94:. When one year there was a poor harvest the Baldock bakers raised the price of flour, so Jack ambushed the bakers and gave the flour to his friends in Weston. In revenge, the bakers caught and blinded him. They gave him a final wish. Jack asked to be pointed in the direction of Weston, so he could shoot an arrow with his bow. Where the arrow landed, he wished to be buried. The bakers gave him his huge bow which nobody else could pull. He shot his arrow three miles, into the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, Weston, which is where he was buried.
20:
79:
146:, written c. 1521, mentions that "The gibbett of Baldock was made for Jack Leg". Baldock was founded c. 1148, so the legend dates from after that time. The practice described in the legend of capturing and locally executing a person caught in the act of stealing, called
125:
who founded the town. This monastic order would have been able to dictate bread prices because they owned the banks, the surrounding farmland, the flour mills, and the marketplace. They also had the power to punish thieves and outlaws.
166:
Two stones, supposed to be 14 feet (4.3 m) apart, mark the head and foot of Jack's grave. The field on the site of Jack's cave is called 'The Cave' and the neighbouring field is called 'Weston Wood'. A steep incline on the
110:, a popular figure from English folklore derived from prechristian fertility cults. He preferred living in caves and woodland and had a disregard for authority. There are also similarities to the
290:
204:
324:
241:
114:
or wildmen carved inside many
English churches, but unusually in this instance Jack is the hero rather than a sidekick similar to
314:
309:
168:
287:
319:
208:
67:
282:
344:
180:
334:
172:
87:
8:
339:
143:
349:
103:
329:
151:
35:
66:, robbed the rich to give to the poor. His supposed grave is in the churchyard of
294:
263:
176:
135:
122:
19:
78:
303:
51:
28:
265:
The
History of Hertfordshire describing the County and its Ancient Monuments
82:
The Grave of Jack o' Legs in the churchyard of Holy
Trinity Church, Weston
147:
115:
63:
24:
23:
Mural depicting the Legend of Jack o' Legs in Grange Junior School in
107:
283:
Mysterious
Britain Gazetteer - The Mysterious Sites of Hertfordshire
179:". There is a Jack o' Legs storyboard sign on Weston village green.
121:
The representation of the Bakers of
Baldock may be a satire on the
91:
59:
55:
86:
According to local legend, Jack lived in a cave in a wood at
111:
47:
207:. Baldock Museum & Local History Society. Archived from
184:
261:
301:
242:"Myths and Legends: Jack O'Legs: A tall tale!"
239:
16:Legendary giant from Hertfordshire, England
205:"History of Baldock: The Knights Templar"
325:People from North Hertfordshire District
77:
18:
302:
288:The Giant Jack O'Legs (animated story)
235:
233:
231:
229:
227:
225:
13:
222:
14:
361:
276:
154:recorded the legend in his 1728
58:. Jack is said to have been an
255:
240:Lewis, Katy (September 2008).
197:
102:Jack has many similarities to
1:
190:
7:
134:A polemical poem attacking
90:near the mediaeval town of
68:Holy Trinity Church, Weston
10:
366:
262:Salmon, Nathanael (1728).
187:named after Jack o' Legs.
129:
161:
73:
315:Legendary English people
310:Burials in Hertfordshire
156:History of Hertfordshire
97:
320:Hertfordshire folklore
150:, is early mediaeval.
83:
31:
81:
22:
293:2007-03-11 at the
84:
32:
104:Jack in the Green
357:
345:Medieval legends
270:
269:
259:
253:
252:
250:
249:
237:
220:
219:
217:
216:
201:
169:Great North Road
152:Nathanael Salmon
365:
364:
360:
359:
358:
356:
355:
354:
300:
299:
295:Wayback Machine
279:
274:
273:
260:
256:
247:
245:
238:
223:
214:
212:
203:
202:
198:
193:
164:
136:Cardinal Wolsey
132:
123:Knights Templar
100:
76:
17:
12:
11:
5:
363:
353:
352:
347:
342:
337:
335:English giants
332:
327:
322:
317:
312:
298:
297:
285:
278:
277:External links
275:
272:
271:
254:
221:
195:
194:
192:
189:
163:
160:
131:
128:
99:
96:
75:
72:
42:(also spelled
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
362:
351:
348:
346:
343:
341:
338:
336:
333:
331:
328:
326:
323:
321:
318:
316:
313:
311:
308:
307:
305:
296:
292:
289:
286:
284:
281:
280:
267:
266:
258:
243:
236:
234:
232:
230:
228:
226:
211:on 2012-04-26
210:
206:
200:
196:
188:
186:
182:
181:Tring Brewery
178:
174:
170:
159:
157:
153:
149:
145:
141:
137:
127:
124:
119:
117:
113:
109:
105:
95:
93:
89:
80:
71:
69:
65:
61:
57:
53:
52:Hertfordshire
49:
45:
41:
37:
30:
29:Hertfordshire
26:
21:
264:
257:
246:. Retrieved
213:. Retrieved
209:the original
199:
165:
155:
144:John Skelton
140:Speak Parrot
139:
133:
120:
101:
85:
43:
40:Jack o' Legs
39:
33:
177:Jack’s Hill
175:is called "
148:infangthief
116:Little John
44:Jack O'Legs
340:Robin Hood
304:Categories
248:2013-06-12
215:2013-06-12
191:References
64:Robin Hood
62:who, like
25:Letchworth
183:brews an
108:Green Man
350:Wild men
291:Archived
173:Graveley
36:folklore
330:Baldock
130:History
106:or the
92:Baldock
56:England
46:) is a
162:Legacy
88:Weston
74:Legend
60:archer
244:. BBC
171:near
142:, by
112:woses
98:Basis
50:from
48:giant
185:ale
34:In
27:in
306::
224:^
158:.
138:,
118:.
70:.
54:,
38:,
268:.
251:.
218:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
