Bomere Wood

The ‘Magic’ map shows an iron age settlement here at the edge of Bomere Pool, though no details are given yet. But it’s interesting that folklore seems to know about this long-lost place. You can read the stories in Hope’s ‘Legendary Lore’ on Feorag’s site on holy wells (Hope is actually quoting Charlotte Burne’s 1879 ‘Shropshire Folklore’).

One story talks about a village full of heathens who didn’t want their winter festival spoilt by a Christian priest nagging them – the village got completely flooded as comeupance. If you sail over the mere on Christmas eve at midnight though, you can here a church bell ringing.

Another story talks of a Roman soldier, similarly trying to make the ungrateful wicked locals repent. There’s a love interest in this version, because the British governor’s daughter is a good christian girl. At Easter Caer Caradoc apparently ‘sent forth flames of fire’ and the town was flooded. Unfortunately the soldier’s betrothed didn’t get spared, and when he rowed across the mere in search of her, he was drowned too. How very depressing.

The mere’s bottomless by the way. And it contains a fish wearing a sword. No really. It’s a bit of a complicated tale so I’ll let you read that yourself.