Curse
Hoofprints in the Brook
The thief hid in a barn. Now he stands in a field.
Stand where it happened
- What's there
- Rural brook in a wooded valley
- Legend from
- Local tradition
- Tone
- Curious
The tracks stopped at the water. Then the owner prayed, and the stream bed showed the way.
The Sapey Brook runs past Tedstone Delamere, north-east of Bromyard, on its way to the River Teme. A story is told locally of a mare and a colt that were stolen. Their hoofprints were followed to the bank of the brook and then stopped. The owner prayed for their return, and on looking into the stream saw hoofprints clearly visible in the rocky bottom. These were followed, the thief was caught and the horses recovered. The nearby Hoar Stone is said to be the horse thief, named Gray, turned to stone. A later version makes St Catherine of Ledbury the owner of the horses.