The Ship Inn at Wincle

The Ship Inn at the small village of Wincle dates back many hundreds of years, this is a place where Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through with his troops on his march towards London, some of the weapons that these troops carried were accidently left here and were on display for many years at the Ship Inn, however when I inquired about them there whereabouts were no longer known.

The Ship Inn at Wincle. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

Legend has it that some of the local population fought with the Bonnie Prince Charlie’s troops in revenge for mistreatment when they passed through this area, and it is thought that some of them were hung from the Hanging Stone which is close by on the end of the rocky escarpment known as the Roaches that overlooks the surrounding countryside.

There is a legend that a headless Horseman is said to ride down the road past the Ship Inn on a misty night and down to the river Dane which is crossed by Danebridge, whether it is one of Prince Charlie’s men is not known.

Does a Headless Horseman cross Danebridge after having past the Ship Inn? Photo by Gary Tacagni.

Also to be found in the small village of Wincle is Abraham Day’s grave in the churchyard here, Abraham’s ghost is said to wander the ruins of nearby Folly Mill which he rebuilt three times in his lifetime having been washed away by extreme flooding from the Tor Brook which was used to power the mill.

On the main Leek to Buxton road past the Winking Man public house can be found an old building on the side of the road which carries the name “Royal Cottage”. The reason it has been given this name is that Bonnie Prince Charlie on his retreat from Derby to Manchester took this route, and at the time the building in question had used to be a public house, it is believed he stopped here for a drink, it is not certain whether he stopped the night in this pub.

The Royal Cottage where Bonnie Prince Charlie stopped. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

Behind the Royal Cottage is a field known as Bare Leg Hill, it is thought that Bonnie Prince Charlie’s troops camped upon this hill, and the reason it is called Bare Leg Hill is due to the fact that the soldiers being Scottish would have been wearing kilts and would have been bare legged.

Bare Leg Hill behind Royal Cottage. Photo by Gary Tacagni.