The Nine Ladies

The Nine Ladies

by Michael C Oakes

What is this circle of stone

Was it made in pre history

To most the truth is not known

Let me now unravel this mystery

For here is the answer to their riddle

Nine witches were dancing on a sabbath day

To the devil playing his fiddle

They were cursed and there they will stay

For the devils music encircled the ring

Of the ladies of flesh and bone

That was the end of their dancing

For they were all turned to stone

Come here in the day and you will see

Nine sisters and their stone king

With symbols hanging from a tree

And a stone with spiral carving

Come here at night and you will see

Around the circle a dark figure lurks

The devil with his face full of glee

Come to admire his evil works

The Nine Ladies is a Stone Circle, dating from the Bronze Age.

The Circle is located on Stanton Moor, in Derbyshire.

There are nine surviving stones in the circle, but originally there may have been ten or eleven. There is a small stone lying forty metres away from the circle, which is called the 'King Stone'.

The Bronze Age burial site has been considered haunted for centuries, and locals make a point of staying away after dark. The apparition of an unidentified man dressed all in black is seen standing just outside the stone circle.

According to legend, the nine stones are witches caught dancing on the Sabbath to the sounds of the Devil's fiddle playing. In this view, the man in black is the Devil admiring his handiwork.