The Devil and St Dunstan

 As a county Sussex has many folkloric tales of the devil and his antics to share. He always seemed to by trying to flood the South Downs or move the churches around. However the South Saxon folk from these parts were far sassier than Old Scratch and time after time he was outwitted. I've shared some of these stories in earlier posts, but this time we're heading over to the village of Mayfield in East Sussex.

Places like Glastonbury claim that St Dunstan worked there as a smith, but we all know that the truth is  he really was in Mayfield [whilst curiously also being able to be the Archbishop of Canterbury simultaneously]. One day, as he was hammering away in his forge, a young lady that he didn't recognise entered the premises. His suspicions were immediately raised and then verified by the glimpse he got of a pair of unsightly cloven hooves beneath her skirt. In the ensuing tussle the Saint grabbed the devil by the nose with his red hot tongs. Although the horned one made good his escape with much shrieking it's said that he flew over to Tunbridge Wells where he quenched his painful snout in the waters of the now famous Chalybeate Spring and that is why to this very day it retains its mild ferrous taste. As you can see the episode is well documented around the village.

This was my first visit to Mayfield and it's a gorgeous place full of architectural delights and independent shops. We were here celebrating a family birthday, but were able to enjoy a quick dash round beforehand. I strongly suspect that its charm will attract many during peak holiday times so perhaps its best enjoyed during the quieter part of the year.

Arilx