Hanson Grange, Ashbourne

Near Alstonefield, Hanson Grange is said to echo with the sounds of a brutal 1467 murder, when John Mycock was killed by four men using a staff, dagger, and arrow. Witnesses over the years have reported cries of anguish, the clash of struggle, and pleas for mercy, especially in autumn. Some believe the site’s very name—derived from Hans Syn Dune, “Hill of High Sin”—suggests an even older legacy of violence, possibly from Saxon or Danish times.