The Art Of Lore – The Worsbrough Blue Lady.

To run alongside our Curiosity Corner we are going to be looking at pictures, portraits and pieces of art that look at different aspects of the paranormal and theology under the name of The Art Of Lore.

The first legend we came across was one of the Blue Lady of Worsbrough. This legend we found after a visit to Worsbrough with Lee Steer of Project Reveal and as we walked around the woods of the area we ran ITC software looking for any possible signs of paranormal activity. During the ITC session we did get the word witch through the software at least a couple of times but knew nothing about any legends of witches in the area. After getting back from the outing we did a bit of digging and found this legend, it may not be about a witch but instead a lady lost looking for her lover.

The Legend

The legend of the Blue Lady says she roams not only in Worsbrough but also Stainborough and Kingwell Woods. It is said the Blue Lady that lived during the period of the English Civil War helped Royalists (supporters of King Charles 1st) escape the Round Heads (Parliamentarians in support of Parliament). Apparently she use to help them escape through a tunnel close by. The Blue Lady used to live in the area and it is said she would light a lamp in her window to indicate the coast was clear for the Royalists to safely pass and then to help smuggle the Royalists out of the area. What is also mentioned in one version of the story is that she fell in love with one of the soldiers she use to help and was eventually caught and killed doing so, from these actions she is now said to roam looking for her lover leaving a blue mist behind as she roams. Another part of the legend says gold is left behind in the tunnel that used to belong to the Royalists but be careful if you go looking as one legend says two people did go hunting for the gold but didn’t get very far as they were scared off by the sounds of marching soldiers.

Our Painting

When finding this legend we looked for a painting based on this story and thankfully we were given a painting that was inspired by this legend. In this painting you can see the image of the Blue Lady reaching out to a Royalist hiding in a tree. We are not sure if any soldiers did hide in an hollowed out tree but this may symbolise The Royal Oak where the future King Charles 2 used the tree to hide from the Roundheads.