The
Old Man O’Mow is situated on the site of an ancient cairn that would have
been the high point of the land; it would have been as distinguishable a landmark
as the Castle is today.
It has been suggested that the cairn was a burial mound, and linked to the Bride
Stones of Cloud End, approximately. 3 miles away to
the North. However it is more likely to have been just a boundary marker separating
two counties and two manors on the Cheshire side of the hill, Rode Hall Estate
and Moreton Hall Estate. It was described in about 1530 as a `Roke of old
stones that of old times have been reared'.
The cairn disappeared as centuries of stone quarrying took its toll; this however
does not give us much insight
as to just why a large rock edifice of some 65ft in height was left. I have
heard several theories as to why it was left, the first to aid lifting the large
grit slabs, the second that the stone was not of the right quality. It is more
likely however that it was just left as ground marker, out respect for the old
cairn. If any reader can offer me proof for any of the above it would be appreciated.
The top of the Old Man O’Mow stands 65 ft high, with its top some 1100
ft above sea level. Its shape from certain angles
does look like the form of some giant man, thus giving us its name
When
you stand behind the Old Man O’Mow (on the trig point) and look at the
castle, you certainly see just how much stone has been quarried out over years.
The Old landscape, a large mound of stone with a cairn on top, would have probably
been quite an impressive skyline. One would have wanted a camera lens
to capture that view.
