The ghosts of Caistor Top
A large rock on Foanby Top was once a sack of corn owned by a selfish farmer. The farmer refused to give a handful of grain to a passing holy man, who turned the sack into stone as punishment, crying out “Then stone shall it be”. The sack of corn immediately became petrified and has so remained ever since.
Many generations passed and still the stone sack stood in the middle of the field until a certain man who farmed High Fonaby, finding the rock an inconvenience in ploughing decided to remove it and accordingly dragged it down the hill, though it was almost immovable and required all his horses to shift it. Within a very short time every possible misfortune visited the farm and all the sacks of corn in the granary were turned to stone. The only remedy seemed to be to return the sack stone and so an old horse, long past active work, was harnessed to it and succeeded with no apparent effort in dragging it up the hill to its former position.
During the Building of Pelham’s Pillar, a work which was in progress from 1840-49, one of the masons employed cut a piece of stone from the venerable relic, intending to make a model of the Pillar from it for his fiancee, but very shortly afterwards he fell from the summit of the pillar and was killed.
A curse is said to fall on anyone who tries to move the stone.
Our Experience at Caistor Top
The stone that marks the petrified sack of corn stands alone, hidden away from the world. It’s existence is covered by trees and branches fading the story away.
If you were to stumble upon it, there would be an overwhelming feeling that the stone doesn not belong there. Evidence of something frozen in time.
A feeling of solitude is overwhelming. Touching the stone and knowing it’s suposed curse, it sends a shiver down my spine. Have I just doomed myself? I ask.
The history of Caistor Top
Situated in an area of farmland, Fonaby Top has had a long history of farming. The rock in question has little significence in the grand expanse of land that surrounds it.
What stands near is Pelham’s Pillarwhich certainly doesn’t look like something you’d expect to see in a Lincolnshire woodland clearing.
Pelham’s Pillar is on land which forms part of the Brocklesby Park Estate owned by Lord Yarborough.
The reason for the monument was to commemorate the number of trees planted by Charles Anderson Pelham, the first Baron of Yarborough, who, between the years 1787 and 1828, planted a staggering 12.5 million trees.
The tower’s foundation stone was laid in 1840 by his son and finished 9 years later. The architect who designed the feature was Edward James Wilson ofLincolnand the total cost of the build came to nearly £2,500.
Pelham’s Pillar is located in Caistor on the very edges of the Brocklesby Estate. From Caistor take the road to Brocklesby and it’s situated on the right in Cabourne High Woods.