William Wood Murder Stone, Whaley Bridge

The stone beside the road up to Whaley Bridge marks the murder of William Wood of Eyam in 1823, who was killed by three robbers for his money. The site became linked to a persistent local legend surrounding a hollow said to have been made by Wood’s crushed skull, according to tradition, no grass would grow in it, and any attempt to fill it was mysteriously undone. Some locals believed this was a supernatural warning, though others attributed it to natural drainage from the adjacent road.