Legs Cross: How a Darlington landmark got its odd name

Fingers crossed, let’s hope we get our riddle right.

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It all begins with a call from Margaret Littlefair, 92, of Chilton who said how last week’s article on Walworth castle (above) brought back many happy memories of her grandparents who, along with her aunt Ivy were caretakers there.

The Harland brothers, of Walworth castle, on Barnard Castle market in May 1975. Their wagon is at the centre of the picture

They were connected to the Harland brothers who had the market garden in the castle grounds and who for years sold their produce by the steps outside Darlington covered market on a Monday and Saturday, on Bishop Auckland market on Thursdays and Saturdays, and Barnard Castle market. The market garden closed in 1980 when the castle was converted into a hotel.

During the Second World War, the Durham Light Infantry had a camp in the castle grounds, and Margaret’s grandparents opened a little shop selling soldiers the essentials of life, from toothpaste to tobacco.

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“I remember going to visit them, and the soldiers who say ‘stop, who goes there’, and when I said I was visiting my grandparents, they said ‘alright then’ and let me in,” says Margaret.

“Auntie Ivy had the run of the castle and one day she took me into the room where James I slept. She lifted me on to the bed and told me about how he had come down from Scotland and because he had sat down cross-legged nearby, Legs Cross got its name.”

This may be true.

This splendid picture is courtesy of the Darlington Centre for Local Studies and shows two members of the Darlington and Teesdale Field Naturalists Club sitting on the remains of Legs Cross about 120 years ago after it had been smashed down by a passing drunk. They are James Turnbull, club president in 1902, and Edward Wooler, president in 1904 (sitting on stone) and their campaign successfully led to landowner Lord Barnard of Raby Castle restoring the stone to its upright position

Legs Cross is a local landmark that looks like an arthritic stone finger pointing skywards. It is not far from Walworth castle, and is between the villages of Heighington and Bolam on the Roman road of Dere Street (which we know as the B6275). It is made of two stones: the squat bottom one is of Roman origin and the slender top one has traces of 8th Century Anglo-Saxon carvings on it.

Together they are perched on the edge of Teesdale with fabulous views down the dale.

Legs Cross, with fabulous views down the dale

And it is said that on April 14, 1603, James VI of Scotland was journeying south to London to be crowned James I of England when he stopped at the perch, sat down on the stone cross-legged, looked down the dale and sighed: "I have taken possession of the promised land. It is a bonnie, bonnie country."

Then he wandered off to Walworth to drink the castle dry and eat all the contents of the walled garden.

This is one theory of how Legs Cross got its name.

An early 20th Century view of Dere Street running past Legs Cross

But there are others:

• Roman legions which passed through Piercebridge, up Dere Street on their way to Hadrian’s Wall included IX Legion and XX Legion. It could be that they placed the stone there to mark the midpoint between Piercebridge and Binchester, with their name carved into it, but over time the carving weathered so that only “LEG X” could be seen – leg cross.
• In Anglo-Saxon, the word "lag" or "leg" means "limit of territory" or "boundary", and the stone is near the boundary of four ancient townships: Gainford, Staindrop, West Auckland and Darlington. It is where these legs cross.
• There was a brave Bolam fellow called Legge who died protecting his village from rampaging Scots. Where he fell, they erected a stone in his honour: Legge's Cross.
• The last highwayman to be hanged on this crest of a hill went by the name of Legge. When his decomposed corpse was removed from its gibbet, a stone was erected on the site: Legge’s Cross.

Are there any other theories that we should take into account?

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The moon photographed by Jake Lawson above Legs Cross