Robert Willance was a prosperous entrepreneurial Richmond draper. He had interests in lead mining on the land at Clints, a few miles west again of the stone. He would often of a whim ride alone up the dale, fair or foul weather.

1606
Hear Us
Glory be to our
Merciful God
who miraculously
preserved me from
The Danger so Great

Accident in the mists

On a day in November, 1606, he may have been alone on such an excursion; he may have been hunting with friends. It is one of the delights of our folk ballads that old stories change with the telling. Robert’s true tale has many variants in its detail.

Somewhere in Swaledale thick mist enveloped him and he tried to return to Richmond. Tales tell that he counted back the ditches that he knew where to cross but he went astray.

Others tell that his horse panicked and leapt three successive bounds of 24 feet each. For certain the pair leapt from the edge of Whitcliffe Scar, their destination invisible in the mist, their fall 212 feet. pretty much as as the OS contours show.

Robert survived the fall, but with one or both legs broken. One leg was amputated but I’m not going to spoil the song by telling the tale in prose!

You can hear it on the album LEAP YEAR or read the verses here as you would a poem, and try leaving out the ‘O’ endings.

Willance’s Leap stone inscription, 1734

Robert had a stone erected at the place, some say three, inscribed with the words above.

It was replaced in 1734. A fragment of that stone rests on his grave in St. Mary’s, Richmond. He became an alderman in 1608.

A door was constructed direct from his house in Frenchgate to St. Mary’s church. Through that door he passed to attend church, and in 1615 he was carried through to be laid to rest. His date of birth is not known.

Willance’s Leap stone, 1843

At Whitcliffe Scar the stone was renewed in 1815 and 1843. An obelisk marks the 1906 tercentenary.

On September 16th 2006, people of Richmond with their mayor and many other mayors and people from afar walked the few miles from Richmond to Wallance’s Leap.

There a new stone was dedicated for the 400th Anninversay and John Wilson sang his song to tell the remarkable story of Robert Wallance to those gathered.

Willance’s Leap in song

You can hear Willance’s Leap in song on the album LEAP YEAR available from Whitcliffe Records whitclifferecords.co.uk

A fine photo-guided walk to Willance’s Leap can be found on the website: whitclifferecords.co.uk/

John would be happy to join or lead a party who would like to hear the song at the Leap. Contact John at Whitcliffe Records, mailto:john@whitclifferecords.co.uk

Swaledale: Willance’s Leap is high to the right