Bolton Hall in Bolton by Bowland was the home of the Pudsay
family.In the church of St.Peter and St.Paul in the village is a memorial
to Sir Ralph Pudsay.Shown on the memorial are his three wives and twenty-five
children.Just up from Bolton Hall is Fooden Hall which has a mineral spring
whose waters smell of sulphur.It was said to increase fertility.So no doubt
Sir Ralph drunk gallons of the stuff. Henry VI hid here for a while after
his defeat at the Battle of Hexham,he was later captured at Brungerly.It is
said that William Pudsay made a spectacular leap on horseback from Ravensber
Scar across the river to make his escape after being charged with counterfeiting
silver shillings,the silver ore coming from mines on his estate near Rimington.Unfortunately
this bizarre,historic place was demolished in the 1950's.Before the demolition
they auctioned the contents.The most bizarre and macabre contents of the auction
was 3 skeletons.One of a horse called 'Balloon Boy',the skeleton of a unknown
man and a dog.They were kept in the harness room.
