When did anyone in this area last see the Hand of Glory, a gruesome relic hacked from the body of a hanged man and gripping a candle made from the fat of another damned soul?

The query came in this week from a reader who has seen references to the fearsome object, which could supposedly paralyse anyone close to it if the candle was lit.

The flame could not be blown out, and could be extinguished only by having liquid thrown over it.

It was a handy tool for robbers, so the story goes, as they could paralyse their victims while making off with their loot.

Legend has it that it was used in 1797 at an inn in Spital on Stainmore, run by George Alderson and his family. They had a maid called Bella.

The Aldersons went to bed one night leaving a visitor, a man disguised as a woman, resting in a chair by the fire, while Bella lay on a settle in the same room.

The stranger produced the withered hand, lit the candle and chanted: "Oh Hand of Glory shed thy light, direct us to our spoils tonight."

He opened the door to let a gang of robbers in, but Bella pushed him out and locked the door.

She was unable to rouse the family and could not blow out the flame. As soon as she threw milk on it the family woke and chased away the thieves - At least this was the version of events told by Bella for many years afterwards.

RETIRED police officer Brian Gargate is intrigued by a plaque that apparently marked the spot where Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein planted a tree during a visit to Teesdale in October 1955.

The plaque was given to Mr Gargate by a friend who found it in a refuse skip in Barnard Castle, but there is nothing on it to indicate why Montgomery was in this part of the world or exactly where the tree was planted.

In fact, the wartime Army leader was in the area that month to present new colours to the 1st Battalion the South Lancashire Regiment at a parade witnessed by more than 2,000 people, in the grounds of Bowes Museum.

Newspaper reports of the time make no mention of him planting a tree, but possibly this was done a few miles away at Streatlam Camp, where troops and their families were treated to lunch after the parade.

The camp was demolished some years later, so this could explain why the plaque ended up in a skip.

Mr Gargate, a great nephew of Edward Gargate, the invalid artist and poet who spent his days in a bed outside his home in Newbiggin, has put the plaque in his garden at Lowfields, School Aycliffe.

It amuses visitors as it is close to a little apple tree. But in 50 or 100 years' time it could well baffle local historians, who will wonder why the famous field marshal planted an apple tree in 1955 in a village with no military influence.

I HAVE come across a story of a jar of money being dug up on farmland at Thwaite, Cotherstone.

The find was made in 1748 by workmen digging a drain. Other people had searched the area on previous occasions because of rumours that there was treasure buried there.

An interesting point about the jar of coins was that it was all in pennies, many of which had been cut into halves and quarters.

Apparently they were legal tender before halfpennies and farthings came into circulation. The cash had probably been hidden from thieves or the Scots who ravaged the area. It poses a question of how many other pots of life savings might be buried around the dale.

* I'll be glad to see anyone who calls with snippets of news at The Northern Echo office at 36 Horsemarket, Barnard Castle, on Mondays and Tuesdays, telephone (01833) 638628.