Byard’s Leap is situated on the heathland South of Lincoln at the crossroads of the Roman road known as Ermine Street and the Sleaford to Newark Road. The tiny hamlet is famous for its legend regarding the outstanding exploits of a marvellous horse named Byard.
The Legend of Byard
Over time, the legend has appeared in many different formats. However, the central elements of the story are always retained. Some characters change, and some are added, but the key players remain present. The story goes as follows:
There used to be a witch that went by the name of old Meg. She inhabited a cave in a wooded area close to the crossroads of Ermine Street and the Sleaford to Newark road. In the cave, she kept and nurtured her cubs (children). Unfortunately, old Meg would harass passers-by with her evil doing. Also, she possessed the power to bring misfortune upon the crops and livestock of the local inhabitants if she did not get her way.
Well, it came to pass that everyone was tired of the antics of Old Meg and a champion was sought to remove this unwanted lady. Duly, one came forward. He was told, by whom we are unsure, that the only way to dispatch the witch would be to run a sword through her heart whilst on horseback. So the brave, unnamed young man chose a trusty steed for the job. He knew he would need an alert and lively horse to stand any chance of success. So that evening, he went to the local pond where the horses gathered to drink. As they were all drinking, he threw a stone into the pond and watched for the horse that had the most alert reaction. One horse reacted faster than the others. He tried once more, and the same horse was fastest to respond. It stood out from the rest as having the necessary attributes for the hazardous task. The horse was well known locally and was known as Blind Byard. He was strong, brave, and fleet of foot. The young champion also considered it beneficial that he was blind. Seeing the ugly hag would not distract him from the task.
That evening, the champion mounted and set out for the cave of Old Meg. Outside the cave, he shouted for her to come out and face him. Meg replied that he would have to wait while she fed her cubs. The champion agreed. The next thing he knew, Meg jumped up behind him. Startled, he turned and struck out, catching her a glancing blow. Meg shrieked in pain and sunk her talons into the flank of Blind Byard. To escape her clutches, Byard made his legendary 60-foot leap. Where he landed, his hooves left impressions in the ground that could be seen for many years.
Meg chased Byard and the champion back to the pond, where the champion regained his composure, turned upon Meg and stuck his sword through her heart. She fell into the pond and drowned. It was the end of Meg, and all the local people were free at last from the reign of terror brought about by her.
Byard, the fantastic horse, became the subject of legend. Yet curiously, his rider, the hero that rid the population of the wicked witch, was not remembered.
The incident site has ever since been known as Byard’s Leap. Today, visitors to Byard’s Leap will see the mounting stone placed to commemorate the great story on one side of the road and the four horseshoes erected by locals on short posts to mark the spot where Byard landed, leaving his impression on the other. There used to be two sets of horseshoes, as in some stories, Byard makes two prodigious leaps.
The Origins of Byard
Bayard was a magical horse first appearing in the 12th-century French epic poem, The Four Sons of Aymon. The name Byard would appear to be a contraction of Bayard. In that story, Bayard understood human language and could stretch in length to accommodate the four brothers while retaining its legendary strength and speed. In the poem, Bayard ultimately falls into the hands of Charlemagne, who, fearing the horse's magical abilities, has him thrown in a river with rocks around his neck. Bayard manages to smash the rocks and escape to live happily ever after in the forests.
Over time, Bayard became adopted as a name for any courageous horse and was widely used in storytelling. With the Knights Templar having similar 12th-century French origins, that Bayard makes an appearance here in Lincolnshire should not be too surprising. The land around Byard's Leap once formed the Southern part of that coming under the control of the Temple Bruer preceptory of the Knights Templar.
The Knights Templar are said to have used this area to stage tournaments. Today, we think of tournaments as tilting competitions—knights thundering towards each other on horseback with lances raised. The victor winning the hand of some fair maiden. But the tournaments of the 12th and 13th centuries were something entirely different. These were large-scale mock battles held as training events for knights and soldiers. Whilst the intention was not to kill or injure the opponents, these were full-blooded skirmishes that sometimes unfortunately ended badly. They were also professional affairs. A knight would enter tournaments hoping to win honour, acclaim, and wealth. The winners kept Captured horses and equipment, whilst captured knights and soldiers were ransomed.
The tales of escapades, feats of strength, fearless fighting, and battles won would undoubtedly be exaggerated as they were recounted around the campfires. In the telling of these stories, the legend of the heroic horse Byard originates.
It is also interesting to note the similarity of the horse in the epic poem The Four Sons of Aymon, which stretches to accommodate extra riders, and the Knights Templar's seal, which features a horse with two riders.
The Origins of Meg
Meg may have originated as one of the three Furies named Tisiphone, Alecto, and Megaera. Three terrifying goddesses with serpent tresses and secret stings. Meg in the Byard's Leap story was undoubtedly frightening.
The Three Furies chimes with the Deae Matres of nearby Ancaster, three goddesses, but with a sinister twist in this instance.
The description of Meg in the legend is very similar to that of Black Annis from Leicester. "She is imagined as a blue-faced hag or witch with iron claws and a taste for human flesh (especially children). She is said to haunt the countryside of Leicestershire, living in a cave in the Dane Hills." Black Annis - Wikipedia There could well be a connection.
Dating the Legend
No claim to the legend's age appears to be made by any author. It is as though it should be assumed to have always been there.
Byard's Leap is not an ancient parish. It was formed in 1858 under an act of Queen Victoria. It does appear in the census of 1841. Although it was not an official separate parish, it would have existed as a hamlet before then. How long the name goes back, I have not established. It would seem reasonable to assume it existed in the late 18th century, giving it at least equal age to the legend of Black Annis.
An interesting connection is that Joan Flower, an infamous witch, was buried at Ancaster when she died during her journey to trial at Lincoln. This occurred at the beginning of the 17th century. Joan and her two daughters, Margaret and Phillis, were employed by Sir Francis Manners, Earl of Belvoir. Sir Francis and his wife were renowned for their generosity of spirit. After stealing from the Manners and taking other liberties, Joan Flowers was relieved of her position at Belvoir Castle. With typical Manners' altruism, she was let go with money and furnishings so she did not suffer too much. This was insufficient for Joan, who decided to use her powers against the Manners family in retribution. Two sons died in mysterious circumstances, and Lady Catherine began strange and unusual fits. The three Flower ladies confessed their wrongdoing and explained how they committed their spells. As noted, Joan died en route to Lincoln. Her daughters were tried and executed. Perhaps the tale of Joan Flower being buried at Ancaster was the catalyst for the witch at Byard's Leap. It has been proposed that the pond Meg lived near, or where Byard was chosen, was the Holy Well at Ancaster. It is not unreasonable to connect the two places through the legend when they are so close geographically.
The name Bayard was widely used for any bay-coloured horse (reddish-brown coat with black mane and tail) by the end of the 13th century. In other words, it was in common parlance at the time of the Knights Templar. It would have been a name that a knight might use when recounting tales of a heroic horse. On the other hand, although superstitions abounded in the 13th century. Preoccupation with witches did not arise until the 15th to 17th centuries. It seems most likely that the story's origins lay in the 13th century for the name Bayard to have been established as the main character. The story likely always included a prodigious leap by Bayard. The extension of the legend to include the witch Meg seems more likely to have occurred later. How the story developed can only be established by finding older versions than have been discovered to date. It would be fascinating to know.
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