The History, Mystery & Misfortune of Carlisle’s Reiver ‘Cursing Stone’
In 2001, a large stone inscribed with a curse was placed in the underpass near the English town of Carlisle’s Tullie House Museum. The wording of the malediction was taken from The Monition of Cursing by Archbishop Gavin Dunbar of Glasgow in the 16th century. Read out on every pulpit throughout the Borders between England and Scotland, in a bid to excommunicate the murdering, thieving, raping, godless ‘Reiver Riding Families’ of the region.
These included the family/clans Nixon (figures), Anderson, Armstrong, Beattie, Bell, Blackadder, Bromfield, Burn, Carlisle, Carnaby, Carr, Carruthers, Charlton, Collingwood, Cranston, Craw, Croser, Crozier, Curwen, Dacre, Davison, Dixon, Dodd, Douglas, Dunn, Elliot, Fenwick, Forster, Gilchrist, Glendenning, Graham, Gray, Hall, Harden, Hedley, Henderson, Heron, Hetherington, Hodgson, Hume, Hunter, Irvine, Jamieson, Jardine, Johnstone, Kerr, Laidlaw, Latimer, Little, Lowther, Maxwell, Medford, Middlemass, Milburn, Mitford, Moffat, Musgrave, Noble, Ogle, Oliver, Potts, Pringle, Radcliffe, Reed, Ridley, Robson, Routledge, Rowell, Rutherford, Salkeld, Scott, Selby, Shaftoe (Bobby?), Simpson, Stamper, Stapleton, Stokoe, Storey, Tailor, Tait, Thompson, Thomson, Trotter, Turnbull, Turner, Wake, Wilkinson, Wilson, Witherington, Yarrow, and Young.
Many of these surnames are still common throughout North East England and the Scottish Borders. And all around the English-speaking world, for that matter.
Who were The Reivers?
In Tudor times the Anglo-Scottish Border counties, including Northumberland, were the home to the notorious Border Reivers, the lawless clans of the border valleys, where a lifestyle of raiding and marauding was the best way to survive. The life of the Border Reiver was not ruled by his loyalty to the English or Scottish monarchs, but more likely by his allegiance to the family name.
Even priests in the region were described as “evil and irregular” and Cardinal Wolsey closed many churches there in 1524.
The Cursing Stone
Designed by a local Carlisle artist named Gordon Young and hewn by Andy Altman. But rather than a commemoration of earlier, (slightly) rougher times, some Carlisle residents blamed the 14-tonne stone and its occult effect for some of the city’s unlucky events during the years since it was erected.
According to BBC News, city councillor Jim Tootle said: "Various Christian groups have approached me, and they opposed it at the time and there was a petition saying, please don't bring the stone here and put the curse back on us. We have had floods, pestilence, a great big fire in the city – it is of biblical proportions.”
Council leader Mike Mitchelson responded, "We're obliged to address his comments, but estimate that it will cost the council several thousands of pounds to remove the stone. The council will need to look at whether the removal of the stone is a financial priority for the local area."
Kevin Davies, Vicar of Scotby, said “The stone, is a lethal weapon. Its spiritual violence will act like a cancer.”
Christian magazine Bound Together warned that the stone could become the nexus point of satanic rituals. BT editor Leslie Irving, stated “There is absolutely no doubt, that when Dunbar laid the curse he did it in absolute sincerity. He wanted harm to come to the Reivers. The stone was created to attract tourists but what has it attracted?” A baby held by his mother had his throat slashed in the town centre a few years ago. The man who created the project died. The man who opposed the project died. The only high-ranking Christian to speak out – the Bishop of Lancaster – died. The Archbishop of Glasgow died. We were just a sleepy little city on the border lands but look what has happened in the last five years. Lives have been lost, destroyed and put in turmoil. Dunbar had no right to curse the Reiver. He should have evangelised, like St Cuthbert did.”
According to Carlisle city council, local Christian groups (including the Bishop), were consulted and were in agreement with the Cursing Stone, and a formal blessing was included within the artwork from The Bible, Philippians 4 Verse 6.
Artist Young, a descendant of one of the Reiver families, compared the plan to the demolition of the giant Buddhas in Bamiyan by Afghanistan’s Taliban regime in 2001.
“It is of that order. They want to smash it to pieces. It is a powerful work of art but it is certainly not part of the occult. If I thought my sculpture would have affected one Carlisle United result, I would have smashed it myself years ago.”
Perhaps one should also look at the words of the curse, which could call offence to surviving Reiver families in the city, which include the invocation, “I curse their head and all the hairs of their head, I curse their face, their brain, their mouth, their nose, their tongue, their teeth. May the thunder and lightning which rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah, rain down upon them.”
Harsh.
Misfortunes accorded since the installation was placed include; foot-and-mouth disease, floods, a fire at Rathbone’s Bakery, job losses at Cavaghan & Gray, which makes coleslaw for Marks & Spencer, and the footballing relegation of Carlisle United.
Back to councillor Jim Tootle, whose correspondence on the matter included, “Ship it to Bin Laden,”, “Get serious. If your town is cursed, it is with a few blockheads so daft they believe a stone can bring bad luck.”
A local Reiver family did offer to put the Cursing Stone in their garden, but another email said, “I would like to see the stone smashed to pieces and the whole thing televised.” One United Methodist Minister supposedly offered to “redeem” the stone.
Archbishop of Glasgow, Mario Conti’s spokesman promised, “The Archbishop would consider carefully any representation made to him by the civic or religious authorities in Carlisle, clearly the city has had a run of bad luck in recent years. Whether this is due to a 500-year-old stone is less certain. The Archbishop may send a letter offering his good wishes but he won’t be getting his Latin prayer book and his holy water and heading down the M74.”
2020: the curse is lifted? It is…according to LA23.net:
“Well, we think the ‘curse’ has been lifted. By who? By Carlisle itself. This vibrant, forward-thinking city has looked to each other to turn its fortunes around. Carlisle’s luck is changing. Not because the stone has been smashed to pieces under the light of a full moon but because of sheer grit, determination, hard work, successful businesses, can do communities and a thriving cultural scene. Carlisle is exorcising its own demons. Step forward Witchfinder Generals – The Guild and Tullie House. These two movers and shakers in the Carlisle scene are important parts of the rich tapestry of brilliant happenings in the city, and have helped create a critical mass of positivity and pride in Carlisle.
There is more happening under the 125 year old roof of Tullie House than anyone could imagine. Attracting 200,000 visitors a year, and genuinely changing local people’s lives through Health & Wellbeing engagement programmes, and their deep links with the community. What does all this ‘old stuff’ have to do with Carlisle’s future? Everything. Tullie House has interwoven itself with the cultural scene in the city, it is as much a museum for and about local people as it is of national importance. Tullie House is also working hard on capitalising Carlisle’s enviable position as one of the UK’s oldest cities. Think of York and how well they communicate their history, well Tullie House has big plans for Carlisle too. Grab a spear and join the fight.”
Of course, this was written on 14th February 2020, BEFORE both COVID and the full effects of Brexit kicked in.
The Stone abides.
Other English ‘Cursed Stones’ (and one in Scotland)
Leicester's cursed ‘Humber Stone’
Legend of the Cursed, Stacked Stones – Fonaby, Caistor, Lincolnshire
The cursed stone of Stockton
Clava Cairns
ACTUAL Roman cursed tablets/stones/scrolls: ‘May the thief go mad and blind!'
Servilia of the Junii from HBO's Rome (2005, 2007) sends a curse to the gods:
Stephen Arnell’s novel THE GREAT ONE is available NOW on Amazon Kindle:
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