought that maybe the reason it fell down was the other aliens came back to claim their fellow traveller so he could be buried on his home planet.

Jake thinks maybe an alien got stabbed and God tried to stop it. The Pike fell down because some alien craft or even a Helicopter rocked it on purpose.

Caleb thought that maybe they were the bones of some ancient dragon.

Ewan decided they could be the bones of a great wolf and a man. That the wolf killed the man and the reason the Pike fell down was because the wolf put a curse on it.

Josh hoped they were the bones of some Roman Standard-Bearer who was buried there as a result of some long forgotten act of bravery. He also thought the Pike fell down because the cement was too weak and could not hold up the new stones.

Katrina thought that they might be the bones of an alien or perhaps a two headed dog ( Ideas of it being a gateway to another place popped into Shonaleigh's head at this point.)

Ewan S likes the idea that they buried the skull of a man and the heart of a wolf.

Sasha said "I think they found alien bones and that's why they rebuilt the Pike; to keep it quiet."

Imogen wondered if they were sheep bones .... but it must have been a pretty remarkable sheep to be buried like that .......

Bradley told us that "They found the bones of a great chief and the leg bone of a horse from Roman times and the Pike fell down because of a curse (I like this idea ....Shonaleigh)

Olivia thinks there was a Sheriff who had a horse called John and for reasons known only to Olivia, (so she will have to tell you the story) the Sheriff buried the bones up on the Pike but he sold the horse's left foot!

Charris thought that a Witch fell out with the people of Todmorden and is buried up there. The Witch could never keep quiet and argued with the Pike and that's why it fell down. To silence her.

Ben thought they could be a Kings bones and when they built the new Pike, it crushed his bones and the skeleton has special powers

Billy suggested that the diggers found a golden ring and it was fixed to the bones of a dead King. They fought over it and the king's ghost cursed them and that's why the Pike fell down.

Megan agreed with Josh that they were the bones of a Standard-Bearer.

Bethany also thought it could be the bones of a Standard-Bearer and it was his ghost that cracked the cement on the Pike.

April thought that the child's blood (Shonaleigh tells that story soon) might have had something to do with it collapsing.

Olivia K decided that it could be the bones of a wolf, the skull of a lion or a horse. It might also be the site of a UFO crash or a Policeman that had been abducted by aliens.

Jamie hit upon the idea that they were the bones of some Celtic chief who had been in a battle with the Romans. The stones were held together with the blood of the tribe. So when they dug it up to build the new Pike they angered the spirits and the lightening came and took chunks of the new Pike away, causing it to fall down. From that time on people would disappear around Stoodley Pike.

Harry T said that they were a blacksmiths bones.

Alice finished by suggesting that they were horse or wolf bones under a curse. The cement became too wet up there and that's why the Pike collapsed.

THERE YOU HAVE IT!
THE ORIGINS OF OUR STORIES!