Blakemere is the name of the pool that is reputed to be inhabited by a mermaid, the pool is found high on Morridge Moor in the Staffordshire Moorlands, U.K. It is thought that the mermaid that is said to inhabit this pool is probably not our traditional view of a woman endowed with a fish like tail, the mer part of the word mermaid more likely means mere, as in lake or body of water. So in this context the word mermaid probably means maiden of the water or lake. The lake can be found close to an old pack horse trail which the tarmac road now follows across the moor, the lake is 1600ft above sea level and the name Blakemere is thought to have derived from the peat rich soil which gives the water its black colour, and as we have seen before mere refers to a lake or body of water, so the name Blakemere would mean black water or black lake.
Blakemere with Ramshaw rocks and the Roaches in the background. Photo by Gary Tacagni.
Folklore tells us of an account of a Joshua Linnet who roared with laughter when a local beauty was thrown into this pool, and it was also he that organised a witch hunt against this woman, who according to locals, though being beautiful, had an evil look about her, these events culminated in her being cast into the deep black waters of Blakemere.
This road now follows the old pack horse trail that runs across the top of Morridge Moor and which runs past Blakemere. Photo by Gary Tacagni.
It is said that as the woman disappeared beneath the waters of Blakemere she shouted a curse that her spirit would haunt the pool for all time, and that she would drag Joshua Linnet beneath its dark waters. Three days later his drowned body was found next to the pool with strange slash marks upon his face, as if made by talons. Even though these events took place over a thousand years ago, people are still attracted to this place and many have disappeared under strange circumstances, only a few have lived to tell the tale. One such person was a visitor from London who was walking along a nearby track, he became concious of someone beside him, turning to his side he found himself staring into the green eyes of the mermaid, she dragged him into the pool, and whether he managed to break free, or whether she let him go, we will probably never know, but I think great care, respect and vigilance should be maintained when you are in the vicinity of this strange place.
The Mermaid Pub which is said to be the third highest pub in England and is found about a quarter of a mile from Blakemere, it also boasts having a well in the bar! Photo by Gary Tacagni.
It is said that even in the coldest of winters the waters of Blakemere refuse to freeze over, and a thirteenth century poem by De Luca Staffordae reads thus:
A lake that with prophetic noise doth roar,
where beast can nere be forced to venture oer,
by hands or men forever death pursue,
they'll not jump in but shun the hated flood.
The poem probably refers to another part of the legend in that the birds and animals will not drink from its waters, or travel anywhere near it. In fact I have spoken to a lady who lives at Cave farm on Morridge Moor who often walks her golden retreivers and she says when she nears the pool the dogs refuse to go near it. In the Mermaid pub just a short distance from Blakemere there is said to be carved on a stone the following poem:
She calls on you to greet her,
combing her dripping crown,
and if you go to meet her,
she ups and drags you down.
Another legend tells of a group of locals who ventured to the pool with the intention of draining it to see if as the legend states it is bottomless. They decided to dig away at the south bank of the pool, which would allow the black waters of Blakemere to drain away into the nearby river Churnet. Before they got that far however the mermaid appeared and threatened to flood the whole of the nearby town of Leek unless they ceased digging, which of course they promptly did, evidence of their activities still exist to this day!
Evidence of the excavation to try to drain the pool can be seen just to the rear of the bench. Photo by Gary Tacagni.
The bench beside Blakemere which bears a dedication to the Mere maid. Photo by Gary Tacagni.
Another view of Blakemere. Photo by Gary Tacagni.
