Mobberley is a village near the market town of Knutsford, in Cheshire. The Mallory family had been associated with the village since the 17th century, when Thomas Mallory, Dean of Chester, bought the patronage of the Parish Church and (in 1625) took up residence in the Manor House. George Leigh Mallory's father, the Rev. Herbert Leigh Mallory, was its rector. His grandfather had also been rector of Mobberley, and his maternal grandfather was also a clergyman.
There is a memorial window to George Leigh Mallory in Mobberley's parish church. It depicts three legendary figures: King Arthur, St. George, and Sir Galahad. Mallory was dubbed Galahad by the mountaineer and poet Geoffrey Winthrop Young, after Mallory told him (possibly to deepen his allure) that he was related to Sir Thomas Malory, the author of Le Morte d'Arthur.
There is a further Arthurian connection to Mobberley:
One day, long ago (so the legend goes), a farmer from Mobberley decided to sell his horse – a white mare – at market in Macclesfield. As he made his way to market he crossed Alderley Edge, where he met an old man in a flowing robe, who asked if he could buy the horse.
The farmer refused to sell the horse, believing that it would fetch a good sum of money at Macclesfield market. The old man, however, foretold that the farmer would fail to sell his horse at market, and would then be grateful to sell it to him on his way home to Mobberley. The farmer duly continued on his way, still convinced that he would succeed in selling the horse at market.
At the market, the horse was greatly admired; but no one offered to buy it. The farmer, surprised and disappointed, made his way back to Mobberley. Again, while crossing Alderley Edge, he met the old man in the flowing robe. Again the old man offered to buy the horse, and this time the farmer was more interested.
The old man instructed the farmer to follow him, and led him to a large rock on The Edge. The old man struck the rock with his staff, whereupon the rock split – revealing a set of mighty gates, at the entrance to an enormous cave.
By now it was clear to the farmer that he was dealing with no ordinary old man, but some kind of Wizard, with extraordinary powers. The farmer was now fearful, and begged the Wizard not to harm him.
The Wizard assured the farmer that he would not be harmed. He unlocked the gates, and instructed the farmer to enter the cave with him. Inside the cave the farmer saw a huge chamber, in which slept an army of knights, apparently under a spell. Nearby were a similar number of white horses, also in an enchanted sleep.
The Wizard explained to the farmer that one soldier lacked a horse, which was why he wished to buy one. The farmer handed over his white horse to the Wizard, who paid for it with a purse full of gold. Now in awe of the Wizard, the farmer asked what was the meaning of what he had seen that day. The Wizard explained that one day, at the hour of England's greatest need, the sleeping army would rise to fight a mighty battle on the plain below the Edge.
The farmer then ran out of the cave. As soon as he was out of the gates they crashed shut behind him, and the rock returned to its place. He told his family and friends what had happened, and took them to find the rock with the gates. But nothing could be seen, and nothing has ever been found.
Near to the spot on Alderley Edge where the farmer reputedly met the Wizard is the Wizard's Well, on which are inscribed the words "Drink of this and take thy fill – for this water falls by the wizard's will." The well is said never to run dry!
The first published version of the legend of Alderley Edge appeared in 1805, in the Manchester Mail newspaper. It is said to have been collected from local tradition, but mainly from an old man named Thomas Broadhurst. The newspaper account added that the tale was told by a Parson Shrigley, who died in 1776, suggesting that it was well–established in the local oral tradition. Later in 1805, a letter was published in the same newspaper from a reader using the pseudonym 'The Perambulator', who claimed to know the location of the Iron Gates.
The legend has often been repeated since, and its contents vary. I am grateful to The Wizard's Thatch (a tourist accommodation business at Alderley Edge) for this version.
© Haydn Thompson 2017